Japanese

The Japanese language program focuses on communicative Japanese. While students are expected to learn reading and writing, much of the introductory sequence is designed to emphasize the skills of speaking, listening, and interacting with other speakers of Japanese. Elementary Japanese (JPNS 101–102) assumes no background. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of the modern language with particular emphasis on the control of basic grammatical patterns. Students use hiragana and katakana and a limited number of Chinese characters. Intermediate Japanese (JPNS 203–204) continues to develop all language skills with an increasing emphasis on reading and writing. Students are also introduced to literary Japanese. The Japanese language courses are all taught with a combination of lectures in English and conversation sections with native speakers in Japanese.