1

JAPN 201 (Elementary Japanese I), Fall 2015

Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1.INSTRUCTORS:
Course Director:
Misumi Sadler (sadlerm@illinois.edu)
Rm. 2054, Foreign Languages Building (FLB)
Instructors (FLB Rm. 2024):
Yohei Endo (endo2@illinois.edu)
Kokoro Muramoto (kmuramo2@illinois.edu )
Mitsuko Yofune (yofune2@illinois.edu)
*Office hours will be announced later.
Hours and Classrooms:
B 9:00-9:50
C
D
X

10:00-10:50
11:00-11:50
12:00-12:50

MWF
TR
MTWRF
MTWRF
MTWRF

310 DKH
212 DKH
215 DKH
108 English
1032 FLB

Mitsuko Yofune
Misumi Sadler & Mitsuko Yofune
Kokoro Muramoto
Misumi Sadler & Yohei Endo

Department Office for registration issues (8:30am 12pm; 1pm- 5pm)

Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
FLB 2090A; Phone: 244-1432
2. CREDITS: 5 semester hours per course.

3. PREREQUISITES:
Non-senior status. Japanese 201 is for those with no Japanese language background. Transfer students or
students seeking to take this course after a break of one semester or more from their study of Japanese MUST
take a placement test.
4. REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Hatasa, Y. A., Hatasa, K., & Makino, S. (2015). Nakama 1: Nakama 1: Japanese Communication Culture
Context, 3rd edition. Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning.
Custom Text (ISBN-9781305764750): Nakama 1 3rd Edition as a Loose Leaf three-hole drilled shrinkwrapped text
Custom Bundle (ISBN-9781305757219) includes Custom Text bundled with 24
month PAC iLRN (ISBN-9781285449517).
**For shopping online: http://www.cengagebrain.com/course/site.html?id=1-20KDIVH

5. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
A major purpose of our Japanese Language Program is to assist you in moving from a position of dependency
on the instructor to one of self-reliance in learning. Our program gives you the ability to communicate with native
speakers of Japanese in authentic Japanese both orally and in writing as well as opportunities to acquire culturally
and linguistically appropriate behavior which will enable you to establish smooth communication with native
speakers of Japanese.
In this course, you will learn not only basic vocabulary and structural patterns but also simple conversational
skills such as: introducing yourself or someone else; describing and asking about a location; talking about your daily
activities and what you did in the past; expressing your preferences; and making a request. Such conversational skills
are practiced in the socio-cultural and context-dependent situations, which are carefully set up to be applicable and
natural. In other words, they are normal social situations in which you actually would be involved in Japan or on
campus. The course also offers you some basic strategies for reading authentic Japanese materials.

6. EVALUATION:
Grading scale for the final grade:
A
= 94
A= 90
B+
= 87
B
= 84
B= 80
Weight:

C+
C
C-

= 77
= 74
= 70

(1) Daily Performance, iLRN, & Homework

(2) Quizzes
(3) Exams

D+
D
DF

= 67
= 64
= 60
= 60

45%
15%
40%

(1) Daily Performance, iLRN, & Homework (45%)

(i)Daily Performance
Your performance will be evaluated based on your preparation, active performance, accuracy, and fluency in
performance of classroom activities. You will also be graded on how culturally or socially appropriate your
performance is when you are acting out a given situation or when you are interacting with your classmates
and/or your instructor in class. On the days new materials are introduced (Bunpoo Grammar I-V), you will
have a short quiz on the structure covered on a given day. Your quiz scores will also reflect your daily
performance grade. No make-ups will be given for the missed performance.

The following are the criteria for daily grades:

10 points

9 points

8 points

7 points

6 points

5 points
0 point

is exceptionally well prepared for class;

participates actively and explores beyond the basic requirements;
can integrate all the knowledge learned in the past and put it to use;
performs well in extended practices
is well prepared for class; participates actively and explores beyond
the basic requirements;
always elaborates on answers;
speaks fluently with adequate accent and pronunciation;
acts appropriately in a given situation; recognizes errors and is able
to correct them
is prepared adequately;
participates actively; answers fully most of the time;
speaks fluently most of the time;
shows minor problems with pronunciation;
acts appropriately in a given situation; cannot apply assigned
structures to extended practices
shows insufficient preparation; participates more passively than
actively; uses only a word or two to answer;
speaks in a halting way;
shows some problems with pronunciation;
does not act appropriately in a given situation;
speaks unnecessary English in class
indicates little or no sign of preparation; may be able to mimic but
unable to comprehend what is said;
shows significant problems with fluency or pronunciation;
shows a negative attitude (i.e. is disruptive; is disrespectful);
sleeps in class; comes to class more than 10 min. late
no evidence of preparation;
Auditor for Today
use of electronic devices
absent (unless you provide an official document to your instructor,
such as a doctors letter explaining your absence with his signature or
a letter from the Dean);
takes a quiz or turns in homework and leaves

