MLO 1: Language & Communication
Outcomes
1.1. Students are able to communicate effectively in Japanese in three modes: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational; and in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social and professional settings and circumstances at the Intermediate-High level of language proficiency, according to the ACTFL Guidelines.
1.2. Students gain competency in the Japanese language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse and compare and analyze the structural differences between Japanese and English. Courses Taken
Selected Course Work
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Reflective Narrative
1.1 My first Japanese language class at CSUMB--Introduction to Advanced Communication (JAPN 300)—was an excellent start to my course history at CSUMB. In that class, we practiced culturally appropriate interpersonal communication through culturally-relevant skits, such as how to give a gift when visiting someone’s house. We also worked on our presentational skills through various presentation projects. The different types of presentation topics allowed us to practice the difference between presenting about personal matters, such as family traditions, versus presenting about a famous person, which required the use of honorific language. As my first upper-division class, I could also tell that I was beginning to learn more advanced language content beyond basic conjugations.
The following year, I progressed to Japanese History (JAPN 302) and Structure of Japanese Language (JAPN 401). When I was studying abroad, I really appreciated the preparation these two courses provided because the courses in Japan were entirely in Japanese—same as these two CSUMB classes. These classes were also more discussion-based, which meant I was actually forced to interact with people in Japanese with unrehearsed dialogue. These classes improved both my interpersonal and interpretive communication skills, which I really only became aware of during study abroad because talking with people in Japanese wasn’t as awkward as I anticipated. The main preparations for this that stand out in my mind were the weekly discussions in Japanese History and the self-introduction in Structure of Japanese. The weekly discussions were difficult because we had to articulate our own opinions on abstract concepts (which is difficult enough in English) and the self-introduction focused on pitch-accent, which helped improve my overall articulation. 2.1 The Structure of Japanese Language course covered all the elements as implied by its name: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, etc. First, this class specifically looked at grammar points that are similar in appearance or usage and explained the nuanced differences. Another part of this course focused on pronunciation, using the International Phonetic Language to compare the sounds of the English and Japanese languages. This really stuck with me because it explained sounds in a very methodical, organized way (which I appreciated as an analytical person). The explanation of mora also stuck with me and I’ve used it in my tutoring sessions as well to help students with pronunciation—especially contracted sounds, extended vowels, and double consonants. One of the differences in language that I’ve analyzed in my classes has been the difference between written and spoken Japanese. This was especially focused upon throughout the Capstone process, but also in the reading classes that were part of my core classes at the University of Kitakyushu (both J4 Intermediate-Advanced Japanese & J11 Advanced Japanese). The final project both semesters for this course was to give a presentation about an article we read. We were required to make a script for the presentation in two forms: one in “written” form and one in “speech” form. While I was abroad, I also had the opportunity to help critique Japanese students’ English essays, which helped me articulate differences between spoken and written English as well. |