ADVANCED JAPANESE LANGUAGE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES 1-MOD.2

The course is one of the core courses of the Master's Course in Languages of Asia and the Mediterranean for Business and International Cooperation. It aims at:
a) develop the students' level of Japanese proficiency up to an upper-intermediate/advanced level through the study of the diverse registers of the Japanese language and specialistic texts;
b) provide the students with the methodological toolkit to conduct their research on primary sources in view of the completion of the Master's Thesis.

To this end, during classes and language training sessions, special attention will be paid on the one hand to the development of the students' listening and interaction skills in authentic contexts and on the other, on text reading, re-elaboration, and translation (and argumentation of the latter).

At the end of the course, the students are expected to
1. read and comprehend specialized texts (e.g., academic articles) in Japanese, making use of skim reading techniques.
2. write texts in the target language based on Japanese sources;
3. produce written texts in Japanese using technical and specialized language;
4. express their thoughts and ideas in Japanese with technological devices (such as Power Point presentations).

The course will also focus on the following aspects:
5. correct use of different linguistic registers in spoken Japanese;
6. comprehension of complex texts in Japanese;
7. re-elaboration in the target language (Italian or English).

Expected level at the end of the course: B2 (CEFR)

Students are expected to have at least a level of Japanese corresponding to JLPT N3-N2 (or to CEFR B1-B2).

The course consists of modules taught by the lead instructor and language practice sessions with the Language Assistants (CEL). The contents are organized as follows:
1. Lead Instructor's Lectures (30 hours: Marco Zappa)
In this part of the course, students will analyze Japanese language texts focusing on contemporary history, politics, and international relations (refer to the "Reference Materials" section). Preparation: Texts must be read in advance for critical analysis and classroom debate. Research: Participants will be required to conduct background research on the authors and the source materials. Language Focus: These texts will serve as a basis for reviewing and deepening the understanding of specific expressions and sentence structures.
2. Language Practice with Language Assistants (180 hours: Ayuko Utsumi; Masako Suzuki)
- MOD. 2A – Grammar and Writing: Exercises based on the textbook (60 hours: Ayuko Utsumi).
- MOD. 2B – Reading and Listening Comprehension: (30 hours: Masako Suzuki).
- MOD. 2C – Oral Production: Expressing opinions on the content of written texts (30 hours: Masako Suzuki).
- MOD. 2D – Written Production: Reading and summarizing written texts (30 hours: Ayuko Utsumi).
- MOD. 2E – Free Conversation: (30 hours: Masako Suzuki).

1) Textbook: Bunka Chukyu Nihongo, vol. 2, Tokyo, Bonjinsha, 2012 (Units 5-8);
2) Texts, lecture slides, and other materials uploaded to the Moodle pages of both the lead instructor and the Language Assistants (CEL).

In the course we will utilize, among other sources, articles from daily newspapers and periodicals regarding socio-political and economic topics. These texts will be uploaded to Moodle at the beginning of the semester. Additional materials (audio, video, and press articles) will be introduced by the instructor throughout the course.

Texts will be uploaded on the course Moodle page at the semester start.
Additional teaching materials (press articles, video and audio materials) will be introduced by the instructor during the course.

The use of the following Japanese dictionary (available on the students' electronic dictionaries and online) is recommended:
Kōjien, (7th ed.) Tokyo: Iwanami
Sanseidō Web Dictionary (also available for smartphones) online at: http://www.sanseido.biz/
Weblio Kokugo Jiten, online at: https://www.weblio.jp/
Kotobank, online at: https://kotobank.jp/

The final grade will be calculated based on the results of written and oral examinations. The exam consists of five parts, both written and oral.

