In addition to being spoken by almost 130 million people, Japanese is one of the leading languages in the fields of business and finance, as Japan represents the third largest economy in the world (after the US and China). Knowledge of the language and culture of Japan also provides opportunities in the fields of education, fashion, and technology, as well as access to a rich popular culture with unique forms of art and entertainment such as anime and manga.

Our department offers classes of Japanese at the elementary and intermediate levels.

LANG 117: Elementary Japanese I
This course is intended for students who want to acquire a working knowledge of spoken Japanese in everyday life. While stressing development of verbal fluency, the course also provides students with the opportunity to master the native Japanese “alphabets” of Hiragana and Katakana, and it introduces Kanji, the Chinese characters that are an essential part of written Japanese.

LANG 118: Elementary Japanese II
This course is a continuation of LANG 117 (Elementary Japanese I). As with Japanese I, the stress is on verbal fluency, but this course also provides students with the opportunity to further develop their reading and writing skills.

LANG 217: Intermediate Japanese I
Intended for students who have completed two semesters of elementary Japanese, this course continues with vocabulary expansion and the application of sintactic rules at a more advanced level. The principal objective is the development of oral skills that will enable students to communicate in real life situations. This course will also promote awareness and appreciation of Japanese culture and society.

LANG 240: Intermediate Japanese II
This course develops oral communication, reading, and writing skills in order for students to achieve Level 4 in both the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the Japanese Standard Speaking Test. Additionally, this course continues to provide insights into Japanese culture and society