Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2021-2022 (archived)

Module JPNS1062: JAPANESE LANGUAGE 1A

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (Japanese)

JPNS1062: JAPANESE LANGUAGE 1A

Type Open Level 1 Credits 40 Availability Available in 2021/22 Module Cap None. Location Durham

Prerequisites

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

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • • Japanese Language 1B (JPNS1012); any CFLS coded module apart from Korean or Chinese. Module not available for students on the BA Modern Lanaguages 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)

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.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Grammar and Translation 42 2 per week 1 hour 42
Comprehension, Composition and Kanji exercises 42 2 per week 1 hour 42
Listening Comprehension 21 1 per week 1 hour 21
Conversation 21 1 per week 1 hour 21
Preparation and Reading 274
Total 400

Summative Assessment

Component: Written Examination Component Weighting: 60%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Grammar, Composition & Translation Exam 3 hours 100% Yes
Component: Oral Examination Component Weighting: 20%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Oral Examination 10 minutes 100% Yes
Component: Listening Comprehension Component Weighting: 20%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Listening Comprehension 1 hour 100% Yes

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.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University