The Guide to the Japanese Language Program Courses for Academic Years 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 All new students including exchange and Indonesian Linkage students are requested to fill out an (online) questionnaire /application form by the date given at the end of this guide. Be sure to do so, even if you do not plan to take a Japanese course in the coming fall term. Thank you! This guide is designed for students wishing to take a Japanese language course offered by the Japanese Language Program (JLP) at IUJ. We at the JLP believe that learning Japanese at IUJ is a rewarding experience. Even so, it is also true that our Japanese courses can be felt very demanding, because students have only one or two years to study the language and the requirements set by a Japanese course are as rigorous as those set by a content course necessary for the degree students seek. Consequently, for those students who are not exempted from taking English language courses it can be even tougher, since it means studying two languages at the same time while pursuing their own studies for an MA or MBA degree. The JLP, therefore, highly advises incoming students to start studying Japanese now and get as well prepared as possible before arriving at IUJ, so that they can achieve the best results during their stay at IUJ. The JLP puts an emphasis on developing students communication skills throughout all levels of courses. In other words, listening and speaking skills are given priority, though those of reading and writing are also taught to enhance communication ability. Courses offered by the JLP are divided into two: the main track of courses and the lightly loaded ones. The main track consists of Elementary Japanese 1, 2, 3, Intermediate Japanese 1, 2, 3 (up to mid-stage Intermediate level) and Advanced Japanese 1, 2, 3 and Advanced Japanese 4, 5, 6 (late-stage Intermediate to Advanced level). The lightly load courses include Basic Japanese 1, 2, 3 and Basic Japanese 4, 5, 6. The courses in the main track are designed to develop relatively comprehensive Japanese skills including the reading of kanji (Chinese characters) and to raise the proficiency level of students as high as possible within the limited period of time. Classes in Elementary Japanese 1, 2, 3 and Intermediate Japanese 1, 2, 3 meet four times a week, while those in Advanced Japanese 1, 2, 3 and Advanced Japanese 4, 5, 6 meet three times a week. These courses may be felt intensive, but students with an intention to use the language for professional purposes such as internship, research and business after graduating from IUJ are strongly advised to stay in this track. Many alumni have reported that minimum level required by such students at the time of graduation is completion of Intermediate 3. Students who wish to take Elementary Japanese 1 must be prepared for the qualifying test which asks some basic linguistic knowledge of Japanese. However, those who cannot prepare themselves in advance could start with a 4-Day Intensive Class, which will be explained later, but they must be aware that it requires enormous amount of effort.
Courses in the lightly load track, Basic Japanese 1, 2, 3 and Basic Japanese 4, 5, 6 have been created to provide students with more opportunities to experience Japan by learning Japanese without threatening their study of content courses. These classes meet two times a week. The major focus will be on developing oral communication skills. Acquiring basic grammar and developing vocabulary will also be stressed to enhance their communication ability. Kanji are not taught in class because of time constraints. The courses offered by the JLP and their relationship with one another are diagramed below. 1st year (2016/2017) 2nd year (2017/2018) Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring Elementary 1 Elementary 2 Elementary 3 Elementary 1 Elementary 2 Elementary 3 Intermediate 1 Intermediate 2 Intermediate 3 Intermediate 1 Intermediate 2 Intermediate 3 Advanced 1 Advanced 2 Advanced 3 Advanced 1 Advanced 2 Advanced 3 Advanced 4 Advanced 5 Advanced 6 Advanced 4 Advanced 5 Advanced 6 Basic 1 Basic 2 Basic 3 Basic 1 Basic 2 Basic 3 Basic4 Basic 5 Basic 6 Basic4 Basic 5 Basic 6 Note: Basic 4, 5, 6, Advanced 4, 5, 6, and Business Japanese 1, 2, 3 will be offered subject to budget. The following are rough guidelines concerning what a student can achieve upon completing the course at IUJ. Students who have completed Advanced Japanese 3 with good standing are expected to: (a) Be able to pass the N1 level of the New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test*(Henceforce NJLPT) in December of the same year, if they have strong kanji background and