MIT Japanese V
Fall 2011 Syllabus

I. Instructors

NAGAYA, Yoshimi 長谷好美 Rm. 14N-321, phone 253-4775 yoshimi@mit.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-5:00

IKEDA, Masami 池田雅美 Rm. 14N-232, phone 452-2768 mikeda@mit.edu
Office Hours: Monday 12:00-1:30 & Thursday 2:00-3:30

II. Meeting hours and classrooms

Section 1 MTRF 11:00-12:00 Rm. 4-249
Section 2 MTRF 2:00-3:00 Rm. 4-249

III. Textbooks

  • Japanese: the Spoken Language, Part 2, by Eleanor H. Jorden with Mari Noda, Yale University Press, 1988 (available at Kendall Coop)
  • Japanese: the Spoken Language, Part 3, by Eleanor H. Jorden with Mari Noda, Yale University Press, 1990 (available at Kendall Coop)
  • Course packet for 21f.505 Advanced Japanese I (available at MIT Copy Tech Rm. 11-004)

IV. Course Objectives

This course covers Lessons 23 through 27 of Japanese: the Spoken Language. The goal of the course is to further develop four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in Japanese by expanding students' knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Class hours will be devoted to oral/aural and reading practices. The primary focus is on building up oral/aural communication skills in a variety of circumstances: making requests, invitations, apologies, suggestions, dealing with problems, expressing your opinions, etc. Grammatical and social appropriateness of your utterances will be stressed. Reading assignments are given frequently. Approximately 160 new kanji will be introduced in this course.

! There is NO FACT (lecture) class in this course.
! All classes are conducted in Japanese.

V. Evaluation

Daily Grade...............................................25%*
Lesson Quizzes (5).....................................30% **
Interview Tests (2) and Presentation (1)........15%
Vocabulary Quizzes (10)...............................5% ***
Kanji Quizzes (10)......................................10% ***
Homework (10 SPHW & 5 RWHW)................10%
Class participation.......................................5%

* The three lowest daily grades will be dropped.
** The lowest Lesson Quiz score will be dropped.
*** The lowest score of each category will be dropped.

A. Daily Grade

You should come to class having memorized assigned Core Conversations thoroughly using audios. Also you are expected to try using new patterns actively in class. When reading is assigned, you must familiarize yourself with the contents of the materials as well as with the new kanji. Based on your performance on CCs and other activities involving the assigned CCs, drills and reading assignments, you will be given a daily performance score according to the following scale: 

10 = excellent performance
 9 = clearly well-prepared; strong performance with minor errorxs
 8 = clearly prepared; fair performance
 7 = evidently prepared but weak in major areas
 6 = present, but evidently unprepared
 0 = absent

B. Exam and Quizzes

There are two interview tests and five Lesson Quizzes. A number of Vocabulary Quizzes and Kanji quizzes are given throughout the semester. Please note: No make-up quizzes or exams will be given in this course.

C. Writing Assignments

  • There are two types of writing assignments in this course: Structure Pattern Homework (SP宿題) and Reading &Writing Homework（読み書き宿題) . SPHW will be given prior to each lesson to facilitate your self-study of new structures; no lectures will be given in class. You are expected to read through the related Structural Patterns in the textbook and work on the assignment. RWHW will be given to build up your writing skills, using newly acquired kanji, vocabulary and structure patterns.
  • Assignments are due at the beginning of the class. Late submission will result in a 5% deduction in grade each day. All writing assignments must be completed and submitted in order to receive the course grade.

D. Attendance Policy

  • Because of the cumulative nature of language learning, it is essential that you attend all sessions and keep up with the course work on a daily basis. Please follow the online Weekly Schedule and come to class well-prepared. Missing more than five classes without valid excuses may result in failing the course.
  • Students are expected to come to class in time. Coming in late not only results in missed performances and quizzes that may not be made up for, but also distracts other students.
  • Attend the class section you are registered in, unless you have made official arrangements with the instructors at the beginning of the semester. If you have to attend a section other than your regular section on a particular day, you must notify the instructors at least one day in advance.
  • Only in case of emergency will you be allowed to participate in class activities and quizzes in a different section without the aforementioned one-day-in-advance permission from the instructors. Oversleeping is NOT regarded as an emergency.

VI. Online Supplementary Materials

Supplementary course materials and other resources are available online (http://web.mit.edu/21f.505/www/). You are expected to use these resources on your own as much as possible.

  • Course Syllabus and Semester Schedule
  • Weekly Schedule
  • Kanji Study materials
  • Reading materials with AUDIO
  • MIT-Only Quiz Review Materials
In addition to our own resources, online dictionaries such as Pop Jisyo, Rikai, Reading Tutor, Jim Breen’s may be useful.

VII. Audio/Visual Materials

  • When you practice assigned drills and core conversations, we encourage you to utilize the Desital Language Lab at Ohio State University for the video clips of Core Conversations, audios of Drills and Eavesdropping sections in Japanese: the Spoken Language.
  • Audio files of Core Conversations are available at https://web.mit.edu/21f.505/www/JSL/ (MIT Certificate required). These are useful especially if you want to listen to CCs using iPod.
  • You can listen to the audio, record your own voice and compare with the model by downloading a DLRecorder. 

Other Information

  • You should try your best never to fall behind. Any student who feels he/she is behind is encouraged to see an instructor and discuss the situation with her before it is too late.
  • The Humanities Concentration in Japanese is Japanese I-IV or II-IV. Please make an appointment with Ikeda (mikeda@mit.edu) to obtain the necessary signature.
  • If you are interested in a HASS Japanese Minor, please consult Professor Ian Condry (the Japanese Minor Advisor, condry@mit.edu ). A Minor Application form is available at 14N-305, 14N-310, 14N-408 or 7-104.
  • If you are interested in studying abroad in Japan, please conact Study Abroad and Distinguished Fellowships Office (Rm.12-189, studyabroad@mit.edu). Ikeda is available for consultation (mikeda@mit.edu).
  • For internship opportunities contact MIT Japan Program.
  • For conversation practice check out the Lunch Table.

  • Language Exchange with native speakers of Japanese: Application form and information are available at http://web.mit.edu/lce