EAS461H1F Modern Standard Japanese IV-b: Syllabus (2020-2021)

Objectives of the Course

This course aims at the further acquisition of reading and writing skills for those who have completed the lower intermediate level at an academic institution (approximately 360 class hours) and it is open to those whose Japanese level is equivalent to that of between N2 and N3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) and/or to that of B1 level of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR). The students must have completed EAS320Y1Y/EAS1303H in the 2019-2020 academic year with a final grade of B- (70%) or above, or have passed the June 2020 or August 2020 placement test in order to take this course. A strong foundation of the low intermediate level grammar and wide knowledge of vocabulary with 500 basic kanji is required.

The course objectives are:

(1) to become familiar and comfortable with reading various styles of Japanese text with/without the help of a dictionary,

(2) to become able to explain events and to express his/her response to them in writing, and

(3) to expand the intermediate level (JLPT N2/N3 Level) vocabulary written both with kana and kanji.

Class is conducted in a seminar style and active participation is strongly encouraged and highly evaluated. Pair/group work is often involved inside the class which must be accompanied with sufficient individual preparation/review outside the class.

Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodation, please don't hesitate to approach the course instructor and/or Accessibility Services.

Instructor of the Course

KOMURO-LEE, Ikuko（小(こ)室(むろ)リー 郁(いく)子(こ)）

  Office: Room 14143, Robarts Library 14th Floor

  E-mail Address: ikuko.komuro.lee@utoronto.ca

(for personal or urgent matters only; I respond between 8am to 5pm and within 24 hours on weekdays)

  Office Hours: Please sign up for your meeting in the shared file in advance.

         <Fall Term> 9-10am on Tuesdays and 1-2pm on Friday, or by appointment; <Winter Term> TBA

Course Website: Quercus, University of Toronto

It is your responsibility to check the information on Quercus on a regular basis. Important/urgent announcements on the course will be posted at “Announcements.”

Textbooks and Other Materials

  1. 生きた素材で学ぶ 新・中級から上級への日本語（2012）The Japan Times
  2. 生きた素材で学ぶ 新・中級から上級への日本語 ワークブック（2013）The Japan Times
  3. Other supplementary handouts need to be downloaded from Quercus.

* Please see for details "教科書について" under "授業が始まる前に……" from the Quercus HOME page.

** The usage of any copies violating copyrights is not permitted in this course.

Class Timetable (Online Synchronous)

Mondays & Thursdays: 7pm to 9pm (EDT/EST)

Zoom will be used and the information to join the session (class) will be provided on Quercus.

Format of the Course

  1. This course in the 2020-2021 academic year will be conducted fully online through the year. A two-hour class meets twice a week and you must attend class. No recording of class will be available.1 You need to have both a webcam and a microphone on during class for educational purposes.
  2. It is your responsibility to check the term schedule and “今日の授業” as well as the materials you need to work on, on a regular basis. All the information you need is available or will be posted in a timely manner on Quercus. Some of them have a specific due date and please pay attention not to miss it.      
  3. Both preparation and review for each class is crucial. If you have any questions or concerns, please be advised to visit the instructor during office hours as soon as possible.
  4. Please make good friends with a dictionary. A good dictionary is one full of example sentences. If you encounter an unknown word, please take time to check the word in a dictionary. You need to “read” the definitions and example sentences to fully understand the meanings and the usages of the word. It is important to learn how the word is used in what kind of context in building up a strong vocabulary.

Grading

Your final grade will be determined based on the following:

Assessment Percentage Description
Assignments 20%

Due: Irregular (These assignments will be given once per Unit.)

  • 読む前に (3%): There will be a brief quiz prepared on Quercus on the “読む前に” of each Unit. You receive a full mark for each submission. No late submissions will be accepted.
  • 漢字語彙の手書き (2.6%): You need to handwrite a set of newly introduced kanji vocabulary on a piece of paper, scan and upload it to Quercus. Only one-day-late submissions will be accepted and a half of the mark will be given.
  • 内容理解 (4.2%): There will be a brief quiz prepared on Quercus on the “読んでみよう” of each Unit. You may try as many times as you would like and the highest score will be recorded towards your final grade. You may not take this quiz after the assigned time passed.
  • テキストの音読 (4.2%): You need to practice reading aloud several passages of the “読んでみよう”. You record your satisfied performance and upload the mp3 file on Quercus. You receive a full mark for each submission. Only one-day-late submissions will be accepted for a half of the full mark.
Short Essays

15%
(= 3% x 5)

 You will write a short essay on a relevant topic of each Unit. You will type your essay and upload the file to Quercus. If there are more than five essays, the best five scores will be recorded for the final grade. Late submissions will be accepted within a week with a penalty of 0.3% deduction per day.
Unit Quiz（小テスト）

42%

(= (3%+4%) x 6)

There will be a review quiz on every Unit. One quiz consists of two parts: “語(ご)彙(い)・表現” (Vocabulary and Expressions) and “文法・内(ない)容(よう)理(り)解(かい) (Grammar and Reading Comprehension,” and they are split to two days.

