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Japanese Language and Cultures: Beginner - LFA00237L

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• Department: Language and Linguistic Science
• Credit value: 20 credits
• Credit level: F
• Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
  • See module specification for other years: 2024-25

Module summary

This course is aimed at students who have no previous knowledge of Japanese. Over the course of a semester, it will steadily build the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to learn Japanese and communicate in basic situations. It will focus on developing a communicative competence from beginner level and provide a foundation for further study.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2023-24
B	Semester 2 2023-24

Module aims

The module aims are:

• to build up basic skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing

• to develop strategies for learning Japanese

• to develop interactive skills in familiar situations

• to introduce and practise the writing system and orthography

Students will engage, individually and in groups, in activities and tasks emphasising three core communicative skills:

1. reception activities (oral, audio-video and reading comprehension);

2. production activities (oral and written production);

3. interaction activities (oral, written and online interaction).

The mediums of instruction are English and Japanese.

Module learning outcomes

• Ability to understand basic expressions and short, simple informational material and texts on familiar everyday subjects.

• Ability to produce short phrases and series of simple sentences about familiar everyday subjects.

• Ability to interact in a simple way, ask and answer questions on familiar daily topics.

• Ability to recognise basic cultural differences and to establish basic social contact by using everyday polite forms of greetings, farewells and introductions.

• Ability to grasp a basic knowledge of the writing system and orthography of Japanese and begin to apply them appropriate to the level.

Module content

Topics may include:

• greetings and general polite forms;

• exchanging personal information;

• basic conversation at shops and restaurants;

• talking about daily routine;

• talking about what you did and what you are planning to do;

• locations;

• email exchange.

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled)	60
Oral presentation/seminar/exam	40

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled)	60
Oral presentation/seminar/exam	40

Module feedback

Feedback on exams and essays as per University regulations.

Indicative reading

Course materials and guided readings will be provided by the module convenors via the VLE at the start of the semester.