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JPNS1062: JAPANESE LANGUAGE 1A

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type Open
Level 1
Credits 40
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Modern Languages and Cultures (Japanese)

Prerequisites

  • A Level in Japanese or equivalent qualification, subject to decision by the module's language co-ordinator.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • Japanese Language 1B (JPNS1012); any CFLS coded module apart from Korean or Chinese. Module not available for students on the BA Modern Languages and Cultures (with Year Abroad) (R002).

Aims

  • To consolidate and extend grammatical knowledge developed for A Level, to enhance communication skills in written and oral Japanese.

Content

  • Weekly sessions devoted to the following:
  • Grammar
  • Translation from Japanese into English and comprehension (reading)
  • Translation from English into Japanese and composition (writing)
  • Kanji writing
  • Audio-Visual Comprehension (listening)
  • Oral (speaking)
  • The teaching and resources in this module reflect a commitment to linguistic and cultural diversity. It positions the richness of the Japanese-speaking world at the core of its syllabus

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Students will extend their basic vocabulary to a level commensurate with Level 2 study and complete the process of familiarisation with more complex grammatical structures, extend their knowledge of kanji, and become exposed to a greater diversity of registers, including honorific and plain forms, and text-types.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Students will develop skills in translation (from Japanese into English and English into Japanese), in producing more sophisticated spoken and written Japanese, and in processing aural and visual material in the target language.

Key Skills:

  • Students will begin to develop the ability to work independently within a prescribed framework and across a range of differentiated tasks.
  • On completion of the course, students will be able to present a clear argument in the target language in both oral and written form.
  • Students will gain the ability to present information and /or construct an argument effectively in the target language.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • The course involves highly differentiated modes of teaching, appropriate to the specific skills being developed.
  • A grammar lecture will set the context for a series of skills-based sessions, including small-group oral sessions, each focused on one or more of the four particular skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.
  • The end of year examination will take place in person, on campus

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Language Classes844 per week1 hour84Yes
Listening Comprehension211 per week1 hour21Yes
Conversation211 per week1 hour21Yes
Preparation and Reading274 
Total400 

Summative Assessment

Component: Continous AssessmentComponent Weighting: 20%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Continous Assessment of Written Skills45 minutes75 
Continuous Assessment of Listening Skills40 minutes25 
Component: Written ExaminationComponent Weighting: 45%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Grammar, Composition & Translation Examination 3 hours100Yes
Component: Oral ExaminationComponent Weighting: 20%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Oral Examination10 minutes100Yes
Component: Listening ComprehensionComponent Weighting: 15%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Listening Comprehension1 hour100Yes

Formative Assessment

In addition to weekly exercises (kana/kanji & vocabulary), as specified by the teachers, there will be formal formative assessments: Listening Comprehension test and / or Comprehension/Translation test. These will be recorded. Marked scripts will be returned to students.

More information

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