Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies
Proposal for the Creation of an Honours Minor Program in JapaneseStudies in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics(DLLL)
Prepared by Norio Ota
Coordinator, Japanese, Korean and Computing (Languages), DLLL
April 20, 2013

Context of Proposala. Statement of purpose:
Creation of an Honours Minor degree program in Japanese Studies. The
program is expected to commence in the F/W 2013-2014 academic year.
The Japanese language curriculum at York University has been steadily growing since its
inception in the 1960's, a time when Japan emerged as one of the major economic powers
in the world. The twenty-first century is called “the century of Asia.” Having a goodcommand of an Asian language is an enormous asset for professional opportunities. The
Japanese Section at York University has been offering Japanese language curriculum up to
the fourth year level, designed to provide students in various fields with a working
knowledge of the language and useful information concerning Japanese people, society andculture. Learning Japanese with reference to cross-cultural communication is emphasized
so that students will be able to adapt to a foreign environment without much difficulty. The
communicative approach has been adopted to help students to become creative,
autonomous and sensitive language learners. Students learn how to make maximal use of
their knowledge at their own levels, including non-verbal communication skills.
The Japanese language curriculum at York University is the only one in Canada fully webbased and offers an open-learning environment for anyone who is interested in learning
Japanese. Textbooks were replaced by web-based instructional materials specificallydeveloped for York students. A modular approach has been adopted to enhance synergistic
effects in language learning and teaching. Online interactive materials help students to learn
on their own even during vacation periods. The Japanese language curriculum at York
University is ranked at the top level in Canada, based on the excellent teaching instruction
and the outstanding achievement by students in the regional and national speech contests.

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Since the 90’s the request for setting up a degree program in Japanese Studies has been
growing larger as the enrollment grew. While students could major or minor in the East
Asian Studies program, of which the Japanese Section is a participating member, many
students expressed their wishes to focus their study on Japan and the Japanese language,
being inspired by Japanese popular culture and attracted to work and study opportunities inJapan. A degree program in Japanese Studies was envisaged and several non-language
courses such as Introduction to Japanese Culture and society, Classical Japanese, Teachingof Japanese as a Foreign Language and Translation: E-J and J-E, were developed toaugment the language curriculum. As the enrollment grew, more faculty members were
hired and promoted partially funded with external funding such as the Tanka Fund. All the
language courses have been modified as web-based courses with self-study instructional
material and online testing to maximize communicative activities in class and save time forfaculty members. The results of the questionnaire undertaken by the Japanese Section in2011 indicated 172 students would minor in Japanese Studies (plus 65 major), if a degree
program should become available. The faculty of the Japanese Section consists of twotenured members, one in tenure-stream, one CLA and one part-time instructor. A few new
courses have been added to increase the choice of courses. The student enrollment of theacademic year of 2012-13 was approximately 450, including a large number of high quality
students at each level, many of whom stated that they decided to come to York University
based on the reputation of the Japanese curriculum. With the pioneering initiative in
deploying technology in teaching and testing, the Section is confident in developing aquality honours minor degree program for very enthusiastic students in the Japanese
courses. Such a program will give students with various major fields opportunities toenhance their potential, academic interest, professional and career development.
Rationale
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The strength of the Japanese language curriculum and instruction has been tested,
proven and widely recognized in Canada.
The increase of students who are interested in a degree program in Japanese Studies.
The field of Japanese Studies can stand on its own because of the richness, breadthand depth of Japanese culture and experience.
Combining Japanese Studies with other disciplines would enhance students’competitiveness in the world job market.
While most Japanese Studies Programs in the world appear to maintain the statusquo or on the decline, York’s Japanese curriculum has been growing anddeveloping.
It has been proposed by the Faculty that an honours minor degree option beestablished first and pursue academic requirements for an honours major degree
program concurrently.
Offering an honours minor degree program will not require much extra financial
support since the courses currently offered fulfill the minimum requirements fordegree-granting status, with a few new courses added.

