2024-2025 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Fundamentals of the Japanese language with emphasis on developing proficiency in practical language use and cultural competency. 1105 is for students with no prior knowledge of the language; 1106 is for students who have completed 1105, or more than one year, but less than three years of high school Japanese.
Fundamentals of the Japanese language, with emphasis on developing proficiency in practical language use and cultural competency. 1105 is for students with no prior knowledge of the language; 1106 is for students who have completed 1105, or more than one, but less than three, units of high school Japanese.
Emphasizes comprehension of written and spoken Japanese, communication in Japanese; study of some literature and culture of the Japanese people. 2105 is for students who have completed 1105 and 1106 or equivalent. 2106 is for students who have completed 2105 or equivalent.
Emphasizes comprehension of written and spoken Japanese, communication in Japanese; study of some literature and culture of the Japanese people. 2105 is for students who have completed 1105 and 1106 or equivalent. 2106 is for students who have completed 2105 or equivalent.
Analysis of Japanese popular culture through anime (animation), manga (comics), and video games. Introduction of important socio-cultural issues in Japan such as language, ideology, identity, gender, race, class, and nationalism. Exploration of the domestic and global popularity of these mediums and their socio-historical contexts, styles, and characteristics. Fostering of cross-cultural awareness and intercultural understanding by addressing global challenges and opportunities in Japan through popular culture. Taught in English.
3105: Practice in communication skills in Japanese both orally and writing, including review of grammar, directed composition and conversation, with an emphasis on pronunciation, cultural competency, and oral expressions. Not recommended for native speakers. 3106: Reinforcement of oral proficiency, reading, grammar, and writing skills, allowing students to explore a broad range of texts of general and professional interest. Not recommended for native speakers.
3106: Reinforcement of oral proficiency, reading, grammar, and writing skills, allowing students to explore a broad range of texts of general and professional interest. Not recommended for native speakers.
Devoted to the acquisition of spoken dialect and the enhancement of cultural competency. 3125: Provides students with the ability to converse in every day Japanese conversation. Focus on everyday conversational skills including life topics, transactions, and Japanese media. Emphasis on appropriate body language and understanding of cultural, political, and religious knowledge. 3126: Provides students with the ability to converse in advanced and complex situations. Focus on formal conversations (honorific, humble, and extra-polite) and business Japanese. Not recommended for native speakers.
Devoted to the acquisition of spoken dialect and the enhancement of cultural competency. 3125: Provides students with the ability to converse in every day Japanese conversation. Focus on everyday conversational skills including life topics, transactions, and Japanese media. Emphasis on appropriate body language and understanding of cultural, political, and religious knowledge. 3126: Provides students with the ability to converse in advanced and complex situations. Focus on formal conversations (honorific, humble, and extra-polite) and business Japanese. Not recommended for native speakers.
Overview of genres, themes, and narrative strategies characteristic of Japanese literature and other cultural artifacts, as well as the various historical and cultural contexts from which they arose. Exploration of themes, such as transience, honor, and community, with a particular focus on change and evolution over time. Assessment of literature and cultural artifacts’ rendering of and impact on the construction of Japanese identity, such as race, gender, and sexuality. Creation of cross-cultural awareness by distinguishing the influence of other literary traditions on Japan’s literature. Development of intercultural understanding by analyzing common themes in Japanese literature and culture and their implications not just for Japanese life, but also for how they interact with broader global concerns. Taught in English.
Evaluation of the socio-cultural contexts and perspectives of Japanese cinema, including Japanese cinema’s ability both to produce and reproduce socio-cultural contexts like the political, religious, or aesthetic constructs of a particular time period. Explanation of the relationship between those contexts and films, such as the anti-war stance of many pre-WWII directors or the impact of Japan’s 1989 financial collapse on cinema. Development of a coherent understanding of Japanese cinema and cinematic techniques through films and literary sources, both primary in translation and secondary. Analysis of intercultural perspectives, such as the influence of American and European films on Japanese cinema and vice-versa, in relation to a student’s own cinematic tradition. Comparison of intercultural experiences with broader global concerns, challenges, and opportunities as expressed through Japanese film. Taught in English. Variable content. May be repeated twice with different content for a maximum of 6 credits.
Overview of Japanese society and culture through analysis of Japanese language texts and other cultural artifacts, with an emphasis on modern Japan. Examination of socio-cultural and linguistic factors that have influenced the development of modern Japan and Japanese identity, such as its focus on community, weakened financial clout, growing cultural capital. Exploration of the impact of issues such as aging, work-life balance, globalization, and gender norms that continue to shape modern Japanese society, and relating them to students’ lives. Assessment of these issues within regional (Asian) and global contexts. Taught in Japanese.
Advanced Japanese grammar skills. Use of special verbs in honorific, extra-modest, and humble form. Analysis and writing of personal and professional texts. Question formation within larger sentences, naming items, using passive and passive-causative sentences. Development of the ability to read, write, and apply the use of 317 intermediate-level kanji in various contexts.
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