  • Day 1 語彙・表現 (3%): This part of the quiz will be held at the end of class. Each quiz has two sections: The answers of Section 1 can be typed on Quercus. The answers of Section 2, on the other hand, must be handwritten with a pen/pencil on a piece of paper and uploaded to Quercus.
  • Day 2 文法・内容理解 (4%): This part of the quiz will be held at the beginning of class. You will answer the questions on Quercus.

Please note that there will be NO make-up quiz if you are absent or late/leave early from class. There will be NO exceptions. The purpose of these quizzes is to encourage you to review what has been learned.
Project
「僕らの視(し)点(てん)、私の意見」		 20% This project is to learn about a topic you have chosen and to write about some facts, your opinions and their rationale. You need to work on this project both individually and with your group members: Individual students research on a topic and write a magazine-style page of articles. Each student writes their own page and also works in a group with a couple of members who have a common theme to create special feature pages as in a magazine. A brief pre-recorded group presentation on your pages is required in a virtual class at the end.   
Overall Assessment 3% Your individual effort and engagement in the course will be evaluated. Active participation in class is highly evaluated. You are also encouraged to use the office hours if you have any questions or concerns about the course and/or the content of the course.

 

Additional Information:

Quick Reference of #1 to #3 above:

Assignments and Quizzes Target When/By When Late Submission/Make-up Grade Allocation
読む前に Every “Unit” By the assigned time Not accepted A full mark with submission
漢字語彙の手書き Every “Unit” By the assigned time Accepted until the next day of the due date

A full mark with submission
(A half for late submission)
内容確認 Every “Unit” By the assigned time Not accepted The highest mark achieved
テキストの音読 Every “Unit” By the assigned time Accepted until the next day of the due date

The mark achieved
(50% of the mark achieved for late submission)
Short Essays Every “Unit” By the assigned time Accepted until a week after the due date

The mark achieved
(0.3% of deduction per day for late submission)

My_Kanjigoi
（漢字語彙ポートフォリオ）

 Every week Before Monday class every week Accepted until the next day of the due date

A full mark with submission
(A half for late submission)
My_Learning Every week Before Monday class every week Accepted until the next day of the due date

A full mark with submission
(A half for late submission)
小テスト　語彙・表現 Every “Unit” At the end of class No make-up The mark achieved
小テスト　文法・内容理解 Every “Unit” At the beginning of class No make-up The mark achieved

 

1Students may not create audio recordings of classes with the exception of those students requiring an accommodation for a disability, who should speak to the instructor prior to beginning to record lectures.

Students creating unauthorized audio recording of lectures violate an instructor’s intellectual property rights and the Canadian Copyright Act. Students violating this agreement will be subject to disciplinary actions under the Code of Student Conduct.

Course videos may not be reproduced or posted or shared anywhere other than the official course Quercus site and should only be used by students currently registered in the course. Recordings may be saved to students’ laptop for personal use.

Because recordings will be provided for all lectures, students may not create additional audio or video recordings without written permission from the instructor. Permission for such recordings will not be withheld for students with accommodation needs.

2The University of Toronto treats cases of academic misconduct very seriously. Academic integrity is a fundamental value of learning and scholarship at the U of T. Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in this academic community ensures that your U of T degree is valued and respected as a true signifier of your individual academic achievement.

The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines the behaviours that constitute academic misconduct, the processes for addressing academic offences, and the penalties that may be imposed. You are expected to be familiar with the contents of this document. Potential offences include, but are not limited to:

In papers and assignments:

  • Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.
  • Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor.
  • Making up sources or facts.
  • Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment (this includes working in groups on assignments that are supposed to be individual work).

On tests and exams:

  • Using or possessing any unauthorized aid, including a cell phone.
  • Looking at someone else’s answers.
  • Letting someone else look at your answers.
  • Misrepresenting your identity.
  • Submitting an altered test for re-grading.

Misrepresentation:

  • Falsifying or altering any documentation required by the University, including (but not limited to) doctor’s notes.
  • Falsifying institutional documents or grades.

All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following the procedures outlined in the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have any questions about what is or is not permitted in this course, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you have questions about appropriate research and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information from me or other available campus resources like the College Writing Centres, the Academic Success Centre, or the U of T Writing Website.

The syllabus presented on this page has been slightly edited from its original version. It has been posted for reference purposes only, so that students can learn more about our Japanese language courses and what they consist of.