48
Languages and Literature of Japan and Korea
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Knowledge and Understanding
The course aims to enhance linguistic and communicative skills in comprehension, interaction, and written and oral production, in order to reach a pre-intermediate level of Japanese (JLPT N4 level / CEFR A2–B1 level). The student will deepen their understanding of morphological, syntactic, lexical, and pragmatic aspects at the pre-intermediate level, to be able to understand progressively more complex written texts and to engage in increasingly articulated conversations. Particular attention will be paid to pragmatic and contextual aspects, and by the end of the second year, the student should be able to recognize and understand the diversity of language registers. Additionally, the student should know the terminology necessary to describe linguistic phenomena with reference to the Japanese language.
Applying Knowledge and Understanding
The student is expected to acquire the linguistic skills, strategies, and tools necessary to optimize their ability to interpret Japanese texts at the pre-intermediate level, to engage in conversation on everyday topics, and to express immediate needs, both in writing and in speaking.
Judgment Skills
The student will be provided with the linguistic, critical, and cultural tools needed to interpret texts or communicative situations in Japanese that involve issues related to daily life in Japan or interactions with Japanese speakers.
Communication Skills
The student should have developed the four language skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking) in an integrated way, as well as knowledge of the main morphosyntactic and lexical features of the Japanese level studied (JLPT N4 / CEFR A2–B1). In particular, the student will be exposed to written or oral communicative situations where they will also be expected to demonstrate pragmatic and contextual competence.
Learning Skills
The student will develop a study method that allows for continued, independent, and critical learning of the Japanese language.
Course Prerequisites
Japanese Language I.
Teaching Methods
Interactive lectures with the instructor (including in-class exercises, text reading, and linguistic commentary). Language practice sessions with the Language Expert Collaborators, which include grammar exercises, reading and writing of kanji, reading and comprehension of texts, listening and comprehension, and text writing. Additionally, activities and exercises will be available through the Moodle e-learning platform. These activities are supplementary and do not replace the course.
Please note that ALL activities (lectures and practice sessions) included in the course are COMPLEMENTARY and ESSENTIAL for achieving the intended learning objectives.
Assessment Methods
The exam is divided into a language proficiency test (written via Moodle platform + oral via Teams platform) and an oral exam WITHOUT THE USE OF THE DICTIONARY.
Language proficiency test online via Moodle platform: comprehension of written texts with true/false questions and open-ended questions; questions on syntactic and grammatical structures with multiple choice and open-ended responses; writing and reading of kanji.
If the online written test is passed, the candidate takes the conversation test with the native language instructor (CEL) online (via Teams).
If the online written test is passed, the exam with the professor (in person) will consist of:
a. Dictation of some sentences in Japanese to be written in kanji and kana.
b. Reading of a passage from the textbook WITHOUT furigana, with comprehension questions.
c. Questions in Italian on linguistic commentary.
The language proficiency test and the oral exam with the professor are held on different days, BUT THE ORAL EXAM CAN ONLY BE TAKEN DURING THE SESSION OF THE WRITTEN TEST.
Language used in the exam: Japanese (in part 2.c of the oral exam, Italian may be used for translation and linguistic commentary; foreign students may use English or French for translation and linguistic commentary).
Evaluation criteria:
The final grade, expressed out of thirty, is aimed at assessing the acquisition of appropriate knowledge, skills, and linguistic and metalinguistic competences. The evaluation criteria for assessing the knowledge and skills acquired are: knowledge of lexical-grammar and pragmatics topics of modern Japanese covered during the course; ability to read, analyse, and summarise texts; coherence, correctness, and fluency of spoken language and appropriateness of language registers used; correct use of metalinguistic terminology.
Texts
TEXTBOOKS
- Banno E., Ikeda Y., et al., Genki 2. An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese (3rd ed.), Tokyo, The Japan Times, 2020 (N.B.: only the THIRD EDITION).
- Banno E., Ikeda Y., et al., Genki 2. An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese. Workbook (3rd ed.), Tokyo, The Japan Times, 2020 (N.B.: only the THIRD EDITION).
REFERENCE TEXTS (RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED FOR THE FINAL EXAM)
Recommended grammar reference books:
- J. Oue, A. Manieri, Grammatica d’uso della lingua giapponese, Milan, Hoepli, 2019.
- M. Mastrangelo, N. Ozawa, M. Saito, Grammatica giapponese, Milan, Hoepli, 2016.
Supplementary textbook for studying characters:
- W. Hadamitzky, Kanji e kana. Manuale di scrittura e lessico giapponese, Norderstedt, BoD, 2018.
Contents
The course will focus on consolidating the knowledge acquired in the “Japanese Language I” course, completing the study of basic grammatical and syntactic structures. The deepening of grammar will be accompanied by the expansion of vocabulary in order to acquire a good command of both written and spoken Japanese.
Course Language
Japanese and Italian
More information
As this is a one-year course, it is not possible to take the language test until the two semesters of one’s year of attendance are over. Students enrolled in the course for the academic year 2025-2026 will therefore be able to sit the written examinations from June 2026. The language assessment test passed is valid ONLY FOR THE RELATED ORAL EXAM.