study hard until December. (b) Pass the N2 level of the NJLPT. (c) Obtain advanced-low/mid level in the Oral Proficiency Interview test. Students who have completed Intermediate Japanese 3 with good standing are expected to: (a) Be able to pass the N2 level of the NJLPT in December of the same year, if they continue to study rigorously on their own until December. (b) Obtain intermediate-high/advanced-low level in the Oral Proficiency Interview test. Students who have completed Elementary Japanese 3 with good standing are expected to: (a) Pass the N4 level of the NJLPT (b) Obtain intermediate-low or Intermediate-mid level in the Oral Proficiency Interview test. Students who have completed Basic Japanese 3 with good standing are expected to: (a) Be able to pass the N5 level of the NJLPT in December of the same year, if they continue to study rigorously and study approximately 100 kanji on their own (b) Obtain novice-mid/high level in the Oral Proficiency Interview test. (c) Students who have completed Basic Japanese 6 with good standing are expected to: (a) Pass the N4 level of the NJLPT, if they study approximately 350 kanji on their own. 2
(b) Obtain intermediate-low level in the Oral Proficiency Interview test. * In the NJLPT which commenced from 2010, N1 is the equivalent of Level 1 of the old JLPT. Likewise, N2 Level 2, N3 between 2 nd and 3 rd level, N4 3 rd level, N5 4 th level. I. Brief Course Descriptions The Japanese language courses are offered as electives. Whether the credits taken from Japanese courses are counted toward graduation will depend on programs. Please refer to a handbook which will be given to you upon your arrival. (Please note that the Intensive Japanese Class will be offered in mid-september for those students with no or little knowledge of Japanese. For details please refer to page 7.) [Main Track] Elementary Japanese 1 [fall] [Pre-requisite: Knowledge of hiragana, numbers, time phrases. Be able to introduce yourself. See qualifying test on page 6.] (4.5 periods/week including a kanji session. 1 credit. Maximum number of students is 35.) Elementary Japanese 2 [winter] [Pre-requisite: Elementary Japanese 1 or equivalent.] Be able to express location of things, various judgments and their reasons in daily situations. Knowledge of basic expressions with verbs, adjectives and nouns as their main predicates. (4.5 periods/week including a kanji session. 1 credit. Maximum number of students is 35.) Elementary Japanese 3 [spring] [Pre-requisite: Elementary Japanese 2 or equivalent.] Be able to talk about familiar matters, and also carry on conversations in specific situations to fulfill daily tasks such as leaving messages on the phone, seeking advice and showing the way. Start using honorific expressions. Be able to read 3 to 4 paragraph simple stories with some help of a dictionary. Be able to get the meaning and reading of a kanji word by using a dictionary. (4 periods/week. 1 credit. Maximum number of students is 35.) Intermediate Japanese 1 [fall] [Pre-requisite: Elementary Japanese 3 or equivalent. See qualifying test on page 6.] Be able to write, speak and talk about what s related to daily lives of the learners, to comprehend adjusted materials of listening and reading. Be able to recognize 3-400 kanji. (4 periods/week. 1 credit. Maximum number of students is 35.) Intermediate Japanese 2 [winter] [Pre-requisite: Intermediate Japanese 1 or equivalent] Be able to request, decline an offer and ask the way. Be able to comprehend and make a summary of a reading materials of about 500 characters amount and adjusted listening materials. Be able to recognize 4~500 kanji. (4 periods/week. 1 credit. Maximum number of students is 35.) Intermediate Japanese 3 [spring] [Pre-requisite: Intermediate Japanese 2 or equivalent] 3
Be able to use honorifics for formal situations, to comprehend simple news articles, movies and materials on general or technical/professional matters with the help of dictionaries. Be able to recognize about 6~700 Kanji. (4 periods/week. 1 credit. Maximum number of students is 35.) Advanced Japanese 1, 2, 3 [fall, winter, spring respectively] [Pre-requisite for Advanced 1: Intermediate Japanese 3 or equivalent. See qualifying test on page 6.] Be able to gather information through various Japanese media (e.g. newspapers, journals, TV, Internet) and use them for presentations and discussions. Be able to choose vocabulary and expressions most appropriate to linguistic and social context. Be able to recognize about 900~1000 Kanji. (3 periods/week. 1 credit. Maximum number of students is 15.) Advanced Japanese 4, 5, 6 [fall, winter spring respectively] (subject to budget) [Pre-requisite for Advanced 4: Advanced Japanese 3 