This is a Japanese language course for those who have no prior knowledge of Japanese. The emphasis of the course is placed on developing the fundamental skills of speaking, listening, writing and reading in Japanese. Japanese syllabaries of both Hiragana and Katakana will be introduced.

Before you come to class, read carefully those pages of the textbook assigned for that day, and internalize what is explained in English. The instructor may not go over the material explained in the book. Prepare yourself for whatever is expected to do in class. If you missed class the day before, it is your responsibility to find out from your classmate if there will be a quiz or an assignment for the next day. If you know you cannot come to the particular class, please see your instructor in advance. Be always prepared!

The audio-tapes for the textbook are ready for your use. Listen to the tape and practice at least three hours a week. You should do this for preparation for class as well as for review.

There will be Lesson Tests, quizzes, and other assignments. All the scores of each student will be recorded throughout the quarter, and at the end of the quarter the total of each student’s score will be divided by the highest possible points in order to obtain the percentage. There will be absolutely no make-up quizzes. However, you can miss a few quizzes without penalty because the points allotted to those quizzes will be dropped from the highest possible points at the final calculation.