Japanese Language Program
Please also see http://www.haverford.edu/japanese/ for events, news and news about our students/alumni.
The Bi-College Japanese Language Program serves EAS majors, Japanese minors, and any student who wishes to study the Japanese language. In addition to EAS majors, more and more students from a variety of majors are now joining a pool of Japanese minors.
Our program offers a full undergraduate curriculum in modern Japanese. By studying in our program, students may achieve a strong level of usable proficiency, which can be further heightened by studying abroad, an experience we strongly encourage. In addition to First-Year, Second-Year, and Third-Year Japanese, we offer Advanced Japanese, which is a two-year, four-course series, each course covering a different topic, such as business, literature, international relations and contemporary social issues. This curricular design maximizes our teaching resources to meet the needs of our students who, in increasing numbers, either arrive at college with multiple years of Japanese in secondary schools or who accelerate their Japanese training by studying in the summer or abroad prior to their senior year at approved schools.
The faculty in our program are hard-working professionals dedicated to providing rigorous training in all four areas of Japanese language studies--speaking, listening, reading, and writing, in a caring environment. We pay special attention to socio-cultural propriety. In our First-Year class, we aim at helping students become thinkers in Japanese as quickly as possible. For that to happen, we limit the use of English to an absolute minimum. Students often express their amazement at how fast they have become speakers of Japanese. We also make extensive use of technologies widely available to us. Our students in the Second-Year class and above greatly benefit from our long-standing language partnership with Japanese residents in the area. Students visit with their language partners once a week, either at their home or on campus. This adds a valuable learning experience outside class. Many students develop long lasting friendship with their language partners.
An important part of the training takes place in Study Abroad programs. Our students go to Japan in their junior year, for intensive language programs and Japanese studies programs either in a Tokyo or a Nagoya area. A student may spend a semester or a year in one of these programs. They can choose home-stays with Japanese families or student dorms. There are scholarships that are available to those who choose to do study-abroad in Japan. Some of our students take advantage of summer language programs at reputable schools as well as a special resource such as the Japan-America Student Conference (JASC). JASC is a student-led exchange program where an equal number of students from the U.S. and Japan spend one summer month together, studying and analyzing Japan-U.S.relations.
Every year, among our graduates, some are accepted to go to Japan under a “JET” program: the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, where they participate in developing strong relationships with their local communities through foreign language education and international exchange activities. We have also seen some go to graduate schools for further studies in East Asian studies or Japanese studies. In addition to academia there are a few who have pursued careers in translation or journalism or who work as consultants to Japanese companies. It is our hope, however, that regardless of whether one will use the language beyond college or not, every student who comes to our program will find his or her college career deeply enriched.
If you have any questions, please contact Yoko Koike (ykoike@haverford.edu) for clarification.
Japanese Language Faculty
Yoko Koike, Senior Lecturer, Director of Japanese Language Program
Office: Founders 126
610-896-1109
ykoike@haverford.edu
Hank Glassman, Associate Professor
Office: Founders 125
610-896-1265
hglassma@haverford.edu
Tomoko Hanawa, Visiting Instructor
Office: Founders 126
610-896-1109
thanawa@haverford.edu
Minako Kobayashi, Drill Instructor
Office: Founders 124
610-896-2902
Kimiko Suzuki, Visiting Instructor
Office: Founders 124
610-896-1339
College Foreign Language Requirement
The College’s foreign language requirement may be satisfied by completing CNSE 003 and 004 with an average grade of at least 2.0 or with a grade of 2.0 or better in CNSE 004.
Japanese Language Placement Tests
Entering students who have already begun their study of Japanese (or have learned it at home) and who want to continue their studies must take the Japanese placement exam.
Day & Time: Thursday, August 30, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Location: Gest 101, Haverford College
There are two parts for the placement test:
- Part I: The Written Exam
The exam will focus on the student's abilities in grammatical skills, use of characters, and writing skills (approximately 40 minutes).
- Part II: The Oral Exam
This part will be administered as an interview with one of the Japanese faculty members. In this exam we will focus on the student's fluency, and correct usage of Japanese.
Once we combine the scores for both exams, we will place each student based on their performance in first-year through fourth-year Japanese. Placement results will be available through the Dean's Office on Friday. Interested students are encouraged to attend the Academic Fair 10:30 am-1:30 pm at Bryn Mawr College (Thomas Great Hall) following the exam, or the Academic Teas 1:00-3:00 pm on Friday, August 28 at Haverford College, where they could meet with a representative of the Japanese Program to discuss specific questions regarding the Japanese curriculum.
