Admission requirements
Students must pass Conversation 1a & b and Kanji 1a & b to participate in Production 2a.
Please note: this course replaces Conversation IIa and Kanji IIa. Students that have previously finished either one of these courses, but not the other, please read the transitional arrangement in the remarks below.
Description
Productie 2a is designed for students who have completed a beginning level of Japanese (in terms of class time, somewhere from 250 to 300 hours of Japanese study). The primary goal of this course is to improve communication skills to conduct practical conversations —including the ability to determine the level of speech, state opinions, give explanations, and provide a short speech—and listening skills to pick up various types of information. To achieve this goal, students will also learn grammar, vocabulary, and kanji at the intermediate level. The kanji section has students learn how to study kanji and vocabulary effectively with learning strategies, which is vital to continue their studies at the advanced level. This course will cover Lessons 1 through 5 of the “Tobira” textbook.
Course objectives
Conversation Section
Students are expected to be able to do the following objectives solely in Japanese.
・Use honorific and humble expressions appropriately for self-introduction and small talk in a very formal situation → Oral Communication
・Examine the pros and cons of a specific social issue (e.g., the development of AI, second language learning) and express your logical opinion with supporting details → Analysing, Presenting
・Agree and disagree with somebody’s opinion and provide either additional support or a counterargument → Oral Communication ・Complete the following communication tasks with appropriate discourse, phrases, and expressions that facilitate smoother conversation → Oral Communication
Task1) Ask for and explain in detail
Task2) Apologize
Task3) Ask for a favor and show appreciation
Task4) Consult
Kanji Section
・Read and produce kanji and vocabulary covered at the intermediate level →Writren Communication, Oral Communication
・Undersrtand kanji learning strategies and apply them when learning new kanji and vocabulary → Analysing
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar (Conversation Section) and Lecture (Kanji Section)
Assessment method
Assessment
Conversation Section
・Mini Assignments: 13% ・Oral exam: 45%
Kanji Section
・Strategy Quiz (online): 5% ・Kanji Quiz (paper-based): 12% ・Written Exam: 25%
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
To pass the course, you must meet the following two requirements.
1) The weighted average of all partial grades must be 5.5 or higher
2) Both oral exam and written exam must be passed with 5.5 or higher.
Resit
Exam and Assignment: 100%
Inspection and feedback
Reading list
・Mayumi Oka, et al. Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese. Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers, 2009. ISBN: 978-4-87424-447-0 C0081 ・Mayumi Oka, et al. Tobira: Power Up Your KANJI: 800 Basic Kanji as a Gateway to Advanced Japanese. Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers, 2010. ISBN: 978-4-87424-487-6 C0081
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr
Remarks
This course is a combination of the course Actieve Taalbeheersing IIa: Kanji (5692VTK2A) and Actieve Taalbeheersing IIa: Conversatie & Luistervaardigheid (5692VTC2A). Students that in 2023-2024 (or earlier) finished either one, can choose to only complete the other part of the assessment:
Students that already having completed Kanji IIa (2 EC) can choose to only make the 'conversation' part of the assessment of Production 2a. These students will receive 3 EC for this, listed under the old course Conversation IIa on their diploma.
Students that have already finished Conversation IIa (3 EC) can choose to only make the 'kanji' part of the assessment of Production 2a. These students will receive 2 EC for this, listed under the old course Kanji IIa on their diploma.
If you are making use of this transitional arrangement, please inform the lecturer at the start of the semester, so it can be processed administratively.
Students can also choose to complete both parts of the assessment. The grade and 5 EC of the course will then replace the previously finished course as well. If you choose to do this, please inform the lecturer at the start of the semester as well.
Please note that this rule is only in practice in academic year 2024-2025. From 2025-2026, students will have to complete the Production 2a course as a whole.