JPN 506 First-Year Japanese I-Fall 2008
Class number Tu. & Th. Room M, W, & F Room
#31740 8:00-9:30 RLM 5.126 8:00-9:00 RLM 5.126
#31745 8:00-9:30 RLM 5.126 9:00-10:00 RLM 5.120
Instructor: Chikako Hirayama Cooke ???? ????
Phone: 475-6046 (please e-mail me if I am not in the office)
Office: WCH 5.132
E-mail: hirayama_cooke@mail.utexas.edu
Office Hours: TBA
TA: Mai Tadokoro
Phone: 475-6796
Office: WMB 1.114
E-mail: maitdokoro@gmail.com
Office Hours: TBA
• All the students must take this course with a letter grade if they wish to advance to a next
level. Those taking this course with CR/NC will not be eligible for taking JPN507 in
the future.
I. Course Objectives
1) To Acquire four skills in the Japanese language:
Listening Ability to understand simple every day conversation.
Speaking Ability to handle some survival situations through circumlocutions and repetitions.
Reading Ability to read simple, short reading materials including semi-authentic materials.
Writing Ability to write simple sentences learned in class using the appropriate hiragana,
katakana, and kanji.
2) To acquire a fundamental knowledge of Japanese grammatical structures.
3) To acquire some knowledge of the Japanese culture.
II. Course Materials
1) Textbook: Yookoso! An invitation to Contemporary Japanese by Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku.
3rd edition
2) Workbook/Laboratory Manual for Yookoso! An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese,
3rd edition
3) CDs/Audio files
1. Listening Comprehension Program (to accompany the textbook)
2. Audio Program (to accompany the Workbook / Laboratory Manual) -- to complete the
listening comprehension homework assignments.
** http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072408162student_view0/
Choose the chapter and audio program. Check the WB section
** “Real Player” (www.real.com)
http://www.laits.utexas.edu/itsaud/series.php?series_name=jp-0-02
Password: Tohsaku
4) Handouts from Blackboard(Bb http://courses.utexas.edu)including the daily schedule and
homework assignments. EID and password are required.
5) JOSHU study help site: http://www.laitutexas.edu/japanese/joshu/index.htm
Class instructions; homework assignments; etc.
Homework submit:
Username: Nihongo Password: Daisuki Section: 1 (8:00) 2 (9:00)
6) Printer: You need to print HW, handouts, format sheets and etc. from Bb.
7) Handouts including homework assignments trough the blackboard.
The textbook and the workbook are on reserve on the 1st floor of the PCL.
III. Course Structure
• Attend all classes.
• Prepare for class according to the daily schedule.
1) Lecture class (Tu. & Th.)
• Please come prepared. Read appropriate textbook assignments and do the grammar
exercises and activities before class. (Read “Language Notes” and “Culture Notes” etc. in
the textbook. These sections may not be covered in class; however, you are expected to
read them.)
• Brief grammar explanations and grammar exercises will be given.
• Reading and some writing practice, including kana and kanji, will be given.
• Japanese cultural information related to the topic will be discussed.
• Administrative information will be announced.
2) Activity class (M, W, & F)
• Dialogues and activities in the textbook will be followed by communicative practice.
• The sessions will be entirely in Japanese. Questions that require explanations (in
English) should be asked in lecture classes.
IV. Grading Policy
Your final course grade is determined in the following way:
%
Attendance & Class Participation ?
Homework 7
Vocabulary Quizzes (18-3) 8
Writing Quizzes (10-2) 8
Compositions (2) 8
Oral Exam(2) 15
Group Skit(1) 7
Chapter Tests (3) 22
Final Witten Exam 25
100
A = 100-90
B = 89-80
C = 79-70
D = 69-60
F = 59-
There will be NO grading on a curve.
There is a grades record sheet in the Bb. Please check eGradebook for your grade.
Last Day to drop this class without a possible academic penalty: September 23, Wednesday
V. Course Requirements
Attendance & Class Participation (?%)
• Because of the cumulative nature of language learning, it is essential that students keep
up with course work on a daily basis and attend all classes. You are required to attend all
classes and to prepare for the class according to the daily schedule. When you have the
perfect attendance record at the end of the semester, you will receive an extra 2%
added to your course grade. If you miss classes 3 times or less, you will receive an extra
1% added to your course grade. Missing class more than 3times will not get you any
extra points. Absence will not excuse a student in any way from responsibility for course
material. Notify your instructor as soon as possible if you cannot attend the class. Only
in RARE emergency cases (e.g., funerals with the announcement, car accidents with a
written note from the police), students will be allowed to make up work missed during
their absences. Your instructors will abide by this rule very strictly and reserve the right
to judge whether to allow work to be made up or not.
• It is the polity of the UT that the student must notify the instructor at least 14 days prior
to the classes scheduled on dates s/he will be absent to observe a religious holy day.
