BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The Japanese Language LM course aims to provide advanced-level language skills suitable for communicating in a general business, tourism, or academic environment.
The objective of Japanese Language LM1 is to take students to the N3 level of the JLPT Certificate of Language Proficiency, corresponding to CEFR level B1. By the end of the course, students have acquired knowledge of grammar and structures at an intermediate level, are able to understand the content of various types of texts relating to Japanese culture and society, can summarise them and discuss their opinions on them, and are able to interact and communicate sufficiently effectively in professional contexts using some structures of honorific language.
The objective of Japanese Language LM2 is to take students to the N2 level of the JLPT Certificate of Language Proficiency, corresponding to CEFR level B2. By the end of the course, students are able to understand various types of longer and more complex texts thanks to their knowledge of advanced level grammar and structures, and are able to express themselves more fluently using honorary language suitable for professional contexts.
Course Prerequisites
To have an adequate knowledge of the basic grammar and structures of the Japanese language. Be familiar with approximately 600 kanji and have A2-B1 (threshold) level language competence on the four skills. It is recommended to study the textbook Quartet I.1-4 before classes begin.
ERASMUS and international students are required to have knowledge of Italian language (B1) and Japanese language at A2-B1 level.
Teaching Methods
The course consists of lectures with the support of teaching materials uploaded by the lecturer onto the Moodle e-learning platform. Students are required o actively participate in classroom activities and prepare some material in advance.
There will be language training hours dedicated to strenghtening Japanese language proficiency, with a special focus on communicating in formal contexts, ability to summarise, present and review a number of given topics.
Assessment Methods
The Japanese Language LM1 course has a single final examination. The examination consists of a 3-hour written test and a subsequent oral test. Both tests are compulsory. The written test is structured in two parts: I) knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures acquired during the AAL, listening and writing skills (/30), II) translation from Japanese into Italian of texts relating to the topics covered during the course (/30).Those who do not score a 18/30 in the two parts will not be admitted to the oral test. The oral test consists of roleplays in different communicative contexts and a short presentation on a topic chosen among those covered during the AAL (/30). The final mark is given by the average of the written and oral tests. The results will be published on the Moodle platform.
The LM2 Japanese Language course has a final examination organised in three steps: Firstly, the examination consists of a 3-hour written test and a subsequent oral test. Both tests are compulsory. In addition, students must fulfill the requirements of the Specialised seminar. The written test is structured in two parts: I) knowledge of kanji and evaluation of the proficiency in honorific and business Japanese (/30), II) translation from Japanese into Italian of a journalistic/academic article relating to the topics covered during the course (/30).The oral test consists of the presentation of a topic/topic chosen by the student and a debate on a topic from among those covered during the AAL (20/30).Those who do not achieve a pass mark in both two parts will not be admitted to the oral test. For LM 2 B students only, at the end of the Specialised seminar dedicated to Japanese language and business culture, students must complete every requirements of the seminar (10/30) in order to register their final score. The final mark is given by the average of the written (/30) and oral (/20) papers + specialised seminar grades (/10).The results will be published on the Moodle platform.
Grades out of thirty correspond to these five bands:
- Excellent (30 cum laude): excellent knowledge of all course content and linguistic proficiency acquisition. Precision, correctness, and effectiveness. Zero errors.
- Very good (30-27): very good knowledge of all course content and very good proficiency in all linguistic abilities for the course. Errors are light and not recurring.
- Good (26-24): good knowledge of the course content and linguistic proficiency. Errors are of limited severity and do not appear to be systematic.
- Sufficient (23-18): acceptable knowledge of the course content and linguistic proficiency. There are some evident errors. Genral understanding of the course content is just above sufficient (23-21) or nearly sufficient (20-18).
- Insufficient (less than 18): partial and superficial knowledge of the course content; numerous errors and low understanding of linguistic rules and functions.
Contents
The LM1A module aims to introduce new structures, vocabulary, ideograms and expressions at the intermediate-advanced level (corresponding to the units of the textbook Quartet I.5-6 and II.7-12) through the reading and analysis of a variety of texts concerning aspects of contemporary Japanese culture and society. Students, in order to actively participate in the course, will be required to produce, before or during each class, both a translation of the texts and a linguistic, communicative and cultural commentary; review and discussion of the translation choices and content of the texts will take place in class. The LM2A module will be replaced by a specialized seminar taught exclusively in Japanese that will present the salient features of Japanese corporate culture and specific practices of the Japanese work environment.
Students will also have access to the language practice activities planned for their level of competence.
Listening and speaking with Japanese tutor (2 hours per week)
Shadowing, presentation and discussion in language with Japanese tutor (2 hours per week)
Reinforcement exercises on Japanese honorifics (2 hours per week)
The specific contents of the AAL Japanese Language LM1 and Japanese Language LM2 and the texts adopted are indicated analytically on the University Linguistic Centre's web page, in the section dedicated to the Japanese language.
Online Resources
More information
The list of exam texts for the official course is final and includes the titles that are essential for exam preparation, both for attending and non-attending students. However, non-attending students are invited to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course to set up the programme and any arrangements for ongoing assessment.
The list is available in this same syllabus under the section Online Resources – Leganto – Reading lists.