Japanese seminar 6: Language and society 4QA

Academic unit or major

Japanese language and culture courses

Instructor(s)

Chigusa Saito

Class Format

Exercise (Zoom)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

3-4 Tue (Zoom)

Class

4QA

Course Code

LAJ.T446

Number of credits

010

Course offered

2020

Offered quarter

4Q

Syllabus updated

Jul 10, 2025

Language

Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

Through watching the animated movie “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” (“Spirited Away”) from various perspectives, students will learn traditional Japanese culture, modern lifestyle, and will also learn underlying values of the Japanese people. In addition, various practices will be conducted to improve students' listening skills required for the intermediate level.

Course description and aims

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. enrich their lives in Japan by understanding various aspects of Japanese culture;
2. develop appropriate listening skills to understand spoken Japanese used in real life.
It is highly recommended that students set their own goals at the beginning of this course so as to realize their achievements after seven weeks.

Keywords

audio-visual material, culture, lifestyle, sense of values, Japanese in real life

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

The film is divided into six segments, and students will watch a part of it at each class. To begin with, students should try to grasp a general idea of the whole story, rather than to understand every single word they hear. Handouts will be provided to help students understand precisely. On the other hand, students should maintain their own viewpoints while watching, because sometimes there is no simple right answer as might be asked in a “listening quiz”. Students are encouraged to share their opinions on the topic. Homework will be assigned as well.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

The instructor will provide all the material needed.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None

Evaluation methods and criteria

Students are required to attend more than 70% (mandatory) of the scheduled classes and to achieve a score of 60 or above to pass the course based on the following criteria: assignments (20%) , final exam (45%), and presentation (35%).

Related courses

• LAJ.J511 ： Intermediate Japanese 5
• LAJ.T445 ： Japanese seminar 5: Language and society
• LAJ.J513 ： (Intermediate Japanese 7
• LAJ.J514 ： Intermediate Japanese 8
• LAJ.J512 ： Intermediate Japanese 6

Prerequisites

Only for international students who have completed Intermediate Japanese 4 or the equivalent level.

Other

You must reserve your place in the class in advance using Japanese class online system (http://js.ila.titech.ac.jp/~web). You will not be allowed to attend the class without reservation.