WRITTEN EXAM
- Kanji and Grammar Test: Kanji reading (excluding place names from the honbun passages: 5-1, 5-2, 6-1, 6-2, 7-1, 7-2, 8-1, 8-2) and grammar (based on honbun and bunkei-hyōgen, fukushi and setsuzokushi, giongo-gitaigo (p. 159), settōgo-setsubigo (p. 213) from units 5–8). The use of dictionaries is not permitted. Duration: 30 min. (Ref: ‘BUNKA CHŪKYŪ NIHONGO II – MATOME’, ‘Esercizi 1mod 2’, ‘Esercizi fukushi’, and other materials available on Moodle).
- Written Composition: Summary of a new Japanese text; the use of dictionaries is permitted. Duration: 50 min.
- Comprehension and Commentary Test: Analysis of texts covered in class, to be conducted in Italian/English.

ORAL EXAM
- Reading and Comprehension from the textbook (Bunka Chūkyū Nihongo II, Units 5 to 8). Reading and comprehension of the honbun passages to be presented in Japanese: 5-2, 6-1, 7-1, 7-2 (including expressing opinions on text 7-2), 8-1, 8-2. Presentation on a historical figure chosen by the student in an interview format. Students may refer to their happyō genkō (presentation draft) and naiyō memo (content notes). (Ref: ‘1 mod.2 Attività’ file on Moodle, curated by Dr. Etsuko Nakayama).
- Conversation on a specific topic; reading and comprehension of the passages covered in class (curated by Dr. Masako Suzuki).

Final Grade:
The final grade will be determined by the average score (out of 30) obtained in the three parts of the exam (presentation, written exam, and oral exam). The 12 ECTS credits associated with the course will be awarded upon passing both the written and oral examinations within the same exam session.

written and oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

30-28:
The results of the individual exam components (written test, short essay, JP-IT comprehension test, and Japanese oral comprehension test) are overall excellent. The candidate demonstrates full mastery of relational language, is capable of writing a short essay on a chosen topic, and can argue convincingly and in an orderly manner. They can comprehend and contextualize an excerpt from a specialized Japanese text into the target language (Italian or English) excellently. Furthermore, they can understand a text and respond appropriately in both content and form to questions about it in Japanese.

27-25:
The results of the individual exam components (written test, short essay, JP-IT comprehension test, and Japanese oral comprehension test) are overall more than good. The candidate demonstrates a good command of relational language, is capable of writing a short essay on a chosen topic, and can argue convincingly and in an orderly manner. They can comprehend and contextualize an excerpt from a specialized Japanese text into the target language (Italian or English) satisfactorily. Furthermore, they can understand a text and respond appropriately, although with some difficulties in form, to questions about it in Japanese.

24-22:
The results of the individual exam components (written test, short essay, JP-IT comprehension test, and Japanese oral comprehension test) are overall more than sufficient. The candidate demonstrates a sufficient command of relational language, is capable of writing a short essay on a chosen topic, and can argue sufficiently. They can comprehend and contextualize an excerpt from a specialized Japanese text into the target language (Italian or English) at a sufficient level. Furthermore, they can understand the key concepts of a text and respond, albeit with some difficulties and not always appropriately, to questions about it in Japanese.

21-18:
The results of the individual exam components (written test, short essay, JP-IT comprehension test, and Japanese oral comprehension test) are overall sufficient. The candidate demonstrates a sufficient command of relational language, is capable of writing a short essay on a chosen topic, and can argue sufficiently. They can comprehend and contextualize an excerpt from a specialized Japanese text into the target language (Italian or English), although difficulties remain in identifying grammatical structures and sentence composition. Furthermore, they can understand the key concepts of a text and respond, with some difficulties and not always appropriately, to questions about it in Japanese.

The course is structured as a mix of traditional lectures and practical training sessions with the language instructors. During the lectures, students' active participation will be welcome.
It is highly recommended that students bring their laptops/tablets with suitable writing devices to class for Dr. Zappa's module.
Beside in-class work, students will be required to complete weekly tasks (individual or group work) such as translation, transcription of audio/video, presentation and report writing.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development