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Japanese: Language, Literature, Culture (including courses in English)

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  • CAS LJ 100: T:Jpn Lang&Lit
  • CAS LJ 111: First-Semester Japanese
    Introduction to spoken and written Japanese and to fundamentals of Japanese grammar with oral drills and written exercises. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LJ 112: Second-Semester Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 111.
    Introduction to spoken and written Japanese and to fundamentals of Japanese grammar with oral drills and written exercises. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LJ 113: Gateway to Japan
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 111.
    Exploration of Japan with special focus on functional language, culture, and history. Emphasis on how to communicate and navigate at survival level. Designed only for novice learners with basic skills. Possible advancement to CAS LJ 211 after passing the placement test.
  • CAS LJ 200: T:Jpn Lang&Lit
  • CAS LJ 211: Third-Semester Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 112; or equivalent.
    Elaboration and refinement of the fundamental skills introduced in CAS LJ 111, 112 with an introduction to reading and composition. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LJ 212: Fourth-Semester Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 211; or equivalent.
    Elaboration and refinement of the fundamental skills introduced in CAS LJ 111, 112 with an introduction to reading and composition. Satisfactory completion of CAS LJ 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 250: Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English translation)
    An introduction to Japanese literary history. Topics include mythic beginnings, conceptions of nature and death, flowering of a court aesthetic, the writer as hermit-sage, the Tokugawa stage and its love suicides. Use of literary and visual materials. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 251: Modern Japanese Literature (in English translation)
    Introduction to modern Japanese literature. Naturalism and its critics, rise of the I-novel, Taisho aestheticism, proletarian literature, postwar and post- recession crises of cultural identity. Works by Natsume Soseki, Hayashi Fumiko, Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, Oe Kenzaburo, and Tsushima Yuko. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures
    Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 261: Rome and the Chinese World
    Explore the cultural and intellectual worlds of ancient Rome and ancient East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), comparing world views, ethical values, political dynamics, and social functions of literature in these great Eurasian civilizations. Includes creative and performative assignments. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • CAS LJ 281: Japanese Civilization (in English translation)
    Survey of Japanese history, art, and contemporary culture.
  • CAS LJ 282: Samurai, Ships, and Soil: Japan Among the Empires of Asia, 1600-1950
    Exotic as it may seem, Japan was never an isolated island country floating off the coast of Asia. This course offers a new narrative about the history of Japan in relation to the imperial orders and transnational spaces of Asia. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Social Inquiry I, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Social Inquiry I
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • CAS LJ 283: Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)
    Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Also Offered as CAS CI 260. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 300: Topics in Japanese Language & Literature
    Topics vary. May be repeated for credit as topics change.
  • CAS LJ 303: Third-Year Modern Japanese I
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212.
    Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics. Prepares for working with authentic Japanese materials. Opportunity for engagement with Japanese speakers. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS LJ 304: Third-Year Modern Japanese II
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 303.
    Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • CAS LJ 314: Classical Chinese I for Students of East Asia
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212 or CAS LC 112; or advanced Korean with consent of instructor.
    Introductory readings in Classical Chinese for students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Learn the shared literary language of premodern East Asia and read masterpieces of East Asian philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction in the original. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 316: Classical Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212; or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
    Introduction to Classical Japanese, Japan's written language from the seventh until the twentieth century. A systematic study of grammar and lexicon enriched by original readings from major works of Japanese literature such as Man'yōshū, Pillow Book, Genji, and Heike monogatari, Hōjōki. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 320: Conversational Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 211; or consent of instructor.
    Advanced training to increase fluency in spoken Japanese with an emphasis on different levels of politeness in speech and cultural awareness. Role playing; vocabulary and expression building; and aural comprehension. Concurrent enrollment in a four-skills language course is encouraged. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration

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