• Come to each class on TIME. Two incidents of tardiness (coming late or leaving early)
count as one absence. In addition, studying other subjects, chatting in English with your
classmates, etc. will also penalize your attendance.
• No food, No open container drinks (only bottled drink is allowed), No gum, No
Texting, No cell phone during the class period, please. Please keep your cellular
phone off in class.
• Please respect each other and show consideration towards your instructor and classmates.
• Your active participation in class activities will greatly enhance your progress in Japanese.
Please do not be afraid of making mistakes/ errors in the classroom.
Homework (7%)
• No late/ incomplete homework will count toward your grade.
• You will be given written homework assignments almost every day. Do your homework
promptly and carefully.
• Listening HW will be from CD or < http://www.mhhe.com/yookoso3 >. Check the WB
pages.
• The instructors use the marks below when checking homework as well as compositions:
H Hiragana Kt Katakana Kj Kanji Sp Spelling V Vocabulary
P Particle Gr Grammar Fm Form Tns Tense Ord Order
? Unclear > Insertion Cj Conjugation Strike Deletion → Change to
¶ New
paragraph
• Write neatly. Use only pencil (and erase carefully.)
• Homework is due at the beginning of each class, so turn it in before the class starts. Do
not leave homework at your teacher’s office or mailbox without receiving permission to
do so in advance. Late, incomplete, or sloppily done homework may be accepted but
will not be counted for credit.
• Write your name on each homework sheet. If there are more than 2 pages, staple them
in the upper left corner. Your instructor is not responsible for missing pages when pages
are not having names nor stapled together.
• If you need to turn in your homework early, you must provide the written note (stating
which homework of what date you are turning in early) attached to your homework.
• Kana(hiragana/ katakana) practice sheets are provided in Bb/ JOSHU site.
• Kanji HW: Check your kanji list and the kanji sheet in Bb document folder. Each
chapter, there are vocabulary words to practice. You write each word at least TWICE.
Kanji HW is indicated by kanji and the +mark in the schedule.
• JOSHU study help site: http://www.laitutexas.edu/japanese/joshu/index.htm is
sometimes used as your HW. Check your schedule and HW folder in Bb.
Homework submit:
Username: Nihongo Password: Daisuki Section: 1(8:00 ) 2 (9:00)
• How to submit JOSHU HW is explained in the HW folder.
• You must do your homework on your own. Unauthorized collaboration on
homework and/or copying someone's homework and turning it in as your own will
be considered as cheating and will result in a severe penalty. Allowing other
students to use your homework is also considered as scholastic dishonesty. (Please
read the UT’s policies on students’ scholastic dishonesty:
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis_whatis.php/)
Vocabulary Quizzes (8%)
• NO make – up/ early quiz
• All quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class, so come to class on time.
• You will have 18 quizzes. See the schedule for the content of each quiz.
• Your lowest three grades will be dropped at the end of the semester. Use this to make up
emergency absences such as family emergencies, sickness, and so on.
Writing Quizzes (8%)
• NO make-up/ early quiz.
• All quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class, so come to class on time.
• You will have10 quizzes (hiragana, katakana, and kanji). See the schedule for the
content of each quiz.
• Your lowest two grades will be dropped at the end of the semester. Use this to make up
emergency absences such as family emergencies, sickness, and so on.
Compositions (8%)
• You are going to use genkooyooshi?????????, composition paper,
( http://www.laits.utexas.edu/japanese/joshu/forms_howto/Genkooyooshi.pdf ) to write
compositions. You will receive feedback on the draft, and then you are expected to
turn in a corrected version based on the suggested feedback. Please attach the first
draft when turning in the corrected version in order to receive full credit. Without
writing the draft, you won’t receive any credit even if you turn in the “final” version by
the deadline.
• The feedback sheet for each chapter contains the composition topic and guidelines in the
blackboard. You must attach this feedback sheet to your draft.
• You have to use at least 3/4 page of genkooyooshi to complete each composition. The
maximum score is 100pt. You will lose 10pt. per day for late submission. Also, a
short draft or short rewrite will lower your grade.
• In each composition, you should try to use new vocabulary and grammar items that have
been introduced in class. In addition, use as much kanji as possible.
• Write neatly. Use only pencil (and erase carefully).
• Do not consult your Japanese friends or classmate; WRITE and REVISE by
YOURSELF.
Oral Exams (15%)
• NO make-up/early exam.
• At the end of each chapter, there will be an oral exam based upon the material that you
have been practicing. They will be graded on the basis of communicative skills as well
as accuracy, structure, vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency. The oral exam guidelines
will be in the blackboard.
Skit (7%)
• No make-up/ early presentation
• Your partners and you will cooperate to create a skit in Japanese to present in the class.
