Japanese (JPN)Academic Catalog: 2020–2021

• Toshiyuki Sakuragi
• Lianying Shan

We strongly encourage students of Japanese language to study in Japan. Gustavus has student exchange relationships with Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka and Hosei University in Tokyo. For a description of the Japanese Studies major and minor, please see “Japanese Studies.”

Japanese Courses

101, 102 Japanese Language and Culture I, II (1 course, 1 course) In this sequential two- semester program, students will develop basic communication skills in both spoken and written (hiragana, katakana, kanji) Japanese. This course is also designed to help students increase their intercultural awareness by examining cultural values and assumptions reflected in Japanese kinship terms, classifiers, and nonverbal communicative behavior. JPN-101, with a minimum grade of C, or the instructor’s permission is a prerequisite for JPN-102. Offered annually.

201, 202 Japanese Language and Culture III, IV (1 course, 1 course) In this sequential two-semester program, students will further develop communication skills in both spoken and written Japanese. Students will also continue to develop their intercultural awareness by examining cultural values and assumptions reflected in Japanese honorifics, politeness strategies, and formal/informal communication styles. Prerequisites: JPN-102 and JPN-201 each with a minimum grade of C respectively. Offered annually.

251 Japanese Language and Culture V (1 course) These courses are designed to help students further develop contextually appropriate communication skills in Japanese through a variety of oral and written exercises. They also provide opportunities for students to explore both traditional and popular Japanese culture through a greater use of culturally authentic texts and media. Prerequisite: JPN-202. Offered occasionally.

291, 391 Independent Study (Course value to be determined) Fall and Spring semesters and January Interim.