Shrine

JPN 201

Intermediate
Japanese I
Language & Culture


Class:

Tu•Th 10-11:15am
MAK B-2-110


 Instructor:

Jeremy Robinson
robinjer@gvsu.edu
 Office Hours:

MAK D-2-136
Tu•Th 12-1pm

Foreign language learning is like love a la Tennyson: it is better to have had it and lost it, than never to have had it at all. What fool objects to falling in love because there may be eventual “loss through disuse?” After really experiencing a foreign language--no person is ever the same again. What before was strange has not merely been described or explained; it has been encountered in its reality, and the strangeness has gone. As in love, the words learned may fade, the grammar be forgotten; but he who has experienced a foreign language knows at first hand, and forever--as others less fortunate cannot know--what it means to transcend the limitations of a single tongue and a single culture. He has known one of the liberating forces in a liberal education.
- William Riley Parker, The Language Curtain (1966)

Student Learning Objectives
  After successful completion of JPN 201, students will be able to...
    ... analyze complex Japanese sentences, including identification of modifying clauses.
    ... differentiate between different registers of formality expressed through language context.
    ... apply learned grammar and vocabulary to create original statements in intermediate Japanese
    ... produce sustained communication on a variey of topics in intermediate Japanese in both oral and written form.
    ... translate intermediate level concepts from Japanese to English and English to Japanese.
    ... memorize Japanese vocabulary necessary to comprehend and produce sustained communication in intermediate Japanese.
    ... recognize cultural expectations embedded in language use in intermediate Japanese.
    ... write intermediate Japanese in coherent paragraphs using appropriate kana and 240 Chinese characters.
    ... infer social context and meaning suggested within intermediate Japanese communication.
    ... demonstrate cultural competence and strengthen critical thinking skills.


There are two required texts, available at the university bookstore:
  Genki II: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II, 3rd ed. – textbook & workbook
  会話の日本語 - Japanese Through Dialogues for Intermediate Learners

We will be using both books throughout the semester and, if you continue to JPN 202, through that semester as well. In general we will be working our way through Genki II Lessons 13-17, supplementing those lessons with the 会話の日本語 book as appropriate. Be sure to check the syllabus and course schedule on Blackboard regularly to keep up on assignments.

Also available at the bookstore is The Compact Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary. While it is not required for the course, you will need some way to look up kanji and compounds by their radicals. You will also need access to a Japanese-English/English-Japanese dictionary, either a physical copy, app, or online. This semester we will be branching out more frequently into materials intended for native speakers and you will be learning to use these dictionaries to explore materials beyond the textbook. Also available at the bookstore and, although not required, very highly recommended is Makino and Tsutsui's A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. In addition to enriching your understanding of the grammar we learn in the textbook, it allows you to explore variations on the grammatical forms we have learned as well as terms we have not yet encountered.

This class is conducted in hybrid format, with new material learned through grammar videos, online practice, quizzes, workbook assignments, etc. BEFORE coming to in-class sessions. The class meets only twice a week, for an hour and fifteen minutes each session, and this time will be devoted entirely to active language practice. If you have not prepared for each class by completing all required assignments, practice sessions, etc. you will be unable to participate in class effectively and will slow down not just your own progress but that of the entire class. All grammar videos and submission of assignments will be conducted through the university’s Blackboard online learning environment while online practice sessions with fellow students will be organized and conducted using the class Discord server. This is a required elemcnt of the class so if you have not used Discord in the past you will need to become familiar with it as soon as possible.

The primary language of this class is Japanese. While onliine videos will explain new material in English, all synchronous sessions, classroom commands, instructions, etc. will be in Japanese and it is expected that when you have questions, you will ask them in Japanese. Even when speaking to your fellow classmates, try to use Japanese as much as possible and avoid the habit of clarifying in English what someone is saying in Japanese. In addition, avoid using dictionaries and the textbook glossary during synchronous sessions. If you forget how to say a word, ask your partner in Japanese how to say it. If neither of you know, then ask the instructor in Japanese. Class time is extremely limited, and thus extremely valuable, and you should spend as much of it as possible actively using the language.

