This course is a sequel to JPN 102 offered by the Extended Learning Institute of Northern Virginia Community College. Chapters of part of 9 to 12 of the textbook Nakama 1b will be covered. The course is designed to (a) consolidate basic skills in Japanese pronunciation, orthography (hiragana, katakana, and kanji), vocabulary, and grammar, (b) develop skills in oral and written communication in Japanese, and (c) provide knowledge and promote a better understanding of certain aspects of Japanese culture. It also provides opportunities to (d) approach Japanese language and culture from multiple perspectives.

The following is required for entry into this course:

• JPN 102 or equivalent. Students who have not taken JPN 102 should have Japanese proficiency at or above the Intermediate-low level as defined by the ACTFL Proficiency Guideline

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• understand content referring to basic personal background and needs, social conventions and somewhat more complex situations, such as lodging, transportation, shopping, personal interests and activities, and a greater diversity of instructions and directions.
• understand short routine telephone conversations and simple announcements and reports over the media.
• talk simply about self and family members, ask and answer questions, participate in simple conversations on topics beyond immediate needs, such as personal history, leisure time activities, given a basic communicative context.
• read minimal suppositions in areas of personal interest and/or knowledge.
• read straightforward descriptions of persons, places, and things written for a wide audience.
• writes about personal preferences, daily routine, everyday events, and other topics grounded in personal experience.
• express present time and at least one other time frame or aspect consistently.
• demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied
• demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied
• acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures
• demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own
• use the language both within and beyond the school setting
• read, discuss and write about topics concerning the Japanese culture featured in textbooks and in target language media at the intermediate level

Course grades are determined according to the following percentages.

Your final grade may be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass at least one of the exams in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are 2 exams in this course. Each exam has two parts: listening and written. The listening part is online and the written part is on paper. Both parts have to be taken at a campus testing center.