J205 Syllabus 2009-2010

第二学年の日本語
秋学期平成 20 年 (2009)
J205, Fall Semester 2009

竹本

Welcome back! As you know, this is a two-semester course designed to review what we studied last year and continue our journey to become more comfortable with modern Japanese. In order to get the most out of this class, you will need to generate the kind of energy and excitement that you showed during your first two semesters. I will ask you to re-learn how to write hiragana and katakana beautifully, and I will continue to provide hints on how to write kanji well. Finally, we will begin viewing and studying the script for the animated film Totoro.

Please schedule your life so that, in addition to class time, you can devote about an hour and a half outside of class to spend:

イ) 20 minutes repeating phrases and sentences out loud, including your self-intro speeches.
ロ) 20 minutes a day learning, practicing writing, and reviewing 漢字
ハ) 30 minutes a day completing written shukudai
ニ) 10 minutes a day practicing how to write ひらがな and カタカナ beautifully. We will spend the first month of class reviewing both syllabaries
ホ) 10 minutes a day sending e-mail messages to Noriko

Oral Practice
Reading textbook explanations and studying sentence patterns will provide you with important guidelines and hints. But saying words, phrases, and sentences out loud to yourself and anyone else within earshot must be your first priority. You will not learn Japanese simply by reading explanations. You must pronounce each word, voice each sentence over and over. There is no substitute for repeated practice. Like actors on a stage, like tennis players on a court, or like musicians in a concert hall, your learning must be physical and practiced. Do the grunt work: learn new words, internalize sentence patterns, and memorize dialogues.

Good tennis players spend hours and hours practicing. To learn how to play tennis well, physical training is essential. Set up the kind of training schedule that you would follow to prepare for a marathon or to play the violin. Practice every day! Practice with a friend; practice in groups. Do not try to "catch up" on weekends or wait for the next break or holiday. You are learning new linguistic habits, and habits are acquired only by habitual behavior. Use Japanese every day outside of class: Talk to yourself in Japanese; write notes in Japanese; plan your day in Japanese; doodle in Japanese. Find a "kōhai" and review first year Japanese grammar. Answer the phone in Japanese. Call home in Japanese. Teach your roommate Japanese. Speak to your sensei in Japanese. You must become a linguistic athlete.

Texts:
(1) Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku, ようこそ, An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese (third edition), New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2005.
(2) Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku, ようこそ, WORKBOOK for An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese (third edition), New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2006.

Please note that we will be using the Third Edition. We will begin on page 325 (family vocabulary) and page 348 "relative clauses," then move on to chapter 6 and 7. I will introduce grammar from Volume II, Yookoso, Continuing with Contemporary Japanese, but you will not have to purchase this until the spring semester.

For Kanji Review and Study
3)I recommend: P.G. O'Neill: Essential Kanji.

Course requirements:
Do not miss class. This is crucial; saboru-ing (that is, "sabotage" or cutting class) will bring dire consequences. It will create wrong habits, lead to repellent grades, and cause you to fail. Come to class each day and you will easily pass this course. Even if you are "not prepared" for class, come anyway; declare yourself: (1) an AFT - "auditor for today" or (2) a DCM - "don't call on me!" Do not miss opportunities to hear, listen, and speak Japanese.
Class time serves as a more structured practice time; it also becomes an opportunity for me to provide clues that will help you use the right word or phrase at the right time. Seeing, recognizing, and understanding the dynamics of different linguistic contexts will make your Japanese sound, genuine, timely, respectful, and natural.
Missing class will be considered highly discourteous. Speak with Omoto-san or send me an email note to learn the proper "excuse-giving speech" that will allow you to "re-enter" class after an absence.

Scheduling and Time Management:
Since the class meets at 10:00 am on Tuesdays-Fridays, you will need to adjust your life-style accordingly. Come up with creative ways to shorten your time away from Japanese language learning. Language acquisition requires different study methods. 12 hour cram sessions before tests will not take the place of consistent, daily practice. After practicing alone in the Language Learning Center or in your room, I strongly recommend that you work with a partner. You are learning to communicate, so find someone to talk to! I will ask you to introduce me to your friend soon. Monday afternoons are good times for you to visit the Olin East classroom. I will ask you to sign up for conversation practice times with me or Noriko-san.