It is possible that some absences may be excused, but in order for this to happen you must provide an official
document to your instructor, such as a doctors letter explaining your absence with his/her signature or a
letter from the Dean. It is the instructors and the course directors discretion whether or not your absence is
excused.
Note that you are NOT allowed to attend the class other than the section you are
enrolled in.

(ii) iLRN
Workbook and Lab activities will be assigned for each class meeting and available at iLRN
(http://ilrn.heinle.com). Those activities serve as directed study time, review, practice and/or preparation for
class, exams, and/or quizzes. Please carefully complete all iLRN assignments by yourself. Your assignments
will be assessed for completion and effort as deemed appropriate. They must be completed by the end of the
date that they are assigned. Late completions will NOT be accepted.
Your instructor, Misumi Sadler, invites you to enroll in the following
course.
Course:
Fall 2015 JAPN 201
Code:
AGBTN466
Book:
Nakama 1 3rd Edition iLrn: Heinle Learning Center
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<<Creating a Heinle Learning Center Account>>
If you do not have an account, you need to create one. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Go to http://ilrn.heinle.com and click LOGIN.
2. Click the Create account button.
3. Select a username and password and enter your information, then click
Submit.
Note: Remember to write down your username and password and be sure to select
the correct time zone. Also, please enter a valid e-mail address so we can send you
your password if you forget it.
<<Entering the Book Key and Course Code>>
Enter the book key and course code to complete the enrollment process. You may
already have a book key, or you may need to purchase a book key. Depending on
your situation, use one of the procedures below. If you activated the book for a
previous course, you can start at step 5 of I already have a book key below.
Once you have completed this step, the system lists the course and book on the
Student Workstation home page. To enter additional books, enter a book key in the
Enter field and click Go.
Note: Book keys can only be used once. Your book key will become invalid after you
use it.
<<I already have a book key>>
1. Go to http://ilrn.heinle.com and click LOGIN.
2. Enter your username and password and click Log in.
3. At the top of the page, enter your book key and click Go.
4. Click Confirm to confirm your registration information. Your book will appear
under the My books heading.
5. Beside the book listing, enter the course code AGBTN466 in the Enter
course code field and click Go.
6. If necessary, select a class or section and click Submit.
<<I need to purchase a book key, or would like to access a free 3-week
trial.>>
1. Go to http://ilrn.heinle.com and click LOGIN.
2. Enter your username and password and click Log in.
3. At the top of the page, enter the course code AGBTN466 and click Go.

4. If necessary, select a class or section and click Submit. The course and
books will appear under the My classes heading.
5. Locate the book and click buy.
6. Proceed through the purchase process. If you are not ready to purchase your
book key and would like to access a free 3-week trial, follow the instructions
on this page. Note that 3-week trials are not available for all titles.
Note: If the buy link does not appear in Step 5, contact your instructor for
information about obtaining a book key.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<<Using Heinle Learning Center>>
To access your Student Workstation in the future, go to http://ilrn.heinle.com and log
in. Here, you can open your book, submit activities, view your results, and view your
instructor's feedback. If you have any questions, contact Heinle Learning Center
Support at http://hlc.quia.com/support.

How to type in Japanese?

Installing IME and typing Japanese on Windows:

https://www.coscom.co.jp/learnjapanese801/install_ime.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZHPG1TkydY
Typing Japanese on the Mac: http://redcocoon.org/cab/j4mactyping.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcrwAj7Qeqw

(iii) HW: Homework (Textbook Activities & Study Guides)

Some selected textbook activities are assigned as review exercises (HW) a few weeks after you practice
orally in class. They are mostly grammar-practice activities of a controlled nature in order to reinforce your
growing knowledge of the linguistic system. Your HW will be due at the beginning of the class on the date
specified in the course schedule. Please carefully complete all homework assignments by yourself. HW will
be assessed for completion and effort as deemed appropriate. A late homework assignment will be accepted
prior to the next class meeting in your instructors mailbox (2090 FLB) for credit, after which no credit
will be possible for this particular assignment (consistently late assignments will not be accepted). You will
be provided with an answer key for the assigned textbook activities for the purpose of self-correction.
The study guide for each exam will be distributed in class a week before the exam. It will be checked for
completion at the beginning of the class on the date specified in the course schedule. No late submissions
will be accepted.

