Third Year Japanese I · East Asian Languages And Cultures
Japanese language, culture, and perspectives
I believe the main take away from this course is being able to read, analyze, and discuss texts from a variety of sources and topics. I believe this course is designed to prepare a student to dive deeper and engage in more intellectual aspects in which the language is utilized in books, articles, media, and higher level educational settings. In terms of perpetual knowledge you are required to memorize a significant amount of vocab and kanji everyday (which will most likely be forgotten if not exposed to frequently) with some added grammar points and how they are used. I have gained a broader perspective on certain topics that were discussed throughout the duration of this course.
How to read authentic Japanese material.
I learned a lot of new vocab and some new vocabulary, while getting a good amount of practice in spoken and written Japanese.
The breadth of my knowledge of Japanese expanded over the past four months, which is something that doesn't necessarily feel tangible until I read work from past semesters. We covered a variety of JLPT grammatical concepts ranging from N3 to N2 coursework, like 100+ (?) new Kanji, and many new vocabulary words (some useful, others to forget completely after the quiz). I learned how to express more complex opinions in Japanese, from politics to religion to cultural differences, though my ability to listen to/read about conversations on these topics is still greater than my ability to organically speak on them.
Recommended for anyone interested in learning Japanese.
If you want to learn Japanese, take this course.
You must be prepared to put in "the" work. (I mean a lot of it.) If you are taking this class to just fulfill a requirement or hoping for an easy 5 credit A than I would highly suggest reconsidering your priorities elsewhere. But if you truly wish to improve your Japanese language abilities, then I believe a class with Matsui sensei, regardless of level, is a fulfilling experience.
I wish I knew all of the assignments at the beginning of the semester, and not week-by-week. A bit disorganized that way.
It was a very enjoyable and manageable course; it’s five credits so it is a time commitment, but it was generally pretty easy I feel, and professor Matsui was extremely kind and understanding of any extenuating circumstances. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2023 Course: JPNSUN3005_001_2023_3-THIRDYEARJAPANESEI : JPNSUN3005_001_2023_3 - THIRD YEAR JAPANESE I Instructor: Kyoko Loetscher