Japanese

JAPAN 102 | Basic Japanese II

2020 Winter Syllabus | Class Schedule

Revised Schedule (As of Week 12, 2020 due to Covid-19)

2018 Winter Syllabus | Class Schedule

みなさん、こんにちは！Welcome to my Japanese class! This is a non-intensive course designed to develop basic skills in spoken and written Japanese. It emphasizes the active command of elementary Japanese, not passive knowledge. Your goal is not simply to acquire the grammar and vocabulary but the ability to use Japanese appropriately and with increasing spontaneity. Thus, at the end of the course, you will: (1) have culturally appropriate communication skills in both spoken and written elementary Japanese, (2) understand the basic structure of the Japanese language, and (3) have a rudimentary understanding of Japanese culture as it applies to language usage (See syllabus for more information).

Anonymous Student Testimonials (Selected)

Administered by the University of Alberta Universal Student Rating of Instruction (USRI)

JAPAN 102: X50 (2020)

Comments on online delivery of lecture using Zoom (As of March 16, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic)

“I enjoyed working with peers to develop skits/dialogues and then perform them for the class. I can't say there were particularly any aspects of class that I disliked. (Obviously, in-person language learning is much preferred, but given the circumstances, I felt like the use of Zoom was a best possible proxy as it allowed for continued student-to-student and student-to-professor interaction.)”

“I enjoyed that Zoom allowed for peer interaction as well as professor interaction. I think the use of Zoom (as opposed to something like posting video lectures) was immensely beneficial because it allowed for spontaneous speaking engagement, oral comprehension practice, and maintained an interactive environment as much as is feasible.”

JAPAN 102: X51 (2018)

"The quality of instruction in the class was one of the best I've had at the post secondary level. Mimi was/is a very passionate instructor who genuinely cares for the success of her students. Always available if questions were to arise outside of class, be it through email or at her office. Questions were always answered promptly and with respect, if she was unsure about the answer given to a student she would clarify with other instructors and return with an accurate answer. Her enthusiasm despite teaching an evening class was infectious and kept, what could have been a long 2 and a half hour class, interesting."

"Mimi-sensei did an excellent job teaching this course. The classroom was a warm and welcoming environment where everybody could participate and screw up (often) without there being any fear of being judged by anyone. Mimi-sensei was always really excited to be in the classroom and really excited to see her students succeed. I would take her class again."