Fall 2009

Basic Survival Japanese (3 credits)
This is a required course for both beginners and false beginners. Classes meet two days per week, two hours per class, for a total of 45 hours. These classes will introduce the student to the basic vocabulary and structures that will allow for immediate dialogue in daily conversational situations such as shopping, introducing oneself and others, counting, telling time, asking for, giving and getting directions and the like. In addition, it provides students with the fundamental linguistic patterns upon which to base the grammatical skills which they will be learning in their subsequent language classes. This course will be taught using a variety of teaching techniques to keep motivation at a peak. Quizzes and homework will be given regularly so that students can acquire conversational skills rapidly.  

 Japanese Language (Higher Levels)(3 credits)
The Japanese program encompasses the four main areas of language learning: speaking, hearing, reading and writing. Classes meet two times per week, two hours per class, for a total of 45 hours. Beginning classes introduce the phonetic alphabets and some kanji (ideograms) in addition to the structures and forms of basic Japanese conversation. These areas are strengthened in the more advanced classes. Classes are taught be native Japanese language teachers. Students will be placed in small classes at their appropriate levels according to their language ability. The textbook for the first few levels is Genki: an Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, volumes 1 and 2, published by the Japan Times. Evaluation will be made by the Japanese teachers based on attendance, participation, homework, and test scores.
 
  East Asian Studies (2 credits)
The East Asian Studies Course is a general introduction to some of the many aspects of Japanese culture. In addition to the cultural component, students are also introduced to Japanese society, history and politics.  Students partici- pate in an extensive array of seminars, lectures, workshops and demonstrations within and outside the Japan Center, in addition to field trips to historic sights and artisans’ workshops, which are supplemented by readings to orient
them to the region.  Students will also be expected to further research the topics to obtain a clear understanding of the subjects of the seminars. As the term progresses, seminars are designed to focus on the particular interests of the students. 
Objective: The objective of this program is to introduce students to various aspects of Japanese culture in a way that will enable them to understand why and how most traditional Japanese culture is connected. Focus is on gaining an understanding of the unique character of Japan, Japanese culture and reality, and its place in the world community, and on gaining experiences in Japan with an understanding of the culture.
Methodology: Students will participate in workshops, seminars, demonstrations lectures, and field trips provided by the Japan Center.  Students are also encouraged to develop topics in which they have a particular interest and pursue them independently.  Students are required to write reflective papers relating to each East Asian Studies seminar.  At the end of the East Asian Studies program students will be able to tie together seemingly non-related aspects of
Japan.
Evaluation: Evaluation is based on classroom participation and written work.


Global Issues and the Environment (2 credits)
This course will seek to identify and explore the direct and indirect links between  the global issues emerging in the 21st Century and the growing environmental problems occurring at both local and global levels. Students will be expected to reflect on and share their experiences in the countries they have lived and studied in to help us consider how such global issues as conflict, poverty, immigration, urbanization, disease and refugees are both caused and affected by key environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity and the increasing demands for food, energy and natural resources. We will use film, video clips, and articles from both the mainstream and alternative press to analyze the various economic and environmental remedies that are being proposed by global institutions such as the G8, World Bank and the UN as well as the lesser known ‘voices’ such as the Worldwatch Institute and Redefining Progress.  It is hoped that this course will open up some of the connections that exist between our own daily lives and these global and environmental issues and that in the process students will come up with a set of personal actions that would contribute to the positive changes we would like to see occurring both in our own countries and around the world.

Linked Writing Workshop (2 credits)
This is a required workshop conducted on both a one-to-one basis with students and their advisors, as well as in a workshop with student peers. It is linked with the East Asian Studies Program in that the material for the course will consist of response, position or research papers which students will write for all East Asian Studies seminars. These reports will provide the raw material for individualized writing study and criticism. A variety of writing styles and perspectives will be explored with detailed criticism given on an individual basis and in peer workshops.  Elements of Style by Strunk and White, the MLA Manual, and On Writing Well by William Zinsser will be used as auxiliary resources. Papers submitted for this course will be expected to demonstrate the students' progress in developing and refining their critical thinking skills and will serve as complete documentation for both the writing workshop and for the East Asian Studies course.

Junior Research Seminar: Behind the Mask(3 credits)
This course - required for all juniors in the program - will provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to research, organize and write a thesis proposal as well as a fully developed research paper that incorporates multiple primary and secondary resources which students will evaluate according to the pyramid of sources and through critical readings.  Students will also learn to narrow down a general topic into a manageable project, organize it through scheduling, notes and interviews and become familiar with the various ways of citing sources and avoiding plagiarism. Text for this course will be Writing Reasearch Papers by Lester and Lester.


Independent Studies (2~4 credits)
Students at the East Asia Center are strongly encouraged to undertake independent studies as part of their study program.  Students work with their advisor to choose a topic of study, create a learning plan, and carry it out.  Independent studies can be of a hands-on, experiential nature, or they could be more research based, or some combination of the two.  Recent independent studies done at the East Asia Center include all of the following and more: Manga and Anime, Graffiti in Japan, Japanese Music, Art Therapy, Japanese Cooking, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Martial Arts (aikido, iaido, kyudo, karate, tai chi, chi gong, capoeira, and others), Noh Mask Making, Elderly Care, Japanese Paper Making, Photography, Japanese Pottery, Sake Brewing, Taiko Drumming, Shiatsu, Tofu Making, Woodblock Printing, Minamata, Japanese History, Kanji, Japanese Literature, Human Rights, Japanese Traditional Architecture, Indian Classical Dance, Yoga, Reiki, Seitai, Sumie, Shodo, Haiku, Geisha, Vending Machines, Youth Culture, Samurai, Traditional Japanese Tattoo, etc.