JAPANESE 302: ADVANCED JAPANESE (SPRING 2014)
MTWR 11:10 – 12:00
PROF. JUDITH RABINOVITCH
LA 320; OFFICE HOURS, TBA. ALWAYS AVAILABLE BY APPOINTMENT.
PH. 406-243-5101 / EMAIL: rabinovitchj@mso.umt.edu
WELCOME! JAPANESE 302, ADVANCED JAPANESE, is a second semester third-year course designed for non-native
speakers at the upper-intermediate skill level in Japanese. It aims to build upon your current proficiencies with
regard to mastery of grammar, syntax, vocabulary (including the use of keigo forms), and kanji. You will be
improving your ability to read and write about a variety of topics and to communicate in diverse informal and
formal social contexts. Kanji, vocabulary, and grammar/yomimono quizzes and midterm tests will be given on a
regular basis; your daily performance in class will also be assessed. Assignments will include textbook exercises
and writing short-answers, and some lengthier sakubun related to Living Japanese and Japanese contemporary
events. It is hoped that students will continue to watch the NHK news, as in Jpns 301, although this particular class
component will be replaced by Living Japanese modules during Jpns 302.
This course is required for Japanese majors. A grade of C- must be obtained for both majors and minors electing to
take the course; a cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required by the University for all Japanese upper division coursework
combined. After taking the course, students should be close to achieving the NIKYŪ level of proficiency (assuming
optimal diligence and retention). Japanese 301 is offered only with ‘traditional’ letter grading, including pluses and
minuses. There is a Moodle page set up for the course.
We will be studying Ch 8-14 or 15 in the “Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese” text, which has 2
CD-roms. These contain m4a files for listening (files are for yomimono conversations, yomimono reading passages,
and kikitori “eavesdropping” exercises—the latter will be optional this term. We will do a representative selection
for each item in the exercises from the companion workbook volume. Please bring the workbook to class each time,
as I will sometimes have you look at the exercise items while discussing grammar.
As a supplement to our main text, we will be using selected portions of Living Japanese (Yale UP) roughly 2 days
per chapter cycle. Students are strongly encouraged to work through as much of this book as they have the time to
devote to it on their own; you can reap many benefits, improving aural comprehension, understanding
colloquialisms and regional dialects, learning a range of new words, and acquiring new “reading” kanji. Testing of
your learning of Living Japanese will largely be via an oral exam at the end of the semester, however occasional
questions (writing) will be required as HW and questions may also be included on exams or as take-homes.
BKB study and review of previous BKB kanji will continue during this term. One new, scanned BKB kanji chapter
will be placed on Moodle with each new lesson in IJ main textbook.
COURSE AIMS IN MORE DETAIL: First, speaking Japanese—oral communication—underpins all other course aims.
When you walk through the door each day, please start speaking Japanese to each other or to me. If you need to
ask a question in English, please ask permission first. This course will foster in equal measure the development of
oral/aural communication skills (in the context of needed cultural knowledge), as well as reading and writing
proficiencies, at the third-year level. The latter proficiencies depend upon the acquisition of many new kanji and
compound (kanji) words as well as upon actual composition practice. In addition, students will continue to gain
mastery over ‘radicals,’ the bulding blocks of kanji writing, and with the use of dictionaries. Further, translation
technique and “English style” will continually be developed through practice in this area using textbook materials
and realia. Finally, students will be assisted to develop a broader knowledge of Japanese society and culture and
deepen their understanding of interpersonal interactions and manners.
COURSE TEXTS:
An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese, 2 vols. Miura and McGloin. ISBN 978-4-7890-1308-6.
Required. We will complete about 7 chapters.
Living Japanese: Diversity in Language and Lifestyles (Conversations with Native Speakers). By Karen
Colligan-Taylor. Yale University Press, 2006.
BKB, vol. 2. (No need to purchase).
Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary by Halpern. ISBN 978-1-56836-429-2. Required.
Kodansha’s Furigana Japanese Dictionary by Yoshida. ISBN 978-1-56836-457-5. Required
Dictionary Of Intermediate Japanese Grammar by Seiichi Makino. ISBN 978-4-7890-0775-7. Recommended
Remembering The Kanji, vol. 1, by Heisig. ISBN 978-4-88996-075-4. Optional.
A NOTE ON KANJI STUDY DURING YEAR THREE: Your kanji recognition and writing abilities will advance
substantially this year. By the end of Jpns 302, you will be in possession of about 780 kanji for writing and
roughly1000-1200 for reading recognition (conservatively), assuming optimal learning, study, and review. You
will learn about 30 書く漢字, many of which are review kanji from years 1-2, with about 15 new ones each
chapter; you will also learn 25 読む漢字 and several dozen new vocabulary and expressions for each chapter.
RADICALS: We will continue to review radicals this term, focusing upon the very most common ones, which you
will be required to learn (their names and meaning). There are notes in IJ on certain important ‘kanji radicals’ 漢字
部首. Look also in Prof. Rabinovitch’s MOODLE for a downloadable pdf (retained from Jpns 301) displaying all of
the 214 radicals, with English translation. Twenty essential radicals will be tested in Midterm One, twenty in
Midterm Two, and a further group on the final examination, where the test will be cumulative. Handouts listing
these will be provided.