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A degree program with concentration on a language will enhance and complement
the East Asian Studies Program at York.
A degree program in Japanese Studies may attract students not only within Ontario
but also from other regions.
The Japanese Section has received very strong support from the Japan Foundation,and the Japanese business community in Toronto.
The Japanese Section has spearheaded development of a web-based open-learning
environment and distance education courses for a wider audience.
The faculty members of the Japanese Section have been actively involved in theJapan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC), through which strong contacts havebeen made with researchers in Japanese Studies in other Canadian institutions. The
first international conference in Japan Studies was organized and held at York
University in 2007. The current coordinator of the Section is the secretary-treasurerof JSAC and has been hosting its web site on his server.
The Japanese Section has reached out internationally to the Faculty of Foreign
Languages in the University of Havana, to assist their faculty in developing a degree
program in Japanese Studies (commenced in February, 2011).
Through hosting the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, National Japanese SpeechContests, and other Japan-related events, the Japanese Program at York University
has become one of the centers of the Japanese language and Japanese Studies.
With conversion and a grant (Tanaka Fund) through AUCC, the Japanese Section
has successfully promoted two part-time instructors to tenure-track appointee and
CLA in 2010. The Section has four full-time faculty members currently.
As this is the first attempt in setting up a degree program in Japanese Studies at
York, the Japanese Section has been trying to make sure that there exists a large
enough demand for such degree programs among students. The major stumbling
block, in the past, was low enrollments in the 4000-level courses. There are two
reasons for this: many students participate in the exchange programs after theyfinish AP/JP 3000 6.00; most students cannot take more elective courses after
AP/JP 2000 6.00 or AP/JP 3000 6.00. Many students interviewed both recently, andin the past, stated that they would have taken more 4000-level courses if a degree
program would have been made available. The results of the 2011 questionnaire asstated above, was very encouraging - 172 minor, (and 65 major).

The Japanese Section’s other achievements are highlighted as follows.
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Distance education
The Japanese Section in DLLL has been the leader in developing distance-education
courses using video-conferencing and video-streaming. Students at Glendon
College, St. Mary’s University in Halifax and Mt. Allison University in Sackville,
N.B. have benefited from this outreach program.

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The current coordinator of the Section at York University received a grant from theJapan Foundation in 2010 to develop an online four-month Teaching of Japanese asa Foreign Language (TJFL) seminar for certified high school teachers acrossCanada. This project reached out to those who did not have opportunities toimprove their teaching skills and help them to learn new ideas and disseminate
York’s teaching model and strategy in order to revamp high school languageteaching instruction. The participants resided in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Ottawa
and Quebec.
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Technical cooperation across the border
The Japanese Section has spearheaded international cooperation as well, in assisting
the Japanese Program at the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University ofHavana in Cuba. This initiative has been in place since 2004 and offers seminars forthe faculty to improve their teaching strategies in a variety of fields, including
Teaching of Japanese as a Foreign Language (TJFL), Japanese linguistics, Japanese
history and culture, translation and interpretation and classical Japanese. The Cuban
faculty and students have been using the instructional materials developed at York
University and they are currently developing Spanish versions for Spanish-speaking
learners of Japanese. Every year, one of the participants of this seminar is invited toYork University for four weeks as a part of a teaching practicum. As all the faculty
members teach two languages at the Faculty of Foreign Languages in the Universityof Havana, they have been applying the teaching methods learned in this seminar toteaching other languages as well. This outreach project indirectly helps foreignlanguage education in Cuba. 1
The current coordinator of the Section has a strong tie with University of Tampere,
Finland, one of York’s affiliates. The direct contact was made at the Power &Difference International Conference, held at University of Tampere in August, 2012,
with the faculty member who used to be in charge of the Japanese language andculture courses. As there is no such course offered at the university, the possibilityof offering Japanese language courses online for their students by York was
discussed and this is likely to be one of the new projects for the Section.

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External funding
Funding from the Japan Foundation in the past has allowed the Section to develop
courses in Japanese Studies, in anticipation of setting up a degree program. Having
won in the competition for the Tanaka Fund through AUCC, a new full-time faculty
member was hired in 2003 to teach some of these new courses – AP/JP 2700 6.00
Contemporary Japanese Culture and Society; AP/JP 4120 6.00 Translation:
Japanese-English; English-Japanese. In 2010-11, one of the part-time instructors
was promoted to a tenure-track position through conversion, and the other into a

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In February, 2013, the current coordinator was awarded a special position of Invited Professor by the Boardof Directors, the University of Havana, for his volunteer work.

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CLA position partially funded by the Tanaka Fund through AUCC. York has won
in the Tanaka Fund competition every year in the past three years. 2
There is a strong chance that the Section might win a special invitation-only grant tosupport a non-language position in Japanese Studies from the Japan Foundation. 3•

Students’ achievements in speech contests
As stated above, York students’ achievements in both the regional and national
Japanese speech contests have been outstanding. York students won at least 70% of
the top prizes including the grand prizes in the past 30 Ontario Japanese speech
contests, and approximately 40% of the top prizes in the 23 National Japanese
speech contests. No other institution has achieved this kind of excellence. 4•

Exchange programs
The Section has been promoting, and has been actively involved in, students’exchange programs with six partner institutions in Japan – Meiji University for overtwenty years, Dokkyo University for over ten years, Keio University and Waseda
University for many years, and Nagoya University for several years, through which
students study in Japan for one year. Recently Hitotsubashi University was added tothis list, making a sixth partner.

