Level 1

Japanese Level 1 (LFA00016L) course content

Prerequisites

The course is aimed at those with no previous knowledge of the target language.

It is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff and members of the public.

Contact time

19 × 2-hour classes plus end-of-year exams (listening, oral and written); groups of up to 20-25 participants.

Aims

The course is ideal for those with no previous knowledge of the language, but who wish to acquire basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in Japanese. The course will equip you with the basic skills required if you wish to visit Japan or to communicate with native speakers.

The course is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff and members of the public.

Objectives

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

• communicate simply but effectively in Japanese at an elementary level
• understand basic cultural and social aspects of the language
• talk about yourself and understand when others tell you about themselves and their circumstances, including jobs
• order food and drinks, understand menus and ask for details of dishes
• ask for / understand directions, opening times and how to find facilities
• describe things and shop for what you want, ask the prices in shops
• talk about everyday life and customs
• talk about what you have done and will be doing, e.g. holidays, education, jobs
• invite someone to do something and know how to accept / decline it
• ask and describe locations of things/ places
• feel confident about pronouncing Japanese correctly, understanding and making yourself understood by a native speaker at an elementary level
• write and read short messages accurately using hiragana, katakana and kanji.
• use everyday verbs in the polite – masu, desu forms.

Teaching method

A communicative approach will be used throughout the course with an emphasis on speaking in real-life situations. You will be required to obtain a textbook to support your studies (details from your tutor at the start of the course).

Time commitment

Alongside the class, you will be expected to spend around 2-3 hours each week on private study, as advised by your tutor. Work outside class may involve tasks such as online language learning activities on the VLE, completing worksheets or exercises from your textbook, revising work done in class, practising pronunciation and learning vocabulary/grammar.

Evaluation and certification

This course will be subject to end-of-year examinations and certification. An LFA certificate will be awarded to participants who pass the end of year exams (oral, listening and written).

Taking the course as a degree module

Under the university modularisation scheme, this course can be taken as a 20-credit degree module by Year 1 undergraduate students in some academic departments. If you wish to do this, please check with your academic department first to see if your degree programme allows you to take an LFA module for credit, and then contact the LFA office to enrol for a course as a degree module.

Level 2

Japanese Level 2 (LFA00017L) course content

Prerequisites

The course is aimed at those with previous knowledge of the target language (e.g. Japanese Level 1, or an equivalent beginners course).

It is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff and members of the public.

Contact time

19 × 2-hour classes plus optional end-of-course exam; groups of up to 20-25 participants.

Aims

The course aims to develop communicative skills in a wide range of contexts with the accent on practical spoken Japanese.

Objectives

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

• undertake straightforward verbal communication in predictable, everyday circumstances.
• develop more detailed cultural and social aspects of the language
• extract relevant information from a direct source or clear speech.
• talk about your experience and customs in the past, including using adjectives in both present and past tense
• suggest and ask in a polite manner of speech
• ask for permission, offer and talk about rules using te-form
• describe reasons
• describe and explain appearance of people in detail
• state your ideas and opinions
• convey the things you heard to other people
• describe your plans for the future
• feel more confident about pronouncing Japanese correctly, understanding and making yourself understood by a native speaker at a basic level
• write, read, speak and listen to messages accurately using hiragana, katakana and more kanji.

Teaching method

A communicative approach will be used throughout the course with an emphasis on speaking in real-life situations. You will be required to obtain a textbook to support your studies (details from your tutor at the start of the course).

Time commitment

Alongside the class, you will be expected to spend around 2-3 hours each week on private study, as advised by your tutor. Work outside class may involve tasks such as online language learning activities on the VLE, completing worksheets or exercises from your textbook, revising work done in class, practising pronunciation and learning vocabulary/grammar.

Evaluation and certification

This course will be subject to end-of-year examinations and certification. An LFA certificate will be awarded to participants who pass the end of year exams (oral, listening and written).

Taking the course as a degree module

Under the university modularisation scheme, this course can be taken as a 20-credit degree module by Year 1 undergraduate students in some academic departments. If you wish to do this, please check with your academic department first to see if your degree programme allows you to take an LFA module for credit, and then contact the LFA office to enrol for a course as a degree module.

Level 3

Japanese Level 3 (LFA00008C) course content

Prerequisites

The course is aimed at those with a sound knowledge of the target language. Learners at this level may have completed a level 2 course and/or have stayed in Japan for a short period of time.

It is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff and members of the public.

Contact time

19 × 2-hour classes plus end-of-year exams (listening, oral and written); groups of up to 20-25 participants.

Aims

The key aim of the course is to enable learners who have completed previous courses of spoken Japanese with the knowledge of approximately 100 kanji, to further develop their communicative skills in a wide range of contexts.

Objectives

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

• use advanced grammatical structures, such as expressing capability, obligation and opinions
• communicate in a variety of practical situations
• develop more detailed cultural and social aspects of the language
• read and listen to fairly complicated letters and dialogues
• create original and substantial dialogues on various different topics
• read and discuss simple newspaper articles

Teaching method

A communicative approach will be used throughout the course with an emphasis on speaking in real-life situations. You will be required to obtain a textbook to support your studies (details from your tutor at the start of the course).

Time commitment

Alongside the class, you will be expected to spend around 2-3 hours each week on private study, as advised by your tutor. Work outside class may involve tasks such as online language learning activities on the VLE, completing worksheets or exercises from your textbook, revising work done in class, practising pronunciation and learning vocabulary/grammar.

Evaluation and certification

This course will be subject to end-of-year examinations and certification. An LFA certificate will be awarded to participants who pass the end of year exams (oral, listening and written).

Taking the course as a degree module

Under the university modularisation scheme, this course can be taken as a 20-credit degree module by Year 1 undergraduate students in some academic departments. If you wish to do this, please check with your academic department first to see if your degree programme allows you to take an LFA module for credit, and then contact the LFA office to enrol for a course as a degree module.