Course Content and Outcome Guide for JPN 102

Course Number:
JPN 102
Course Title:
First Year Japanese
Credit Hours:
Lecture Hours:
Lecture/Lab Hours:
Lab Hours:
Special Fee:

Course Description

Introduces Japanese language and culture, emphasizing effective communicative skills in written and spoken language. Includes the practice, product and perspective of Japanese culture. The second course of a three-course sequence. Prerequisites: JPN 101 or instructor permission. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon successful completion students should be able to:

1. Apply an understanding of the nature of tonal Japanese language in tone and pitch.
2. Exchange daily greetings and communicate in semi-predictable settings with appropriate vocabulary.
3. Apply common cultural understandings and recognize cultural values when interacting with native speakers of Japanese and authentic texts.
syllabaries and simple Kanji characters.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Students will be assessed by any combination of the following: 

  1. Active participation in class

  2. Individual presentations


  4. Oral interviews with partner or instructor

  5. In class, interactive student role-plays

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

Includes all or most of the following: 

  1. Interrogatives

  2. Personal pronouns and demonstrative pronouns

  3. Academic subjects and majors

  4. Physical and personality descriptions

  5. Numbers of native Japanese system, Sino-Japanese system and counters

  6. Verbs in non-past, informal speech, affirmative

  7. Positional words

  8. Verbs in past, mid-level formal speech

  9. Verbs in non-past, mid-level formal speech

  10. Single particles


  12. Verbs in gerund

  13. Daily and weekend activities

  14. Telephone conversations

  15. Invitations in a culturally appropriate manner

  16. Conjunctions and disjunctive conjunctions

Competencies and Skills 

  1. Exchanges basic personal information using a few basic polite forms of noun.

  2. Expresses existence for animate and inanimate objects and locations.

  3. Discusses about community indicating locations.

  4. Describes self and others: personality and physical attributes.

  5. Makes statements about daily activities, and likes and dislikes

  6. States date and extends an invitation.

  7. Makes a telephone call in a culturally appropriate manner.


  9. Writes lists and discrete sentences using syllabaries and 50 Kanji.

  10. Reads for general meanings in texts using some cognates.

  11. Recognizes tones and pitches that is specific to Japanese.

  12. Writes sentences expressing sequential actions or events.