KANJI PRACTICE SHEETS: Please continue to fill these in. To streamline things, I will not be collecting your sheets
this semester, but you are welcome to have me check your writing of individual kanji at any time.
ORGANIZATION OF TEXTBOOK AND GRAMMAR ANNOTATION NUMBERS IN TEXT PASSAGES:
As you are already familiar with the course text, details of the layout will be omitted here. A few guidelines follow.
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Students need to come to class prepared to actively discuss the text passage(s) or exercises and with all of the
homework conscientiously prepared.
Students will be asked to speak on some aspect of the course readings or dialogs at any time.
Practice reading the yomimono and yomimono outloud at home, while listening/playing the m4a files.
Frequently review of new vocabulary, kanji (old and new), and grammatical locutions.
Please take notes and keep track of homework questions or points about which you need help. Ask questions.
Do come for help whenever you need it.
GRADE CALCULATION BREAKDOWNS:
PREPARATION AND PARTICIPATION, demonstrated in-class oral/aural skills, classroom Role Play work: 10%
QUIZZES (1-vocabulary (5%), 2-grammar/yomimono (5%), 3-kanji (10%), including designated BKB
review kanji and new kanji from a BKB chapter: 20%
NOTE: Grammar and Kanji quizzes will be given only for the IJ chapters NOT immediately followed by
a midterm. Vocab. Quizzes will be given in every chapter. Your lowest one quiz in each of the 3 above
quiz categories will be dropped.
HOMEWORK: 20% total; chapter exercises, BKB chapter assignments, yomimono translations, and
writing assignments, etc. Each kind of work—and each assignment--will be graded on a ten point
scale this term. Your lowest single homework score will be dropped. Please note the following details:
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IJ Homework Exercises/McGloin assignments: will be collected all together on day 6 of each
lesson and graded as a single unit out of TEN POINTS. Please submit in a folder;
no checklist required this term.
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ORDER OF SUBMISSIONS:
(1) Workbook exercises from the McGloin;
(2) yomimono questions fully answered—the detail and care shown in your answers will
be a factor in my evaluation;
(3) NEW: personal model sentences of your own devising, one for each of the McGloin grammar
items introduced in the 文法ノート section.
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Dues dates: Writing Assignments will be due on DAY 3 of the next IJ lesson. Yomimono
translations, typed, will be mainly due on DAY 4, the day AFTER we finish reading the
yomimono passage; this semester, you will be asked to turn in one polished submission only,
which will included any edits or corrections you made to your first draft. Submission of the
first (rough) draft will not be required, however you are expected to bring a draft to class and
edit it prior to preparing your final text. BKB homework will be mainly due on DAY 5.
McGloin workbook exercises, with yomimono question responses and model sentences
(new) will be due on DAY 6.
MIDTERM TESTS, two (each covering 3 IJ chapters), 20%
FINAL EXAM, in-class (date and time set by the Registrar and not subject to modification), supplemented by a
take-home activity, short translation, or question (10% of test value), 25%
FINAL ORAL TEST covering key reading passages from Living Japanese, 5%
GRADE DISTRIBUTION:
A: 93-100
D: 63-67
A-: 90-92
D-: 60-62
B+: 88-89 B: 83-87
F: below 60
B-: 80-82
C+: 78-79
C: 73-77
C-: 70-72
D+: 68-69
A WORD ON EXAMS:
Midterm tests will run the full class period. Most will have sections devoted to listening, vocabulary usage,
grammatical constructions, reading and comprehension, kanji mastery (reading, writing and meaning), BKB (old
and new, with review chapters being designated), and some short answers. A take-home component is a possibility.
ATTENDANCE/ TARDINESS POLICY AND SOME REQUIREMENTS:
(1) Regular, on-time attendance and submission of assignments is essentials. Each absence after the third “free”
one will be reflected in a two-point deduction from your final course grade up to a maximum of ten points (one
grade division). If there are medical or other major emergencies (proof required), please advise me immediately
and prior to the class to be missed, so that appropriate assistance may be arranged, when appropriate.
PERFECT ATTENDANCE/HOMEWORK SUBMISSION BONUS: you will earn 2 points to be added to your final mark in
you have either perfect attendance or homework submission (all assignments), assuming the work submitted was
fully “satisfactory” and complete.
(2) If you are late for a quiz, the portion you missed cannot be redone. Two tardy arrivals (or early departures) are
counted as one missed class and will result in a commensurate deduction from your final score. Students missing
more than half of the class (25 mins) will have points deducted as if for an absence. Please take care to arrive on
the early side, so as not to disrupt the class and compromise your own performance.
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(3) Students are expected to take the initiative to faithfully listen to ALL m4a files using the text’s CD-rom While
listening, please practice reading fluency, cadence, phraseology, and pronunciation. Use this practice as an
opportunity to check and reinforce your mastery of kanji readings.
