JAPANESE LANGUAGE 3 MOD.2

This course falls within the core activities of the third year of the "Japan" curriculum of the Bachelor's Degree Programme in "Language, Culture, and Society of Asia and Mediterranean Africa". Its formative objectives fall within the area of language skills learning. At the end of the course, students are expected to acquire in-depth knowledge of Japanese grammar and writing systems (kanji) through lectures and drills with Japanese native speakers. They are able to hold a conversation, write and read advanced texts in authentic communicative contexts. The level that students should reach at the end of the course should be around a B1+ level of the CEFR (around the N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test). This class is part of the Japanese language program; it builds on the skills acquired in the "Japanese language 1", "Japanese language 2" and "Japanese language 3.1".

B1 Level - Threshold or intermediate
1. Knowledge and understanding
- to complete the knowledge of the grammatical structures of pre-intermediate-level Japanese
- to complete the knowledge of pre-intermediate-level writing system (kana and kanji) and vocabulary
- to know and understand the functioning of the grammatical structures of intermediate-level Japanese
- to know and understand variations in the register and communication pragmatics of intermediate-level Japanese
- to know and understand key concepts and the essential terminology required to describe in a scientific way the phenomena studied during the class

2. Applying knowledge and understanding:
- to demonstrate a general understanding of intermediate grammar structures
- to be able to effectively read, understand and summarise Japanese texts of intermediate level
- to know how to interact in the communicative situations described by the B1 level of the CEFR
- to know how to understand and produce oral and written texts in agreement with the B1 level of the CEFR
- to be able to translate intermediate-level written texts from Japanese into Italian, following the instructions provided during the course
- to refine the utilization of the electronic dictionary and other translation tools

3. Making judgements:
- to be able to express basic concepts and produce examples to support or refute them in Japanese
- to be able to autonomously produce translation choices on the basis of the indications provided during class
- to be able to critically test current myths and prejudices about the Japanese language (eg presumed untranslatability, opacity, etc.)

4. Communication:
- written and oral comprehension and production skills and oral interaction required by the B1 level of the CEFR
- to be able, during classes, to interact with one's peers, with the teacher and with the CELs in a critical and respectful way

5. Lifelong learning skills:
- to be able to take notes pertinently and effectively
- to be able to consult the texts and reference materials suggested in the course bibliography
- to be able to develop the skills acquired in the course to undertake higher studies.

Lower Intermediate Japanese (Level N4 JLPT).

Social life in Japan (30 hrs: UTSUMI Hirofumi); exercises on texbook (60 hrs: Yoshida Momoko; 60 hrs: Nishida Shoko); group activities (Nishida Shoko, Sugiyama Ikuko, Suzuki Akane, Mariko Aya, Itami Yoko).
Attendance, although not compulsory, is strongly recommended.
No additional readings are required for non-attending students.

Mandatory textbook and drill books:
①TOBIRA: Gateway to Advanced Japanese (Oka M., Tsutsui M., Kondo J., Emori S., Hanai Y., Ishikawa S.), Tokyo, Kuroshio Publishers, 2009.
②TOBIRA: Power Up Your KANJI (Oka M., Ishikawa S., Kondo J., Tsutsui M., Emori S., Hanai Y.), Tokyo, Kuroshio Publishers, 2010.
③TOBIRA: Grammar Power - Exercises for Mastery (Tsutsui M., Emori S., Hanai Y., Ishikawa S., Oka M., Kondo J.), Tokyo, Kuroshio Publishers, 2012.

One of the following grammar textbooks is mandatory:
④ Grammatica Giapponese Seconda edizione, (Mastrangelo M., Ozawa N., Saito M.), Milano, Hoepli, 2012.
⑤ Grammatica di Giapponese Moderno (Kubota), Venezia, Cafoscarina, 1989.

⑥ Suggested electronic dictionary:
CASIO “XD-Y7400" (http://casio.jp/exword/products/XD-Y7400/ ) or a less recent model in the 7400 series including Japanese-Italian dictionaries.
or, alternatively,
CASIO “XD-Y6500" (http://casio.jp/exword/products/XD-Y6500/ ) or a less recent model in the 6500 series including classical Japanese dictionaries.

Suggested online tools:
jalea.unive.it (grammar); a4edu.unive.it (japanese-italian online dictionary).

NB: The texts of The Social Life in Japan will be provided in the classroom and Moodle by the teacher.

The course in "Japanese Language 3.2" lasts from February to December (one semester).
At the end of the second semester of teaching, the students are expected to take a final examination (Japanese Language 3.2) consisting in:
1. written texts: kanji, grammar, text comprehension;
2. an essay in Japanese. The number of characters is about 1000;
3. an oral test in conversation (Japanese lectors).

The final score will result from the average of the upper-mentioned.
If passed, the students will be assigned 12 credits.
The passing of "Japanese Language 3.1" is a prerequisite for the admission to the "Japanese Language 3.2" 's final examination.

Interactive classes with native speaker teachers.
An active participation is required in order to develop a linguistic self-consciousness through all the exercises presented in class by the teacher.
Students may found some online language drills in the personal MOODLE materials of each CEL.

The full programme of the CEL courses can be find in their personal "MOODLE" materials.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development