Overview
This course is aimed at those who have attended Japanese for Beginners or have some very basic knowledge of Japanese (Hiragana). It is not appropriate for absolute beginners of the language. Students must understand Hiragana for writing & reading both ways and basic Japanese verbs (masu-form). Every week in the classes, students will learn Katakana, such as reading speaking and listening. Also, the tutor will give students Hiragana quizzes. A wider range of grammatical structures will also be taught. Through a variety of methods, students will develop a basic competence in reading, writing, listening, and speaking and an understanding of basic grammar. At the end of this 12 week-module, students will have reached an A2, proficiency level in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and basic users of the language, i.e. those able to communicate in everyday situations with commonly-used expressions and elementary vocabulary. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about personal details such as when will you move to Tokyo? Students will be able to interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. Also, students will have a basic understanding of significant aspects of life and culture of the country and intercultural skills necessary for their language proficiency level.
Syllabus
Week 1
- Japanese For Busy People I Lesson 1 – 7 + 10 whole review
· Japanese For Busy People I Unit 5 Lesson 11
· State how frequently you do something and give a brief reason
for why you do it. Order food at a restaurant
· Grammar: Particle kara
Week 2
- Japanese For Busy People I Unit 5 Lesson 10 review
· Japanese For Busy People I Unit 4 Lesson 8 and 9
· Talk about tourist destinations
· Describe what is inside a building
· Grammar: Particle ni, ga & wa the verb arimasu & imasu
· Katakana: Reading & writing a line & ka line to write &
pronunciation
Week 3
· Japanese For Busy People I Lesson 8 p73-77 exercises.
· Memorize the vocabulary of JFBPI Lesson 8
· Please have a look at the Katakana chart サ sa line & タ ta line
· Let’s Learn Katakana exercises on p16-17.
Week 4
- Japanese For Busy People I Unit 4 Lesson 8 review
· Japanese For Busy People I Unit 4 Lesson 9
· Existence of people and things
· Grammar: Use of counter with people
· Katakana: Reading & writing na line & ha line to write &
pronunciation
Week 5
- Japanese For Busy People Unit 4 Lesson 8 & 9 review
· Japanese For Busy People I Unit 6 Lesson 11 and 12
· Talk about the characteristics of things & people
· Grammar: adjectives (i-adjective & na-adjective) with tenses
· Katakana: Reading & writing ma line & ya line to write &
pronunciation.
Week 6
- Japanese For Busy People I Unit 5 Lesson 11 and 12
· Verbs that take a grammatical object:: Grammar: adjectives
· Katakana: Reading & writing ra line wa line & n to write &
pronunciation
How to order at a restaurant
Start learning adverbs- e.g tokidoki(sometimes) - Japanese For Busy
Week 7
- People I Unit 6 Lesson 14
· Japanese For Busy People I Unit 6 Lesson 13
·Talk about giving and receiving gifts
·Praise someone’s possessions
·Grammar: verbs for give & receive, particle wa, ni & o
·Katakana: Double Vowels to write & pronunciation
Week 8
- Japanese For Busy People I Unit 7 Lesson 15 Inviting someone to do
Something, Making suggestions, Offering to do something
· Grammar: verbs for suggesting won’t you, shall I, let’s
· Katakana: Double Consonants to write & pronunciation
Week 9
- Japanese For Busy People I Unit 7 Lesson 15 review
· Japanese For Busy People I Unit 7 Lesson 16 Talk about
what you own, offer to help someone/accept or reject
someone’s offer give a reason for offering someone
something, inviting someone to do something
· Grammar: verbs of possession
· Katakana: Yoon to write & pronunciation
Week 10
- Japanese For Busy People I Unit 11 Lesson24
Preference & desire, being introduced to someone
· Grammar: Particle ga + like, understand & good at
· Japanese For Busy People I Unit 11 Lesson 25
Express desire & pain, symptoms of body, exchange information
about a mutual interest
· Grammar: Vocabulary of parts of body & hobbies, masu form to tai
form
· Katakana: whole review & reading practice
Week 11
- Japanese For Busy People I Unit 11 Lesson24 and 25 review
· Katakana: whole review & reading practice
Week 12 Written and speaking tests will take place this week. Completing the assessment is required for students taking the course as part of their degree. For all other students, taking the tests is also strongly recommended, as a measure of your progress and learning.
Textbook details:
- Japanese For Busy People I (Romanized version 3rdedition)
ISBN Number-10 1568363842: ISBN-13 978-1568363842
We recommend our students to buy their textbooks from Blackwell’s on campus. They have a price match policy and you can pre-order over the phone with them and pick the book when you are on campus.
Study Hours
The total number of study hours for this module is 150 hours, in line with undergraduate university modules. This includes class meetings, assessment preparation and self-directed study in line with guidance from the course lecturer.
If you are studying on the extracurricular mode, we recognise that the total number of hours that you may be able to study every week may depend on your availability and previous experience studying languages, however, expected contribution to classes, homework completion, and learning outcomes will not vary.
Please note that the ‘last date available to book’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure enrol as soon as possible. Registrations will not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm.
Course Lecturer: Yayoi Berry
Yayoi is a qualified teacher from Japan and has been teaching Japanese for 15 years in a variety of schools and institutions in Japan, China and the U.K. Yayoi has been teaching at the university over 8 years.
Fees for language courses are £180/£90.
Visit our fee bands page to see which fee applies to you.
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