The Minor in Japanese

Course Requirements for the Minor: 20-28 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this minor.

This minor can be completed with a minimum of 20 units.

Beginning Language Competency Requirement: 0-8 units

In order to enroll in intermediate and upper-division Japanese language courses, students must take JAPN 101 and JAPN 102 or prove equivalent knowledge (see details below on Placement Exam).

Intermediate Language Competency Requirement: 8 units

2 courses required:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
JAPN 201	Third-Semester Japanese	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 102 or faculty permission. Review of major grammatical structures and further development of the student's cultural awareness and proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese. Special attention to logical discourse development. Acquisition of 200 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005336)
JAPN 202	Fourth-Semester Japanese	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 201 or faculty permission. Continuation of review of major grammatical structures and further development of the student's cultural awareness and proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese. Special attention to refining and expanding discourse. Acquisition of 300 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005337)

JAPN 201 and JAPN 202 are a required component of the Minor in Japanese. However, students who have equivalent knowledge in Japanese may challenge these courses by enrolling in the class and taking the challenge exam. All students challenging a course must submit an official letter requesting to challenge the course to the department chair by the end of the second week of the semester. See the University Catalog section on challenging courses for further instructions.

Upper-Division Requirements: 12 units

12 units selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
JAPN 301	Advanced Writing and Reading	3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: JAPN 201. This course provides intensive training in writing and reading Kanji characters in context. A variety of reading materials are reviewed, such as newspapers, magazines, literature, business correspondence, etc. Writing exercises focus on increasing use of Kanji characters. 3 hours lecture. (020194)
JAPN 305	Conversational Japanese	3.0	INQ
Practice of conversational patterns in a casual format aiming at improving fluency in day-to-day interactions with native Japanese speakers. In an attempt to provide real conversational settings, there are hands-on activities such as singing, cooking, observing tea a ceremony, watching Japanese television programs, etc. 3 hours discussion. (020181)
JAPN 320	Japanese Linguistics	3.0	INQ
This course first explores different approaches to grammar, such as Case Grammar, Relational Grammar, Transformational Grammar, etc. Students then examine syntax, phonetics, semantics, morphology, and the socio-linguistic aspect of the Japanese language. 3 hours lecture. (020195)
JAPN 330	Japanese Culture and Civilization	3.0	INQ	GC
An introduction to Japanese history and geography, as well as Japanese art forms, literature, philosophy, education, economy, customs, language, and politics. Course also includes a comparison of Japanese and American organizational theories. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (000993)
JAPN 348	Japanese Lyric Poetry	3.0	INQ
Prerequisite: JAPN 202. This course examines the socio-historic context of Japanese rhythm and poetic features as well as the literary significance of lyrics. Students are encouraged to pursue perfect pronunciation and knowledge (meaning, history, composer, singer, lyricist, etc.) behind the lyrics. Students are required to memorize ten different lyric poems. 3 hours lecture. (020575)
JAPN 381	Japan in Film	3.0	INQ
This course is taught in English. It examines a variety of Japanese films involving the following cultural themes: roles of men and women, society, history, politics, education, theater, sports, music, industry, comedy, etc. In the process, the students examine and analyze the myths and realities of Japanese people as portrayed in the films. Discussions are designed to increase students' awareness of intercultural communication, to foster their preparedness for functioning in the complex order of Japanese society. All films have English subtitles. 3 hours lecture. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (020182)
JAPN 425	Japanese Teaching	3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: JAPN 202 or faculty permission. This course is for students who have attained an advanced level of fluency in Japanese or are native speakers of Japanese. While this course explores a variety of teaching methodologies, students analyze the gap between syntax and semantics to formulate concise explanations and develop skills best suited for teaching Japanese to non-native learners. 1 hour lecture, 6 hours supervision. (020183)

Japanese Language Placement Exam

The Japanese language placement exam is taken to assess the placement level and to place students at the most appropriate level in the curriculum of the Japanese program at CSU, Chico. Students who are native or heritage speakers of Japanese, and those students who took Japanese elsewhere, including CSU, Chico students who participated in exchange programs and study abroad, are required to meet with the program advisor and take this exam.

Exit Assessment

Students are required to take and pass the Japanese language proficiency test and complete the exit program survey before the Minor in Japanese is granted. Students are required to meet with the program advisor before graduation to take this examination. The test and survey provide an important set of information for the program to further refine the quality of curriculum and to better serve the students.