Japanese
Japanese Program
Japanese is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. The language is distinguished by a complex system of honorifics reflecting the nature of Japanese society, with verb form and particular vocabulary to indicate the relative status of the speaker, the listener, and persons mentioned in conversation. It is written with a combination of three scripts: Chinese characters called kanji, and two syllabic scripts made up of modified Chinese characters hiragana and katakana.
The Japanese program offers a wide range of classes for students in all its levels. JAPN 101 & 102 introduce the student to the essential tools of communication in modern Japanese. The courses aim at the acquisition of four basic skills in modern Japanese-speaking, listening, comprehension, reading and writing based on the fundamentals of the sound system, basic grammar and vocabulary. They also introduce the student to Japanese writing systems and its culture. In the intermediate level, JAPN 103 & 104 emphasize on comprehension, vocabulary building and enrichment of grammar for both spoken and written Japanese. They also introduce to additional Kanji and the culture of Japanese speakers. In the speaking area, JAPN 120, 130 & 140 are designed to increase the skills of conversation, as well as effective and appropriate use of the language in real-lie situations. For students who are ready to learn the basics of Japanese linguistics and colloquial Japanese in order to understand and appreciate Japanese anime, JAPN 121 represents an approach to Japanese culture through anime.
Faculty & Offices
Kazue Hata (H-310, ext. 3575)
SunAe Lee (H-312, ext. 3575)
Yachiyo Roberts (H-310, 3913)
Takako Wakita (H-310, tjwakita@sbcc.edu)
Honors and Awards
Luria Japanese Language Scholarships
Awarded to students enrolled
in Japanese language classes with financial need. Applicants do not
need to be full-time students. Preference is given to nonnative
Japanese students. There is no minimum GPA requirement. Three awards
each semester are $100 each. Applications are available in the
Financial Aid Office (SS-217).
