Skip to main content

Unit information: Japanese for General Purposes (post-intermediate) in 2015/16

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

Unit name Japanese for General Purposes (post-intermediate)
Unit code LANG32046
Credit points 20
Level of study H/6
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director Dr. Foster
Open unit status Open
Pre-requisites

Satisfactory completion of LANG31046 or if individual language level is deemed appropriate, particularly following a Year Abroad in Japan.

Co-requisites

None

School/department School of Modern Languages
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

A continuation from Intermediate Japanese. This course will include: grammar extension of more complex structures, further development of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, introduction to seminar and presentation skills, communicative skills, essay writing using HIRAGANA, KATAKANA and KANJI in DA, DEARU style, and translation skills, KEIGO, honorific language, (SONKEIGO, KENJOGO, TEINEIGO) and cultural and social aspects of the language.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student will:

1. be able to communicate effectively on a variety of general and specific topics, having achieved a confident level of communicative competence in everyday situations and in a foreign academic environment.

2. have developed specific academic skills (note taking, giving oral presentations and academic writing) necessary for studying in an academic environment.

3. be able to apply their language skills into areas related to their specific field of study (i.e. language for special purposes)

4. have acquired knowledge and awareness of the general social and cultural background of the target language

5. have made full use of e-learning opportunities at the University, for example blogs and wikis in Blackboard, etc.)

The expected exit level in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at the end of the 12 week unit is level A2 and part of level B1 of the Common European Framework.

Teaching Information

3 hours of teaching per week covering all four topics of Reading writing speaking and listening. Classroom based learning is supplemented by online access to resources delivered via Blackboard. Regular formative homework is set.

Assessment Information

The four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are assigned equal weighting for the purposes of assessment (25% each).

For reading and writing there is a formal examination in the summer examination period, which comprises 25% of the total mark. This assesses ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Listening is assessed by continuous assessment, consisting of listening assignments and class tests, which comprise 25% of the total mark. Both assess ILOs 1 and 2.

Speaking is tested by continuous assessment, consisting of marked coursework (oral presentation) and an oral test. Both assess ILOs 1, 2 and 3.

Reading and References

A course book clearly identified by the Director of Foreign Language Teaching as suitable for this level. Reading and reference material will be provided on Blackboard.

Feedback