Japanese Courses

1061 Intensive Japanese 1 Syllabus

Instructor: Dan P. Dewey

• Course Web Site
• Lecture Notes
• CourseWeb

Class Times

9 a.m.—ACT 1 (1101E CL)
10 a.m.—Language Lab (Personal Study)
11 a.m.—ACT 2 (1101E CL)
Noon—Lunch
1 p.m.—FACT Class (208A)
2 p.m.—Language Lab (Personal Study)
3 p.m.—ACT 3 (1101E CL)

I. Instructional Materials

• Japanese: The Spoken Language, Part 1 (E. H. Jorden and M. Noda)

• Japanese: The Spoken Language, Interactive CD-ROM Program (M. Noda)

• Japanese: The Written Language, Part I—Field Edition (E. H. Jorden & M. Noda)

II. Procedures

The aim of all Japanese language instruction at Pitt is to help you acquire an active command of language useful in daily communication. This means learning to speak, not just memorizing rules. You will learn a set of skills that must be exercised over and over until internalized, just like driving a car.

To learn a new language requires both practice in speaking/listening and information about the language. For this purpose there will be ACT (recitation) classes for using the language and FACT (lecture) classes for discussing the language.

ACT classes are conducted strictly in Japanese (do not use English). This is your opportunity to practice your Japanese with a native speaker of Japanese especially trained to help you learn. This class will include CCs, Drills, Utilization Exercises, and various role-plays. Your textbook and notebooks should be closed during this class. You will receive a schedule showing what to prepare for each day. Practice of katakana and hiragana will also be included very soon.

No food, gum, or hats will be allowed in ACT classes. Water bottles will be allowed in class, given that we are meeting in the summer. However, you should be aware that it is culturally unacceptable to eat or drink in a Japanese classroom. We will follow this expectation.

FACT classes will involve the discussion of important information about the language, culture, and so on. The focus will be on helping you learn how to communicate in Japanese. This is your opportunity to ask questions in English about anything you can’t understand after reading the textbook, participating in ACT classes, etc. If there are no questions we will assume you understand everything! There will be a check-up quiz at the end of each lesson (i.e., text part), and periodic quizzes on the writing system. We will also have occasional quizzes on Eavesdropping and the JWL text.

III. Preparation

1. For ACT Classes

• Read the Miscellaneous Notes (MN) for each assigned Core Conversation (CC), and understand the context of the CC.

• Work with the CD-ROM or audio tape and learn the CCs and Drills completely.

• Practice the assigned drills.

• For Utilization Exercises, figure out what you are supposed to say in each of the given situations, and expand this into a conversation.

2. For FACT Classes

• Read the Structural Patterns and Miscellaneous Notes sections carefully.

• Use the Check-Up at the end of each lesson to test your understanding of the grammar.

• Write down specific questions that you want to ask the FACT instructor and bring them to class. Do not try to ask questions about content in the ACT classes.

IV. Evaluation

Each student’s performance in the ACT class will be evaluated and recorded on a daily basis. Your grade is based on a four-point scale:

0 Absent

1 In class but does not demonstrate any appropriate preparation (“warm body” point)

2 Performance is weak; shows insufficient preparation

3 Preparation is evident, and performance is good, but still with multiple obstacles to preparation

4 Near-perfect performance with only minor errors that do not hamper communication; able to self-correct when an error occurs

Your final grade will be a combination of the following:

No make-ups of missed quizzes or exams will be given. Please do not ask us to make an exception to this rule.

Participation and Assignment grades will be posted on the CourseWeb site regularly.

V. Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. In order to learn another language, you must attend and participate actively in classes every day. Your grade will be affected negatively by absences and tardiness. In case of absence, you must submit proof of illness in order to avoid getting a zero grade for that class. There will be no makeup for daily ACT participation grades. You are responsible for any material you missed, finding out assignments, and handing in homework. At the end of the summer, absences or low grades will be forgiven for up to five (and no more) ACT classes.

Your participation in FACT classes will not be graded daily. However, if you miss more than two FACT classes over the summer, your course grade will be lowered by three percent for each absence! You will also not be able to make up any quizzes given during those classes.

Lecture notes are posted for your benefit online, but you should not rely heavily on these notes. While I may post these notes before class, keep in mind that you will still be responsible for attending class and reading the textbook in advance. Notes should serve as a review.

VI. Language Media Center

(located in G17, CL)

Plan to spend time in the language media center during the hours designated for lab time on your schedules. While you will not receive a participation grade for this time, it is still critical that you be in the lab, actively using the CD-ROM. If we notice that you are habitually absent during these lab times, we will give you two warnings. After the second warning, we reserve the right to lower your grade by as much as three percent per absence after the second warning. If you have a laptop computer, we encourage you to use this computer instead of the lab, but we suggest that you inform us of this so that your grade is not lowered due to poor lab attendance.

Also note that while the Macintosh lab is reserved for you during these hours, there may be times when not all of the students in the first-year and second-year classes can fit into the lab. At these times we ask that you use the PC/Windows lab if available. Occasionally if the PC lab is reserved by another teacher, these teachers will not mind if you quietly use a computer on the side. This is not guaranteed, however, so please be cooperative with the lab staff and with other teachers.

Please cooperate with the lab staff. Their jobs are not easy, and they are not paid to deal with impatience. Please work with them and be understanding.

VII. Academic Integrity

Students in this course will be expected to comply with University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the term will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.

VIII. Disabilities

If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and the Disability Resources and Services no later than the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call 412-648-7890 (voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The office is located in 216 William Pitt Union.

IX. Activities

We will have several activities over the summer. Participation in these activities is voluntary, but we strongly suggest that you attend all activities where possible in order to increase your knowledge of Japanese language and culture.

X. Group Study

I strongly encourage studying in groups and pairs in this class. While it is best to have native speakers model speech for you, it is often beneficial to have another person (even a non-native speaker) listen to your speech once you have practiced dialogues on the computer and are getting ready to perform in class. Also, it can sometimes be beneficial to discuss the grammatical (and other) explanations with others when specific things are unclear.

XI. Other Notes

• Students found cheating will receive zero grades on quizzes or tests for the first incident and will fail the class if caught a second time.

• According to departmental policy, a final grade of C- or higher is required to register for the next course in the sequence of the Japanese Language Program.

• CourseWeb offers a Discussion Board for our course. I strongly encourage you to share ideas, concerns and questions with each other via this forum. Participation is, however, voluntary. While I may monitor this board occasionally, I believe that this is your forum for discussion and that you ought to be able to “speak” freely on the Discussion Board. Please do not hesitate to use this resource.