The students will reach an intermediate level of competence (B2) according to the CEFR standards. (JLPT N3-N2) Listening Comprehension - will understand clear speeches in standard language where everyday issues that take place at work, school, leisure, etc. are discussed. They will also understand most radio or television programs dealing with current issues or matters of personal or professional interest, as long as they are relatively slow and clear. Reading Comprehension - Will be able to understand written texts using everyday or work-related language. Will understand descriptions of events, feelings and wishes in personal messages. They will understand the most important passages in articles and reports on contemporary issues in which the authors take specific positions or points of view, as long as they are in clear, standard language. Oral Production - Will handle most situations that arise when traveling in Japan. They will be able to spontaneously take part in a conversation that deals with everyday topics of personal interest or that are relevant to daily life (e.g., work and current events). He will present clear and concise descriptions of a range of topics related to his own knowledge. Written Production - Will be able to write medium-length, well-structured texts on topics that are familiar and of interest. Will be able to write personal messages describing experiences and impressions.
Course Prerequisites
A previous knowledge of the language at least at A.2 level (JLPT N5 or N4) is required.
Beginner students will have to arrange with the teacher an individual study plan to reach the required level.
Teaching Methods
Lectures on grammar and theory Active writing and translation exercises Oral production and comprehension exercises (by Prof. Konno) Workshop on reading news stories on Japanese current affairs, politics and society
Assessment Methods
The examination consists of a written test and an oral test in the same day. The written test has a maximum score of 30 points and is divided into three parts: Grammar, vocabulary and characters (10 points) - multiple-choice questions Reading (10 points) - true-false questions Written composition (10 points) - short written essay chosen from those covered during the course The oral test has a maximum score of 30 points and is administered by Prof. Konno. The final grade consists of the average of the oral and written scores. Important: In case of serious failures in the written or oral part (score of 16 or below), the student will be strongly advised to skip the next date and retry the test at least after four weeks.
Texts
Yasui Akemi, Ide Yuriko, Doi Miyuki, Hamada Hideki, QUARTET 1, Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Skills, Japan times. (Lez. 1-6) Yasui Akemi, Ide Yuriko, Doi Miyuki, Hamada Hideki, QUARTET 2, Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Skills, Japan times. (Lez. 7-12) Grammatiche per la consultazione: Seiichi Makino, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, Japan Times A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar, Japan Times, 1991.
Contents
The course is divided into two modules, and includes the study of kanji (600 new ones, for a total of 850 including those from the three-year courses), vocabulary and intermediate level grammar. You will study lessons 1-6 from the book QUARTET 1 and lesson 7-12 from the textbook QUARTET 2 published by Japan Times and you will develop communicative functions related to: relations with superiors in office and university, misfortunes and accidents, schools in Japan, famous people, emails, overseas experiences, contemporary society, intercultural communication. Main grammar points: Honorific language: form of respect and humility Indirect interrogatives Passive form Adverbialization of adjectives Causative form Causative-passive form Conjectural forms Prefixes and suffixes Final proposition Change of state Limit and lack expressions Advanced temporal propositions Advanced conditional forms Negative comparative Special noun “wake”
Course Language
Italian
More information
The course is divided into two compulsory modules, Japanese I (second semester) and Japanese II (first semester) of nine ECS each. Students are required to attend regularly both in class and in practice with the Japanese teacher, Professor Konno.