Prospectus

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Advanced Applied Japanese (MA1)

Course
2010-2011

Admission requirements

Please contact study coordinator : Dr. M. Winkel

Description

A central aspect of the MA programme in Japanese Studies in Leiden is language training. All students attend a rigorous language course of Advanced Applied Japanese in their first semester. This course has been designed to raise the language proficiency of all students to the level necessary to properly and profitably participate in university seminars and lectures during their year in Japan. In practice, if students fail to reach a minimum level equivalent to level N2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test by the end of this course, they will not be permitted to go to Japan.

The course consists of:

  • reading academic texts, discussion and debate

  • oral presentation, oral interview

  • writing essays, writing reports on academic lectures

  • kanji & vocabulary (weekly test)

Course objectives

The purpose of this course is primarily to train the student for intellectual activities in the Japanese language on an academic level. Classroom activities are thus organized in order to develop and enhance individual students’ capabilities in logical thinking and the presentation of their own arguments and findings in Japanese. Hereby a basis is provided for the student to study or do research at a Japanese university in the subsequent period.

When the student goes to a Japanese university for study or research, some of the immediate needs will include critical/analytical reading, listening comprehension, understanding of complicated sentence structures, writing summaries, discussion, doing presentations, and collecting information. This course is based on such elements and has a task-oriented syllabus, aimed at acquisition of practical linguistic and communicative skills, as well as understanding of demanding academic content.

Timetable

See timetable.

Mode of instruction

Contact classes, seminar, lecture & independent study.

Assessment method

The final grade is included the following elements:

  • class performance and particiation (50%)

  • presentation (10%)

  • interview (10%)

  • final exams (30%)
    The student is required to satisfy a minimum attendance rate of 70% for taking the final exams.

Blackboard

Yes. Please enroll.

Reading list

Textbook: 山本富美子『国境を越えて』本文編改訂版
= Fumiko Yamamoto: Cross National Boundaries, 2007 or a newer edition. ISBN4-7885-0749-8.

Registration

Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Study in Leiden website for information on how to apply

Contact information

Y. Kragt – Masui

Remarks

Diagnostic exams will be administered in the beginning of the course. The tested language level is JLPT 2 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test). Use of dictionary is not allowed.

Tuesday 15 June 11.00 – 12.30 Written test (reading, grammar, kanji, vocabulary)
Thursday 19 August 11.00 – 12.30 Written test (reading, grammar, kanji, vocabulary)

The student is required to take the exams once by choosing either date. On both days there will be individual conversation tests after the written test.