(4) THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP HOMEWORK OPPORTUNITIES, QUIZZES, OR TESTS; the only exceptions (at your
professor’s discretion) will be in cases of documented major emergencies, such as an accident, hospitalization, a
bereavement, the need to testify in court, or an important documented UM official (and mandatory) event. All other
personal situations and impediments should be covered by the scheme permitting 3 excused absences. Please save
the 3 absences for a rainy day. If you don’t need them, you will earn a two-point bonus at the end of the course.
If you are unable to attend class on a CHAPTER TEST DAY and wish to ask your instructor to consider giving you a
make-up, a legitimate reason, involving the sort of situation identified above, must be presented before the time the
test is to be given. Make-ups will be considered at the teacher’s discretion and only in the event that a student
presents documented evidence showing compelling circumstances.
(5) Please complete homework prior to your arrival to the classroom. If you forget to bring your homework or miss
class, please do not leave the homework assignment on your professor’s door or in his/her mailbox.
(6) Please don’t leave class while lessons are in progress. Try your very best to speak only Japanese in class unless
you seek and are granted permission to speak English in class for a particular purpose.
(7) Kindly turn OFF your computer/PDA/Ipod/Smart Phone/Cell Phone/Recording device prior to entering the
classroom. Recording or videotaping the class or making/receiving phone calls is not permitted except in unusual
cases where special permission has been granted in advance.
(8) All students must practice the highest standards of academic honesty. Faculty expect that the homework
assignments you turn in, your sakubun, and the answers on your tests to be true representations of your own effort
and learning. Plagiarism (i.e., copying another person’s work and presenting it as your own work) or cheating (i.e.,
providing answers for someone else or getting answers or verbiage from someone else) will not be tolerated.
Consequences of any breach of academic integrity may include failure of the assignment or the course (as
appropriate) and procedures via the Academic Court. At UM, academic misconduct is subject to an academic
penalty by the instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. Please read the Student Conduct Code
available on line at www.life.umt.edu.
(9) If you are a student with a disability and wish to discuss reasonable accommodations for this course, please
meet with Disability Services for Students (DSS) in Lommasson 154 for assistance in developing a plan to address
reasonable modifications. If you are already working with DSS, arrange to meet with your instructor during his/her
office hours to discuss modifications that may be necessary. For more information, visit the DSS website at
www.life.umt.edu/dss.
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SAMPLE LESSON PLAN FOR EACH CYCLE OF JAPANESE 302: CHAPTER 9 AND BEYOND
(Note: Lesson 8 was half-covered in Japanese 301 and thus it will take only 4 days to complete it, including the
days devoted to Living Japanese selections. A few later lessons have extra yomimono; the schedule will be slightly
adjusted accordingly.)
DAY 1: KAIWA 1-2 AND CORRESPONDING GRAMMAR/KANJI. New kaiwa vocabulary/kaiwa grammar/several kanji.
For each kaiwa, please also read & study the 会話練習のポイント. Read all grammar notes associated with the
kaiwa portions.
DAY 2: KAIWA 3-(4) AND CORRESPONDING GRAMMAR/KANJI. Complete the yomimono. Again, please refer to 会
話練習のポイント. Kaiwa Vocab Quiz (Jpns to Eng and/or Eng to Jpns)
DAY 3: YOMIMONO AND TRANSLATION ISSUES 読み物. Corresponding grammar. Spot translation of passages and
work on translation skills. Bring to class a typed, provisional translation of the yomimono. For some yomimono
longer than a page, you will not be required to translate the final portion. You are asked to edit your errors during
our discussion of the passage in class. Please ask questions that crop up while you are preparing at home. Begin to
prepare answers to the yomimono questions from the workbook, in the section titled 読み物質問. These will be due
with the rest of the WB exercises on day 6. Living Japanese written homework will be due on this day.
DAY 4: YOMIMONO WRAP-UP, ROLE PLAY ACTIVITIES, EXERCISE CHECKS, USING THE WORKBOOK.
Review/discussion of yominomo. Role Plays or essential dialogs. Exercise questions/samples will be discussed.
Yomimono translation due on this day.
DAY 5: LIVING JAPANESE selections will be screened and discussed. Please work through all assigned portions
BEFORE class, and make note of any comprehension problems you encounter. BKB chapter homework due.
IJ Grammar/Yomimono Quiz
DAY 6: LIVING JAPANESE, DAY 2. Kanji/BKB kanji review and discussion. Bring BKB materials (as a printout) to
class. Please turn in (1) IJ workbook homework activities in a folder today; include also (2) the yomimono
questions from the workbook (読み物内容質問) and model sentences of your own creation. IJ Kanji Quiz, with
BKB kanji
DAY 7: WRAP UP/BONUS DAY/REVIEW (SCHEDULED DURING MOST LESSONS). This day will be for wrap up,
review activities, Living Japanese (if we run a little long), or other supplementary readings done at sight.
DAY 8: MIDTERM TEST (TWO PER TERM). Following Les 10 & 13.
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