Japanese Language Program | Course Information

We offer following courses, and a detailed syllabus for each course is presented in each class. The courses listed here, however, may not be offered all at the same time in one semester. Because the class size is generally small and the composition of classes varies considerably depending on the students’ previous experiences of Japanese language studies, each course may be modified according to the needs of the students.

As a distinctive feature of our program, we incorporate SAIS topics, as we mentioned above, in all of the following courses.  We introduce at a graded pace vocabulary items, special expressions, and grammatical structures that are necessary to discuss all those SAIS topics.

COURSES:          

Level I

This course is for students with no experience in the study of the Japanese language and culture or with only  minimal skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Level II

The objective of this novice high level course is the completion of elementary grammar with the introduction of socio-linguistic elements reflected in various styles of language. The student's reading ability is limited mainly to hiragana, katakana, and some basic kanji characters.

Level III

This intermediate low level course is for students who have completed elementary grammar but are still performing in a very limited manner in speaking. While they learn to achieve tasks in every day communication based on their personal needs, they expand their knowledge of kanji characters to improve their reading and writing skills. 

Level IV

The primary emphasis for this intermediate mid level course is the acquisition of higher fluency and accuracy than that achieved in Level III in speaking, listening and reading in dealing with a variety of task-oriented and social situations. By the end of this course, students complete the major grammatical elements required for the foundation of the language, and take the proficiency exams in reading, listening, and speaking.

Post-Proficiency Level

Upon passing the proficiency exams, students are encouraged to take this course to improve their language skills for their professional goals.