or equivalent. See qualifying test on page 6.] This course aims at developing vocabulary and expressions through reading textbook, newspapers, magazines, and other selected materials. It also aims at explaining or discussing abstract as well as concrete topics. (2 periods/ week, 1 credit.) [Light-Load Track] Basic Japanese 1, 2, 3 [fall, winter, spring respectively] [Pre-requisite for Basic Japanese 1: "Hiragana" (Japanese alphabets) and numbers (1-1000). See qualifying test on page 6]. Be able to handle basic everyday conversation. Be able to ask and answer simple questions about something concrete and familiar to them such as their family, friends, things they have, things they did and their plan. Kanji (Chinese characters) are not taught due to time constraints. (2 periods/week. 0.5 credit. Maximum number of students is 30. ) Basic Japanese 4, 5, 6 [fall, winter, spring respectively] (subject to budget) [Pre-requisite for Basic Japanese 4: Basic Japanese 3 or equivalent. See qualifying test on pages 6 and 7] By the end of Basic Japanese 6, one will reach virtually the same level of proficiency as Elementary Japanese 3 in terms of listening and speaking. Kanji (Chinese characters) are not taught due to time constraints. (2 periods/week. 0.5 credit. Maximum number of students is 20.) 4
II. Requirements to take Japanese courses at IUJ Students who are interested in taking a Japanese course MUST complete the following application steps. (1) submit a questionnaire for Japanese courses ONLINE (see page 8), (2) take a 4-day intensive classes if student is a beginner (see page 7), (3) attend an orientation session for Japanese language courses, and (4) take and pass a qualifying test (see pages 6). Term 4-day intensive class for those interested in Basic Japanese 1 or Elementary Japanese 1 Application deadline Sep. 10, 2017 Date of qualifying test Fall term, 2017 Sep.10, 2017 Sep. 25 for Elementary 1, Intermediate 1, Advanced 1, and Basic 4. Sep. 27 for Basic 1 and for those who took the qualifying test on Sep. 25 but who will be taking another test for a different level. (Subject to change) Winter term, 2018 Dec. 15, 2018 First day of the class (in principle) Spring term, 2018 March 15, 2018 First day of the class (in principle) Orientation Sep. 21 1:30-2:00 p.m. Details will be informed on a bulletin board on campus. (Subject to change) Notes: (1) Due to the constraints of teaching resources, a limitation may be imposed on the number of students each course can take in order to ensure a certain level of effectiveness in classroom learning. In the case of excess demand, priority will be given to regular students over exchange students among those students who have sent the application form in time will be considered first. (2) Every student must take and pass the qualifying test for the course he or she wishes to enroll in. This means that passing the qualifying test for Elementary Japanese 1, for example, does not guarantee that students can automatically take Basic Japanese 1. Anyone who wishes to enroll in Basic Japanese 1 must take and pass the qualifying test for Basic Japanese 1. (3) Students interested in taking any Japanese course, but have not successfully completed the previous course, must take and pass a qualifying test. Even though they have done it, they have to do the same, if there is an interval of one or more terms (or equivalents such as summer break) between the previous course and the one they wish to take. (4) Qualifying tests for the winter and spring terms are given on the first day of each term. Students who will be taking a qualifying test must attend the 1 st session of the course as the qualifying test will be given after the class is over. 5
III. Qualifying Tests for Each Course 1. Elementary Japanese 1 The qualifying test for Elementary Japanese 1 concerns recognition and production of hiragana (Japanese alphabets) and numbers (up to 10,000). Basic greetings and simple expressions frequently used in self-introduction, shopping in a store and eating at a restaurant will be included in the test. Lessons in the following textbooks show what one is expected to know for the qualifying test for Elementary Japanese 1. Minna no Nihongo I: Genki I: L1-L2 Nakama I: L1-L2 L1-L4 These textbooks may be accessible in offices such as the cultural center in the Japanese Embassy, The Japan Foundation Japanese Language Center and JICA Center for Human Development. 