Turn in the skit draft and revision according to the schedule. Unless participating in all the
group activities such as skit writing, performance practice, and presentation, you will
receive no credit. The skit guidelines will be announced later.
Chapter tests (22%)
• No make-up/ early test
• You will have three written chapter tests to examine your understanding of the material in
the chapters. Each test will include everything that has been covered in that chapter.
• The listening section will be conducted in the beginning of the hour, so please come to
classroom on time. You will not be able to make up a missed listening section.
• You cannot keep any of the tests and exams. Make sure to return them to your
instructor by the end of the class. If not, you will not receive any credit for the test/ exam.
Please go to your instructor’s office if you need to look at them further.
Final Written Exam (25%)
• All students are expected to take the final written exam on the scheduled date (TBA).
The exam will test your abilities in all language skills such as listening, reading,
writing, and grammar within the context of what has been done in this course. The
format is similar to that of the written chapter tests but it will include a kanji and
katakana section.
• Make sure to check the final exam date before you purchase any airplane tickets or make
any plans. (TBA: Unified Final Exam)
VI. Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty
• The University of Texas guideline on scholastic dishonesty applies to ALL work done in
this class, including but not limited to:
1. Copying other students’ homework/ exam answers.
2. Showing your homework/ exam answers to other students.
3. Copying other people’s work or phrases without citing.
4. Having someone else write a paper for you or correct your compositions.
• Students who violate university rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary
penalties, including the possibility of failing the course and dismissal from the
University. University policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.
• http://www.dec.utexas.edu/onlinecourses/dishonesty.html#topimage
• http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis.php
• http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php
VII. For Students with Disabilities
• Any student with a documented disability (physical or cognitive) who requires academic
accommodations should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the
Office o the Dean of Students at 471-6259 as soon as possible to request an official
letter outlining authorized accommodations.
• http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/
• http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/providing.php#SYLLABUS)
VIII. Blackboard Usage
• This course uses Blackboard, a Web-based course management system in which a
password-protected site is created for each course. Student enrollments in each course
are updated each evening. Blackboard can be used to distribute course materials, to
communicate and collaborate online, to post grades (using eGradebook), and to submit
HW thorough JOSHU site (http://www.laitutexas.edu/japanese/joshu/index.htm).
• You will be responsible for checking the Blackboard course site regularly for class work
and announcements. As with all computer systems, there are occasional scheduled
downtimes as well as unanticipated disruptions. Notification of these disruptions will
be posted on the Blackboard login page. Scheduled downtimes are not an excuse for
late work. However, if there is an unscheduled downtime for a significant period of
time, I will make an adjustment if it occurs close to the due date.
• Blackboard is available at http://courses.utexas.edu. Support is provided by the ITS Help
Desk at 475-9400 Monday through Friday 8 am to 6 pm, so plan accordingly.
IX. Studying Japanese
• In learning a foreign language, it is important to study every day. You are expected to
spend a lot of hours besides your classes. You should NOT expect to learn the
language simply by attending the class activities. Language learning requires a lot of
time to constant review of previously learned material.
• Come PREPARED. Please read appropriate textbook pages BEFORE class to facilitate
your understanding of the lectures and participation in class activities.
• Use Japanese whenever possible. Try to use phrases you have learned with your
classmates or your Japanese friends. Join the conversation club if you have free time.
(Japanese Conversation Table on MWF 4-5 pm)
• Listen to the CDs of Yookoso textbook or Textbook Audio Program
• Listen to the Japanese language as much as possible. (Even though you do not
understand, listening to Japanese will help you to familiar with the sounds, intonation,
and vocabulary.) Develop a systematic way of organizing the increasingly large
amounts of materials for which you will be responsible.
X. Japanese sites
Web Sites for Learners of Japanese
UT Japanese Language Program: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/japanese
UT Study help site: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/japanese/joshu
Yookoso on-web (including your listening HW): http://highered.mcgrawhill.com
Online dictionary: http://www.alc.co.jp (Easy to use, Japanese??English)
Japanese all: http://www.yookoso.com (Created by Jeff Blum, former UT student)
Kanji/Hiragana/Katakana stroke order: http://gahoh.marinebat.com
Stroke order and exercises for Kanji introduced in Yookoso:
http://www.wfu.edu/~takatay/YookosoKanji/
Kanji radicals: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/japanese/joshu/kanji/kanji_radicals/radicals1.html
(Created by Travis Schiller, UT student)
List of Japanese web sites: http://www.sabotenweb.com/bookmarks/language.html (a little too
much info.)
References
Kodansha’s Furigana Japanese-English Dictionary
A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters Tuttle Language Library
A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Nintendo DS Software
Anpanman to Asobo aiueo kyooshitsu ??????????
???????
Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki jiten ???????????
Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-kun???????????
Japanese Conversation Table
TBA