(2) Quizzes (15%)

Two kinds of quizzes are given: (i) kana/kanji quizzes and (ii) vocabulary quizzes. No make-up quizzes will be
given without a legitimate written document.
(3) Exams (40%)
The study guide for each exam will be distributed in class a week before the exam.

7. HOW TO STUDY EVERYDAY:

In order to complete this course successfully, you must attend class regularly and spend at least 20-30 minutes
everyday preparing for the class and reviewing what you learned.
(1) Prepare for the class.
We need to spend class time as effectively as possible since, for most of you, the classroom is the only place
where you can interact with a native speaker of Japanese. In order to do so, we want you to do what you can
do by yourself outside of the class. In other words, preview the material to be covered by reading the
textbook, and try to grasp the basic knowledge of the material before you come to class. When you come to
class, be ready to try out what you learned from the textbook in the interactions with your instructor and
classmates. It is okay if you sometimes don't understand what you read in the textbook. The class activity
should clarify all the questions and the problems you have. The idea of the preparation is to have a clear
focus on what you are learning. Coming to the class with no knowledge of the material to be covered is a
waste of your time.
(2) Review what you learned.
Did you understand today's activities? If you have any questions, go to see your instructor as soon as
possible. Fix the problem before it gets too big to fix. To review the materials you learned, do the
corresponding exercises in the textbook. Even if you may not have to submit those exercises, trying them
immediately after the corresponding class activities is extremely effective to reinforce your understanding of
the materials or spot problems you may be having.

8. CLASSROOM GUIDANCE:
Japanese culture in the classroom
One of the key elements in learning a language is to learn the culture. We will practice Japanese formal culture. As
such, chewing gum, speaking disruptively, putting one's feet or legs up on a chair or desk, etc. are considered
inappropriate. These and other culturally inappropriate behaviors should be avoided.
Language use in the classroom
In order to assure the greatest effectiveness in the short period of time granted, the use of English should be avoided.
If you have any questions, jot them down somewhere and ask your instructor for permission to use English,
"sumimasen, eigo de ii desu ka?" (=Excuse me. Could I use English?) Depending on the kinds of activities, your
instructor may say "chotto matte kudasai" (=Please wait for a moment) or "ato de onegai shimasu" (=Please ask me
later). In such a case, observe how other classmates are performing, which may clarify the question you have before
even asking it to your instructor in English. If you miss an opportunity to ask in class, or if you want to discuss the
materials in depth with your instructor, visit her or him during the office hours.
Making mistakes is a part of the learning process, and in a way the classroom is the safest place to make mistakes
since your instructor will let you realize a mistake and encourage you to self-correct it first.
The use of cell phones and other electronic devices in the classroom
All extraneous devices, including cell phones, blackberries, pagers, tablet PCs, mobile presenters, wireless tablets,
digital recorders, beepers, palms, iPods, MP3 players, texting calculators, camera phones, digital cameras or laptops,
are not to be used during class unless your instructor authorizes their usage for a class-related purpose. If you are
discovered using these devices during the class, you will receive zero for your daily performance grade and be asked
to leave the classroom immediately.

9. Academic Honesty:
All work you submit (including homework assignments) must be your own and must not be done with your
classmates. Work not your own will be given a failing grade and may result in a failing grade for the course. See the
Student Code: Part 4 Academic Integrity (http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/policy/code/index.html) for specific
information regarding the university policy.

How can you be successful in JAPN 201?

(1) Practice! Practice! Practice!
Think about how you acquired your native language, and why non-native speakers struggle to learn
your language. Think about how much and how long you have been exposed to your language in
contrast to the non-native speakers who are learning your language. You learn language with
frequent repeated use. Remember, it is also not enough to only passively watch the class. Language
involves the use of a number of active skills. For example, we learn to hear by hearing, to speak by
speaking, and to interact by interacting. For most of you, the classroom is the only place where you
can hear or use Japanese, or interact with a native speaker of Japanese. In order to maximize your
exposure to Japanese:

ATTEND EVERY CLASS SESSION & BE PREPARED FOR EACH LESSON.

DO All YOUR HOMEWORK BY YOURSELF.
UTILIZE OFFICE HOURS & LANGUAGE TABLES.

Also remember this: the most frequently practiced patterns have a higher tendency to be on the
exams.

(2) Build up your points from the beginning of the semester!!

(3) Stay healthy!!