Dr Hua Xiang 601b, Pethick-Lawrence House

Previous knowledge of Japanese required: 80 hours study including self-study and fluent in writing and reading Hiragana, Katakana and at least 50 Kanji. Students need to demonstrate full commitment to: regular attendance, completion of homework, completion of all assessments and portfolio. Have both an awareness of grammatical structures and an ability to use them. Dedicate at least two hours per week for coursework, in addition to classes. Only in exceptional circumstances students who do not fulfil these requirements will be admitted into the course upon approval of course co-ordinator. Students are expected to be able to read and write all Hiragana, Katakana and 50 Kanji.

Course Aims: To develop the ability to use Japanese effectively for purposes of practical communication and reading comprehension in familiar work and social contexts. To deal with a range of different social occasions by using limited language skills. To read and write Hiragana, some Katakana, and being able to read and write at least 100 Kanji. To execute predictable simple language tasks using a limited range of language to meet the needs of differing but familiar situations and topics. To establish the skills, language and attitudes required to promote and facilitate further study of Japanese. To be aware of the linguistic implications and use of the subjunctive and conditional modes. To use a broader rage of vocabulary. To perform a variety of tasks in a wider range of factual, persuasive and expressive language contexts. To combine and recombine language elements to accomplish tasks.

Communicative Content: Consulting someone about what to buy as a souvenir; Asking about someone’s preference for food, drink, etc.; Stating or asking for an opinion about two or more items in comparison with one another; Stating size or characteristics of items you wish to buy; Indicating your preferred method of payment; Talking about your family, their interests and the kinds of gifts that make them happy; Describing lost items; Describing characteristics of a person, place, or things; Talking about routines and habits; Talking about interests and things you want to learn; Talking about travelling in Japan and Japanese cultural experiences; Talking about your health;  Stating or confirming the progress of preparations; Talking about changes that in a town; Describing your personal effects; Talking about schedules; Communicating your intentions in relation to the near future; Confirming the details of trip; Talking about problems; explaining solutions. Referring to indefinite places, things or people; Making comparisons; Getting information or advice; Stating decisions; Connecting related sentences; Describing ongoing actions or states in effect.

Structural Content: Plain form of verbs; Expressions of frequency; Talking about past experiences; Using the adverbial forms of adjectives to modify verbs; Making strong suggestions; Asking for and offering explanations; Detailing a sequence of events; Plain forms of adjectives and nouns; Using direct and indirect quotations; Forming modifying clauses; Giving a reason; Expressing potentiality; Expressing uncertainty; Talking about future events coming into being; Making hypothetical statements; Making conditional statements; Expressing necessity.

16 hours of classes in the AT. 22 hours of classes in the WT. 2 hours of classes in the ST.

This is a 40 hour-course. Please refer to the LSE timetable for course teaching arrangements.

Japanese for Busy People II (Revised 3rd Edition), available from The Japan Centre, 14-16 Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4PH.

Continuous assessment (70%) in the AT, WT and ST.
Oral examination (30%) in the WT and ST.