2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Japanese language and culture courses
Japanese Culture: Language and society
- Academic unit or major
- Japanese language and culture courses
- Instructor(s)
- Fumie Wakamatsu
- Class Format
- Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 7-8 Wed (W9-322(W931))
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAJ.C302
- Number of credits
- 010
- Course offered
- 2026
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 6, 2026
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This lecture is for international students.
In this lecture, we will learn more advanced Japanese language relating to Japanese society through discussion of the various issues in Japan.
We will learn the expertise and Japanese expressions of each field involved in Japan
and learn the technology to introduce the Japanese society.
Course description and aims
Students will become acquainted with the convincing Japanese way of speaking and to be able to explain Japanese society related areas.
Keywords
Seclusion, the opening of the country, military, war, education, examination, industrial and consumer culture, the Internet society, social disparity, aging population, global warming, shutter shopping street, working poor, depopulation, agricultural policy
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Topics change in every lesson. Every lesson contains examples and questions for group discussions.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Society and people in Japan |
Learn about Japanese society. |
| Class 2 | Deserted shopping street |
Why do people no longer walk? |
| Class 3 | Decreasing birthrate and aging of the population |
What do we have to do as a low birthrate and aging measures? |
| Class 4 | Local Industries |
What kinds of industries exist in rural areas? |
| Class 5 | Education and entrance examination |
Why has the method of education in Japan become this way? |
| Class 6 | Agriculture and technology |
What can we be involved in agriculture? |
| Class 7 | Creating Sugoroku board game for understanding Japanese culture and society |
Is Sugoroku a microcosm of life? |
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)
Not specified.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Course materials will be provided during the class.
Evaluation methods and criteria
After ensuring that attendance, examinations and assignments, discussions, and presentations are each sufficient, the overall score will be graded with a weighting of 20% for assignments, 60% for examinations, and 20% for presentations/discussions.
Related courses
- LAJ.C101 ： Japanese Culture : Society
- LAJ.C102 ： Japanese Culture : Adaptation
- LAJ.C103 ： Japanese Culture : Arts
- LAJ.C201 ： Japanese Culture:Japanology
- LAJ.C301 ： Japanese Culture: Language and literature
- LAJ.J201 ： Japanese 5
- LAJ.J202 ： Japanese 6
- LAJ.J203 ： Japanese 7
- LAJ.J204 ： Japanese 8
Prerequisites
Only 3rd and 4th year of international students can attend this course.
Participation in class should be active and cooperative.
Other
It is advisable to bring a computer or terminal with Internet access.
This course can be transferred to Liberal Arts 100, 200, or 300.