For further information, please contact Yoko Koike (ykoike@haverford.edu)
Study Abroad
The Department of East Asian Studies strongly recommends study abroad to maximize language proficiency and cultural familiarity. Because study abroad provides an unparalleled opportunity to study a culture from the inside, students spending a semester or year in China, Japan or Korea will be required to prepare an essay of 10 pages on some aspect of the society or culture of their host country. Sources for this essay may include course readings, magazines, novels, newspapers, television, or personal interviews. The essay may take up contemporary or historical themes.
Formal approval is required by the study abroad adviser prior to the student’s travel. Without this approval, credit for courses taken abroad may not be accepted by the East Asian Studies Department.
If studying abroad is not practical, students may consider attending certain intensive summer schools approved by the East Asian Studies Department. These plans must be worked out in concert with the department’s study abroad adviser and the student’s dean.
Haverford Japanese Language Courses
Fall 2012
| COURSE | TITLE | SCHEDULE/UNITS | MEETING TYPE TIMES/DAYS | LOCATION | INSTRUCTOR(S) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H001A01 | First-year Japanese (Intensive) | Semester 1/1.5 | Master Class: MWF 8:30-9:30
Drills: TTH 8:30-10:00 or TTH 10:00-11:30 |
Stokes 207 | Yoko Koike |
| H001A02 | First-year Japanese (Intensive) | Semester 1/1.5 | Master Class: MWF 9:30-10:30
Drills: TTH 8:30-10:00 or TTH 10:00-11:30 |
Stokes 207 | Yoko Koike |
| H003A01 | Second-Year Japanese | Semester 1/1 | Master Class: MWF 8:30-9:30
Drills: TTh 10:00-11:30 or TTh 11:30-1:00 |
Stokes 014 | Kimiko Suzuki |
| H003A02 | Second-Year Japanese | Semester 1/1 | Master Class: MWF 10:30-11:30
Drills: TTh 10:00-11:30 or TTh 11:30-1:00 |
Stokes 014 | Kimiko Suzuki |
| H101A01 | Third-Year Japanese | Semester 1/1 | Master Class: MWF 11:30-12:30
+ one hour of drills TBA |
Stokes 014 | Kimiko Suzuki |
| H201A01 |
|
Semester 1/1 | MF 12:30-2:00 |
Tomoko Hanawai |
Spring 2013
| COURSE | TITLE | SCHEDULE/UNITS | MEETING TYPE TIMES/DAYS | LOCATION | INSTRUCTOR(S) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H002A01 | Second-year Japanese (Intensive) | Semester 2/1.5 | Master Class: MWF 8:30-9:30
Drills: TTH 8:30-10:00 or TTH 10:00-11:30 |
Yoko Koike | |
| H002A02 | Second-year Japanese (Intensive) | Semester 2/1.5 | Master Class: MWF 9:30-10:30
Drills: TTH 8:30-10:00 or TTH 10:00-11:30 |
Yoko Koike | |
| H004A01 | Second-Year Japanese | Semester 2/1 | Master Class: MWF 8:30-9:30
Drills: TTh 10:00-11:30 or TTh 11:30-1:00 |
Kimiko Suzuki | |
| H004A02 | Second-Year Japanese | Semester 2/1 | Master Class: MWF 10:30-11:30
Drills: TTh 10:00-11:30 or TTh 11:30-1:00 |
Kimiko Suzuki | |
| H102A01 | Third-Year Japanese | Semester 2/1 | Master Class: MWF 11:30-12:30
+ one hour of drills TBA |
Tomoko Hanawa | |
| H202A01 | Semester 2/1 | MF 12:30-2:00 |
Kimiko Suzuki |
Japanese Language Courses
JPNSE H001, H002 First-year Japanese (Intensive)
An intensive introduction to the four basic skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening), with special emphasis on the development of conversational fluency in sociocultural contexts. Six hours per week of lecture and oral practice. This is a year-long course; both semesters are required for credit. (Koike)
JPNSE H003, H004 Second-year Japanese
A continuation of first-year Japanese, with a focus on the further development of oral proficiency, along with reading and writing skills. Five hours per week of lecture and oral practice. Prerequisite: First-year Japanese or equivalent. (Suzuki)
JPNSE H101, H102 Third-year Japanese
A continuation of language study with further development of overall Japanese proficiency. Emphasis on reading and discussing texts. Advanced study of grammar and kanji; introduction to composition writing. Three hours of class, one hour of oral practice. Prerequisite: Second-year Japanese or equivalent and consent of the instructor. (Suzuki, Hanawa)
JPNSE H201, H202 Advanced Japanese I & II
Advanced Japanese language training with a focus on reading. The course will be theme-based, such as business and culture. The content of the class will not be repeated for two years, so that students can take this course for two consecutive years if they wish. Students will learn many new kanji, will be introduced to classical Japanese grammar, will watch movies and films dealing with contemporary topics, and will continue to deepen their understanding of the Japanese language. Prerequisite: Third-year Japanese or equivalent and consent of the instructor. (Hanawa, Suzuki)
