Courses

Continued development in both written and spoken Japanese. Aspects of Japanese culture, such as history, art, religion, and cuisine, explored through text, film, and animation. Online audio and visual aids facilitate listening, as well as the learning of grammar and kanji. Individual tutorial sessions improve conversational skills.

Advanced language course that further develops proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Reading and discussion materials include works by Nobel Prize winners. Japanese anime and television dramas are used to enhance listening and to develop skills in culturally appropriate speech. Writing of essays, letters, and criticism solidifies grammar and style. Individual tutorial sessions improve conversational skills.

This course is designed to further develop students’ proficiency in all four language skills - reading, writing, listening, and speaking – with the goal of achieving an advanced level of proficiency. The course explores contemporary Japanese society and social issues, encompassing diverse topics including the education system, school bullying, the political system and elections, the low birth rate and aging society, inequality and discrimination.

Spanning texts from the end of the Nineteenth Century to the present day, this course bridges the gap between reading Japanese literature in a language class environment and reading Japanese literature with fluency for academic purposes and indeed, for pleasure. Students learn best practices for carefully reading and translating texts in Japanese, such as how to pay attention to aspects of form and style, the effective use of physical and digital dictionaries, and how to understand editorial annotations and translator notes. As students continue to build reading competencies and speed, they also encounter different approaches to literary works: methods of close-reading, the importance of historical context, bibliographic methods, and the relevance of author biography. 

Introduction to the grammar and style of the premodern literary language (bungotai). We will read Taketori monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, ca. 909), the oldest surviving work of prose fiction in Japanese, with a view toward understanding how literary texts were created, preserved, and disseminated in premodern Japan and East Asia.

Introduction to the grammar and style of the premodern literary language (bungotai). We read Taketori monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, ca. 909), the oldest surviving work of prose fiction in Japanese, with a view toward understanding how literary texts were created, preserved, and disseminated in premodern Japan and East Asia.

A beginning course in modern Korean. Pronunciation, lectures on grammar, conversation practice, and introduction to the writing system (Hankul).

Continuation of KREN 1100.

Continued development of skills in modern Korean, spoken and written, leading to intermediate-level proficiency.

Intended for students with some oral proficiency but little or no training in Hankul. Focus on grammatical analysis, the standard spoken language, and intensive training in reading and writing.

Continuation of KREN 1300.

Continuation of KREN 1320.