Calculating Grades:
Your final grade will be based on points earned throughout the semester. Although tests and quiz points may seem more important to you, I consider in-class practice and homework practice very important. Language learning comes cumulatively and it develops with constant practice. Homework assignments show me the quality of your practice.
Written homework assignments are often not graded because I am interested in "how" you are practicing and whether the practice has been effective or not. When you do not attend class or when you do not complete a homework assignment on time, you display your attitude toward practice. I will generously award bonus points for attendance and for exceptional work on homework assignments; these bonus points will be added to test scores.

(1) Homework Assignments may earn bonus points (10% of grade)
(2) Attendance (bonus) quizzes
(3) Longer Vocabulary and Kanji Quizzes (20% of grade), normally on Wednesdays
(4) Tests (35%)
(5) Final Oral and Written Examinations (35%)
Tests on Monday: Most tests will be given on Mondays during the semester. You must sign up for a time to take the test.

Missed Assignments and Tests:
As a general rule, you will not be able to make up Attendance Quizzes. These quizzes reward those who attend class. If you miss a class, pick up class handouts and homework assignment sheets from the cabinet just outside my office door.
Submit late homework assignments as soon as possible in the cabinet outside my office. I will correct and monitor your understanding of important grammar patterns and vocabulary words. Homework assignments and attendance quizzes may earn bonus points that I will add directly to an upcoming test.
If you miss a "big quiz," I will ask you to complete the quiz as a homework assignment for reduced points.
If you miss a test (normally on Mondays), come in to discuss your situation; then we will negotiate a make-up the test completed in a timely manner.

Tentative Test Schedule
1) Monday, September 7 - Big Quiz
2) Monday, September 21 - Test #1
3) Monday, September 28 - Test #2
4) Friday, October 9 - Test #3 (Oral)
OCTOBER BREAK - Monday & Tuesday October 12-13
5) Friday, October 16 - Test #4
6) Monday, November 2 - Test #5
7) Friday, November 13 - Test #6
*8) Tues/Wed/Thurs, November 17-19 - Oral Controlled free conversation opportunity (by appointment)
Thanksgiving Break ( かんしゃさいのやすみ) - November 21-29
9) Friday, December 4 - After Thanksgiving Kanji Test #7
Last Day of Class: Wendesday, December 9

Final Test Schedule

Thursday/Friday	December 10/11	Kanji Final
Saturday-Tuesday	December 12-15	Oral Finals (by appointment)
Friday	December 18, 2-4 pm	Written Final

Office Hours
Monday and Wednesday: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
By appointment: 527-5896 (Olin East 114) or Takemoto@Whitman.edu

Evening meetings will probably work best for individual appointments, but contact me after class to arrange a meeting time or send me an email in Japanese. The more times I see you outside of class, the more I can help you develop strong and effective study strategies. If you find that a word or a phrase or a grammar point does not "feel right," see me right away. We can talk about your study environment, determine what kind of study system might work best for you or choose alternative strategies, and list some tricks to help you learn more effectively.

Common Civilities in Japanese:
Everything you do in class serves as an opportunity to practice a gesture or a phrase in Japanese. Therefore, I will teach you a phrase that you will use to greet me formally when I walk into class; I will also expect you to use an appropriate phrase as you leave my presence after class. When you are late for class or when you miss a class, I will ask you to use the correct phrase. If you need to leave the room for any reason, you will have to use a phrase that will announce your intentions. Eat breakfast before you walk into class; if you have not finished your coffee or your cereal, finish eating/drinking food and drinks in the hall; then say the magic words that will allow you to come into class late. In fact, I will ask all of you to be late for class so that you can practice standing at the door and waiting for the signal that you allow you to enter class properly.

To Organize Your Study Materials:
All handouts, quizzes, and tests will have three holes. Get a large three ring binder and keep all handouts, quizzes, tests, and notes in separate sections so that they can be easily found.

Other Tools of the Trade:
Finally, all written work either in class or at home (homework, quizzes, tests) should be done with a soft leaded pencil. Most of you already have portable pencil sharpeners, but if not, I would add a pencil sharpener along with a good soft eraser to your bag of writing tools for Japanese. I expect you to write a lot and make a lot of mistakes. Find a good pencil and a good eraser; then with great respect for your "tools" write carefully, slowly, deliberately, and often.

Native Resource Person and the Resident Assistant at Tekisuijuku:
For personal help, contact Omoto Noriko at Tekisuijuku, 527-5754. Corner her on campus and make her listen to your pronunciation, correct homework assignments, and speak to you in Japanese. Or, contact the Resident Assistant, David Abramovitz to arrange special sessions with advanced students, your Japanese language "sempai" on campus.

J105 Syllabus | J205 Syllabus