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Japanese Level 5

Module details

Offered to 3rd and 4th Years
Thursdays 16.00-18.00
Planned delivery: On campus (South Kensington)
Two-term module, worth 7.5 ECTS
Available to eligible students as part of I-Explore
Extra Credit, or Degree Credit where your department allows

Degree credit module options by department How to enrol

A communicative module for students who have successfully completed Japanese Level 4 or have reached an equivalent standard.

This module aims:

To develop further the basic language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing
To revise and consolidate basic grammar as required by the class
To introduce more complex grammatical structures and extend vocabulary

To be eligible for this module you need to have done one of the following:

Successfully completed Japanese Level 4
Have already achieved the equivalent level by other means

You should be able to write approximately 300 Kanji characters.

This module is not intended for native or near-native speakers.

Please note that students wishing to study Japanese are required to take a placement test at the start of the autumn term to ensure that they are eligible for the level for which they have applied, unless they have already taken the previous level.

Please note: The information on this module description is indicative. The module may undergo minor modifications before the start of next academic year.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

read and write around 100 new Kanji Characters and the related vocabulary on top of around 300 Kanji covered in the previous levels with accuracy and fluency;
deploy some complex grammatical structures and a wide range of vocabulary accurately, appropriately and fluently;
produce and respond to written texts of moderate complexity in Japanese writing system using the grammar & vocabulary covered in the course on top of those in the previous levels;
participate in oral interactions to deal with a range of familiar topics and express personal interest matters with accurate and fluent Japanese;
comprehend and respond to moderately complex information through listening monologues/dialogues.

Indicative core content

In this module, students will cover the following linguistic structures:

revision of structures covered in Level 4;
more complex grammar and alternative modes of expression, including imperative & prohibitive forms, different types of subordinate clauses;
reported speech;
different uses of conditional forms;
passive forms;
verb nominalisation.

These linguistic structures will be applied to the following topics:

asking and explaining the reading and meaning of Japanese words, kanji and signs;
office situations;
giving an instruction and demonstration including recipes;
talking about Japanese and other countries’ proverbs and idioms;
discussing changes in one’s behaviour and ability as well as possibilities in an external world;
world events, architects, discoveries and inventions;
natural phenomena and events.

In addition, students will be introduced to a further 100 Kanji characters (in addition to around 300 characters learned at level 2, 3 and 4) for reading and writing purposes, plus Kanji characters used in the textbooks should be recognised.

Learning and teaching approach

In line with modern foreign languages communicative and active learning methodology, in-class activities cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and include pair work (e.g. dialogue practice, information gap exercises and vocabulary/grammar quiz), individual tasks (e.g. forming/writing sentences for various tasks and discovery/formulation of grammatical rules), and group work (e.g. reading aloud new vocabulary for pronunciation practice and reading texts/listening to the audio files for comprehension exercise), following the teacher's introduction on new language items (grammar, vocabukary and Kanji characters). Homework tasks give students the opportunity to revise and consolidate knowledge and skills covered each week as well as to receive an individual feedback. This approach not only ensures students engage with a wide range of tasks, but also supports different learning styles.

All pieces of coursework are marked and feedback will be given in two weeks. Detailed feedback will be provided alongside suggestions for improvement and an overall percentage showing your provisional grade for that assessment.

Assessment

Coursework (6%): Composition 1: 700 Japanese letters (around one and 3/4 A4 papers), during the second half of autumn term (1-3 hours for task completion).
Examination (5%): Kanji test, in the second to last class of autumn term. 10 minutes.
Examination (20%): Test for grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening, in the last class of autumn term. 60-70 minutes.
Coursework (7%): Composition 2: 700 Japanese letters (around one and 3/4 A4 papers), during the first half of spring term (1-3 hours for task completion).
Examination (10%): Kanji & listening test, in the second to last class of spring term. 30 minutes.
Examination (20%): Test for grammar, vocabulary and reading, in the last class of spring term. 60 minutes.
Coursework (7%): Composition 3: 700 Japanese letters (around one and 3/4 A4 papers), during the last week of spring term (1-3 hours for task completion).
Practical (25%): Prepared speech, followed by Q&A (both related to the speech and general) and a role play. 20-25 minutes.

Key information

7.5 ECTS points awarded on successful completion of the module.
Available to take for credit towards your degree where your department allows. Also available for extra-credit.
You must be prepared to attend all classes and and undertake approximately 3 hours of private study each week in addition to the assessment.

Coursebooks

Minna no Nihongo 2 - Second Edition (Main Textbook and Translation and Grammatical Notes) by 3A Corporation and Basic Kanji Book Vol. 2 by Bonjinsha, supported by an accompanied CD, other audio materials and additional handouts