Japanese Language Program Vocabulary and Conversation, Intermediate-Advanced Level (SJ300)

Course Aim

You will increase your Japanese vocabulary and expressions for explaining complicated matters in simple forms, as well as to effectively convey important and interesting points when telling stories.

You will also learn how to speak while being aware of the audience by using vocabularies and expressions taught in class.

Course Features

This is a class to master verbal expressions and vocabulary for international students with intermediate-advanced level Japanese, with the purpose of those students using the knowledge and experiences they have, linking it with their opinions and thoughts, and orally conveying it to other international students and Japanese students.

In the first half of the class, students will tackle and learn words and expressions regarding a topic (for example, "A place that I recommend") through practice problems. Also, students will create a memo so that they can orally convey a given topic to other international students. The memo will not be a script for you to view only, as it is meant to be shown to others as you speak to them. Therefore, we will urge students to try to compose it simply using keywords, illustrations, diagrams etc., rather than using words only.

For the second half of the class, we will make groups of three or four people. And, as we show the memo we created, we will discuss the topic. Once everyone finishes the conversation they have prepared, students will switch groups and start again. At the end of the class, one student at a time from each group will tell the instructor the talk they have prepared. While listening to the talks, the instructor will write on the whiteboard words and expressions that the instructor would like to share with other students , and once the talk ends, the instructor will present to the class commentary regarding how to speak, explanations for words, etc.

Students will present the same talk three times within the 90-minute class, but with each repetition it will settle in their heads. Also, the contents of the talk and how students speak will be polished with each question and comment they receive from others in their group. By undergoing this process, this class will aim for students to master words and expressions regarding a topic.

Course schedule

	Class Contents	Others
1	Orientation, words to describe personalities. (self-introduction)
2	Words to convey e context. ( describing my "motivation")	Quiz 1
3	Words to describe places. (my recommended spots)	Quiz 2
4	Words to paraphrase. (my specialized field of study)	Quiz 3
5	Words for story-telling. (Japanese four-frame comics)	Quiz 4
6	Review session 1	Quiz 5
7	Mid-term oral exam
8	Words to convey your experiences (Describe a time when you were surprised)
9	Words to describe shapes and colors of things. (interesting items, useful tools)	Quiz 6
10	Words to connect logically. (love and marriage in Japan)	Quz 7
11	Words to convey meanings. (proverbs in my country)	Quiz 8
12	Words to describe social issues. (issues of education and childcare)	Quiz 9
13	Review session 2	Quiz 10
14	Final oral exam

Evaluation

Mid-term oral exam (25%), final oral exam (25%), summary paper for each lecture (20%), quiz (30%)

---