Japanese Upper Intermediate (part 3)

Part 3 will teach you the skills to communicate in professional settings. You’ll be able to speak in either casual or formal, depending on the situation and participate in discussions, expressing your agreement or disagreement towards a topic.

This is a challenging course which requires some independent learning – but we will ensure that you feel well supported throughout. In your free time, you’ll be asked to watch Japanese films, articles and TV shows and discuss them in class.

You will continue to work on your writing skills, learning an additional 100 kanji and practice on traditional manuscript paper.

At the end of the module, you’ll have an opportunity to sit a mock test, based on the JPLT N2 test. This will help you to decide whether to consolidate the same level or move up to the next class.

Who is it for?

To keep up in class you should have reached a good JLPT N3 level – around 280 hours of formal learning and substantial amount of independent study. You could have recently finished part 2 of our upper intermediate syllabus, or similar. More can be found in the eligibility section.

Timetable

This course takes place once a week for 10 weeks.

Benefits

• Study towards JLPT N2 level
• Small class size helps build a supportive study group
• Explore modern-day culture through books, film and music.

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• follow discussions when participating in meetings at school or work
• generally understand TV shows or movies in standard Japanese
• with preparation, deliver a presentation on a specialised subject
• understand the content of articles in newspapers and magazines written about familiar everyday topics
• briefly write about my experiences and impressions about them
• express my opinions in writing, giving reasons
• understand the content of official letters and e-mails written in polite Japanese.

Grammatical structures including:

• まい will not, will probably not, intend not to, must not-
• か～ないかのうちに just as, right after, as soon as-
• に応じて（におうじて） depending on, in accordance with-
• 抜きにして / 抜きで（ぬきにして/ ぬきで） without, leaving out, cutting out-
• 以上は（いじょうは） because, since, seeing that-
• からこそ precisely because-
• も当然だ（もとうぜんだ） it’s only natural, no wonder, might as well-
• 得る（える / うる） can, to be able to, is possible to-
• まだしも rather, better-
• より [2] from- (a time, place, or person)
• に向かって（にむかって） to face, to go towards, to head to-
• もっとも but then, although, though-
• 一方で（いっぽうで） on one hand, on the other hand, although-
• しかも moreover, furthermore, and yet, what’s more-
• ちなみに by the way, in this connection, incidentally, (conjunction)
• 次第に（しだいに） gradually (progress into a state), in sequence, in order
• やがて before long, soon, almost, eventually-
• せめて at least, at most-
• せっかく especially, (thank you for) troubling to, going to great pains for-
• にほかならない nothing but, none other than-
• ことだ should do- (used for suggestions or giving advice) text books

You will be awarded an official City St George’s, University of London certificate on completion of the course if you attend over 70 per cent of the classes. The course is not formally accredited.

You won’t need to sit an exam at the end of the course, but you will be required to complete several hours of homework each week.

Your tutor will give regular feedback and encourage you to sit a mock exam based on JLPT N3 level.

Teaching

We can tailor the course to your individual needs. Your tutor will work with you to identify areas where you excel and those which need more development. This will help you make effective use of your independent study time.

The weekly classes allow you to catch up with your tutor and classmates, and to discuss any films or TV clips you have watched over the week. You’ll also get time to practice your pronunciation through role-play and delivering short presentations.

Much of the course relies on your commitment to additional learning at home, not only to help keep up in class but to improve and increase your knowledge.

It is the right level if you have either:

• completed our intermediate syllabus or equivalent
• studied formally for 280 hours plus additional independent learning
• good JLPT N3 level.

Your tutor can assess you prior to enrolment to help determine your level and if this course is right for you.

You should already be able to:

• share your thoughts on familiar topics
• express your feelings, especially about something you particularly care about
• strongly assert your opinion about the outlook for the future
• give a somewhat critical assessment of a familiar person
• precisely explain a troubling situation and express a sentiment felt then
• use another 100 kanji.

We offer a variety of courses, so if this isn’t the right level, take a look at the others we teach.

Please contact tutor Taka Ogura at t.ogura@city.ac.uk to discuss which course is suitable for you.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course, although, at this level the classes will mainly be taught in Japanese.