2. Intermediate Japanese 1( 日本語中級 1) 中級 1は 今までに200~300 時間勉強した人のためのコースです ぶんぽうかんじかいわしょきゅう中級 1のテストは文法 漢字 聞きとり 会話です 文法は初級のテキストの文法を勉強しておいてじこしょうかいけいけんいんしょうください 漢字は300ぐらいの初級の漢字です 会話試験では自己紹介や 今までの経験とその印象 について説明 せつめいします 3. Advanced 1 ( 日本語上級 1) 上級 1 を勉強したい学生は 筆記試験と会話試験を受けなければなりません 筆記試験は文法 漢字 聴解 読解などの予定です 漢字は 700 ぐらい読めるようにしておいてください また 初級 中級の文法の練習問題をしておいてください 会話試験では 国の説明や 今までの職歴などを聞きます 4. Advanced 4 ( 日本語上級 4) 上級 4 のテストは漢字 文法 読解 作文です 漢字は 1200 ぐらい読めるようにしておいてください 試験の読解は 1200 字程度の新聞記事レベルの内容です IUJ で Advanced 3 を勉強していない学生には会話試験をします 5. Basic Japanese 1 The qualifying test for Basic Japanese 1 concerns numbers (up to 1,000) and hiragana (one set of the Japanese alphabets). Test takers must be able to read and write hiragana. 6. Basic Japanese 4 The qualifying test for Basic Japanese 4 concerns expressions and structures that are introduced in the first half of an elementary course that requires about 100 hours of study, whose approximate equivalent is; Genki: L.1-12, Yookoso: Ch.1-7, Minna no Nihongo: Ch.1-23. Although it is highly desirable to know some basics of Japanese such as hiragana before coming to IUJ, a 4-day Intensive Japanese class is available for those who have never studied Japanese before and want to get prepared for the qualifying test for Elementary Japanese 1 and Basic Japanese 1. The details of the Intensive Japanese class are explained on page 7. 6
IV. Intensive Japanese Class for Beginners What one is expected to know for passing the qualifying test for both Elementary Japanese 1 and Basic Japanese 1 is explained and practiced in the class. The focus, however, will be on speaking and listening practice; hence, it is very intensive for those who do not have prior knowledge of Japanese. Although the course covers hiragana, katakana and other basics, it is strongly advised that students study the language before joining this class preferably under a formal guidance. It is strongly recommended for those who plan to continue studying Japanese during semesters to master hiragana and katakana, the Japanese script, as early as possible. For such learners IUJ has launched an ios application Ganbatte Kana to practice both hiragana and katakana. So if you have an iphone or ipad, download and try the app, which is free of charge, before coming to IUJ. To download this application, search Ganbatte Kana in the itune store. The app requires wi-fi environment and log-in via Non-IUJer The classes also serve as survival Japanese course for the IUJ community. 7,000 yen will be charged to your bank account at a later date in the fall term. Date: Time: Fees: Sep. 18 (Mon), 19 (Tue), 20 (Wed) and 21 (Thu) *subject to change 8:50 a.m. 11:40 a.m. 7,000 yen (including class materials) Please note that no brush-up classes are available for students interested in taking other courses than Elementary Japanese 1 and Basic Japanese 1. These students must, therefore, prepare for the qualifying test on their own. V. Japanese Courses Open to Faculty and Spouses of Faculty and Students IUJ faculty members as well as the spouses of them and students may also take a Japanese language course including the 4-Day Intensive Japanese Class. Priority, however, will be given to IUJ students and exchange students. Details are available upon request. 7
VI. How to Fill in Online Application and Questionnaire All students are requested to fill in an application form and questionnaire online. Please access the site given below and complete the application and questionnaire. Even if you are not interested in taking a Japanese language course, we would appreciate it if you could complete the questionnaire. http://www.iuj.ac.jp/jlp/application/ Submission Deadlines for Online Application and Questionnaire All IUJ New Students (Except for IMF Students) Please fill in the online application/questionnaire between April 1 and September 10, 2017. Password: jlp2017 Exchange Students You will need an IUJ student ID number to fill in the online application and questionnaire. As soon as your ID number at IUJ is determined, we will inform you of the ID along with preregistration information by email. Once you get the ID, you can access to the online application and questionnaire site with the password: jlp2017 The deadlines for application are as follows. Fall term: September 10 Winter term: December 15 Spring term: March 15 IMF Students IMF scholars will be requested to fill in the application and questionnaire after you arrive at IUJ in the middle of July. Details will be informed later on. Paper-based application and questionnaire form will only be available upon request. So if you are not able to apply online, please contact us as soon as possible. For questions, please contact IMAI, Kazumi (Ms.) or TAKAHASHI, Noriko (Ms.) The Japanese Language Program International University of Japan Minami Uonuma-shi, Niigata-ken 949-7277 Japan Tel: +81-25-779-1498 (From within Japan: 025-779-1498) Fax: +81-25-779-1187 (From within Japan: 025-779-1187) E-mail: jlp@iuj.ac.jp URL: http://www.iuj.ac.jp/ 8