Grades will be evaluated as follows:    
 

Each Lesson
- preparation (pre-class)
- homework (pre-class)
- participation (in-class)
- chapter tests
- kanji assignment
- reading assignment (quiz)
- writing assignment
- realia assignment

Five Lessons
Final Project

18%
 3%
3%
3%
5%
1%
1%
1%
1%

5 x 18% = 90%
10%

 

Note that for each of the five lessons the pre-class preparation, in-class participation, and homework (3 x 3pts = 9pts) are of greater value than the chapter tests (5pts). Learning a language requires steady regular work rather than cramming for a single exam, and the grading system is intended to reward this type of work. For the same reason, the way instruction, homework, quizzes, etc. are handled in this class are different from what you might expect from other classes. Most of the new material in this class will be learned on your own, through the textbook and instructional videos, and both homework and quizzes covering that material will be done BEFORE you ever encounter them in the classroom. That's because they are intended to help you practice using the new material, NOT to test your knowledge of the material. For this reason, as long as you have attempted them at least once prior to class, both homework and quizzes can (and should) be taken multiple times until you achieve a perfect score. Even if you don't fully understand the material before coming to class, as long as you have made the attempt you will be allowed to redo things later when you have a more complete understanding.vIn general your pre-class preparation will consist of:

  Reading the grammar point in the textbooks Textbooks
  Viewing the explanatory video for that grammar point Blackboard
  Attempting any quizzes assigned for that day Blackboard
  Practice the designated practice exercises with one or more partners In-person/Discord
  Looking up any new vocabulary that you encountered in the practice exercises Textbooks
  Completing and submitting the homework Blackboard

This is how each leasson is set up in Blackboard and it is highly recommended that you follow that structure for preparation. Once again, late submissions of homework and quizzes WILL NOT be accepted, but as long as you have attempted them at least once prior to clas you will be allowed to redo them as often as necessary.

Each lesson will also include fndependent study assignments to be completed on Blackboard: Kanji Assignments, Reading Assignments, Writing Assignments, and Realia Assignments are each worth 1 pt (1%) of your final grade. Kanji assignments are intended to help you view kanji in their larger context in the Japanese language, including their multiple functions/pronunciations and related kanji. Reading assignments are focused on reading comprehension using outside sources and tested via online quizzes. Writing Assignments are based on the 書く練習 section of the Reading/Writing section of each lesson and involve composing written passages in Japanese, having fellow students read them, and then rewriting them based on feedback. And Realia Assignments involve collaborating with your classmates to understand real Japanese materials that are probably beyond your ability to interpret alone. Deadlines for these assignments are posted on the course schedule on Blackboard.

The greatest resource you have available to you is your fellow students and you are strongly encouraged to collaborate with your classmates in practicing dialogues, doing homework assignments, studying for exams, etc. Work together! However, quizzes and tests should be taken on your own and copying other students’ work, using students’ materials from previous years, or otherwise submitting the work of others as one’s own is plagiarism and will result in a zero on the assignment or, in some cases, an automatic F in the course. If you are ever unsure whether outside help is permitted for any individual project, please ask.

The use of outside materials is also critical to learning a wide range of Japanese material relevant to your interests, and you are encouraged to actively look for information outside the textbook. There is even a place in learning for digital translation or even generative AI. However, it is also very easy to use these resources as a way NOT to learn rather than a way to ENHANCE your learning and, just as copying from a fellow student is a way to avoid learning, use of digital resources in this way will carry the same penalty. We will discuss appropriate use of these resources in class and, once again, if you are even in doubt, please ask.

 

Fall 2026 Course Schedule

• click on any section to go to the assignments for that week •

Week One – Introduction and Review

９月１日〜３日

Weeks Two ~ Four – 第十三課

９月８日〜２４日

Weeks Five ~ Seven – 第十四課

９月２９日〜１０月１５日

Weeks Eight ~ Nine – 第十五課

１０月２０日〜月２９日

 

Weeks Ten ~ Twelve – 第十六課

１１月３日〜１９日

 

Week Thirteen

１１月２４日　LRC Final Video Training Session
１１月２６日〜　Thanksgiving Break

 

Weeks Fourteen ~ Fifteen – 第十七課

１２月１日〜１０日

 

 

• Final Video Presentations •

Tuesday, December 15th - 10-11:50am