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The Japanese Language Proficiency Test
The Section has been hosting the Japanese Language Proficiency Test successfully
on behalf of the Japan Foundation since 1997 for the Eastern region of Canada andhit a new record — 523 applicants in 2009. Many York students write the test every
year, and most of them pass it. Unfortunately, the number of the participants in2012 has gone down to 376 due to several causes including the 3-11 disaster. 5•

The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program
Every year, many York students are accepted into the Japan Exchange and Teaching(JET) Program, which gives them great opportunities for learning about Japaneseculture and society by living and teaching in Japan up to three years. The Section
has been supporting this Program very strongly and is involved in the selection
procedure.

•Business connection

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The Section won the Tanaka Fund three times in the past. The average amount of the fund was $45,000 per
annum for three years for each competition.
3
The Japan Foundation, Toronto, has been very supportive of the honours minor degree program and hassuggested that the Section should seek this grant to enhance the program. The necessary information has been
currently prepared for application.
4
Y-File: <http://www.yorku.ca/yfile/archive/index.asp?Article=6269>
5
JLPT: <http://buna.yorku.ca/jlpt/>

5The Section made a request to Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. that a summer internshipprogram be sponsored in 2008. Mitsui responded to our request promptly and set up
a program in the summer of the same year. York students, from the Schulich Schoolof Business School in particular, have benefited greatly from this program in thepast three years by receiving on-the-job training opportunities for three months
during the summer in Toronto. Mitsui has also agreed to sponsor a co-op programfor our students for two years as a pilot project, in which participants will work fulltime with pay for six months to one year. The co-op program will be incorporated
into the proposed degree program, so that upon successful completion they will
receive credits as well.
The “Summer in Japan” program has been in preparation, in order to offer a fast
track course to master the Japanese language in a shorter period of time by filling
the gap currently existing between different levels. It will enhance students’language competence further and strengthen the degree programs as well. This
program has received support from the Japan Foundation, Meiji University and
Dokkyo University.
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Research
The faculty members of the Section are very active in research in fields such as
Japan Studies, Second Language Acquisition, Cultural Studies, Linguistics and TEL
and language learning and teaching. The current coordinator is the secretarytreasurer of the Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC) and frequently
organizes panels and presents papers at international conferences and othermembers present papers at regional and international conferences on a regular basis.
The coordinator of the Section successfully hosted the first international conference
on Japan Studies at York University in 2007, financially supported by the JapanFoundation and Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. 6•

Support for and cooperation with students’ communities
The Section in cooperation with the Japanese International Students Association(JISA) offers an academic week every year in order to provide students who are
studying Japanese with more academic content and atmosphere. During this week
most faculty members presents papers on various topics and some speakers areinvited from outside as well.

b. University Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations (UUDLEs): 7

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The organizer received $18,000 from the Japan Foundation and $20,000 from Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd.
Y-File: < http://www.yorku.ca/yfile/archive/ViewIssue.asp?IssueDate=8/10/2007>
Y-File: < http://www.yorku.ca/yfile/archive/ViewIssue.asp?IssueDate=8/23/2007>
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Faculty of Arts: Contextualised Graduate Attributes (University of Sydney)<http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/GraduateAttributes/facultyGA.cfm?faculty=Arts>

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Upon completion of the program students are expected to have achieved the following.
1) Depth and breadth of knowledge
Communicative competence andperformance in advanced JapaneseAdvanced reading comprehension andwriting skills
Advanced knowledge of the structure anduse of the Japanese language

Cross-cultural understanding of thelanguage and culture of Japan

General understanding of cross-culturalcommunication

Reading knowledge of classical Japanese
Pedagogy for teaching Japanese
Skills in translation and interpretation
between English and Japanese

AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP4000 6.0 Advanced Reading inModern Standard Japanese
AP/JP3100 3.0 Japanese Linguistics I: The
Structure of Modern Japanese Language
AP/JP3200 3.0 Japanese Linguistics II:
Language change and usage
AP/JP2700 6.0 Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society
AP/JP3751 3.0 Japanese Business Culture
and Communication
AP/JP3070 3.0 Japanese Language in theMedia
AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP4010 6.0 Classical Japanese
AP/JP4100 6.0 Teaching of Japanese as a
Foreign/Second Language
AP/JP4120 6.0 Translation: Japanese English; English - Japanese

2) Knowledge of methodologies
Internalization of the ‘modularcommunicative-empathic’ approach tolanguage learning
How to use technology enhanced learning(TEL)

Familiarity with open learning environment(OLE)

Pedagogy of distance learning

AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP4100 6.0 Teaching of Japanese as a7

Linguistic analysis and its application

Methodology of cross-culturalcommunication and analysis

Pedagogy for Teaching of Japanese as a
Foreign Language (TJFL)
Theories on translation and interpretation

Foreign/Second Language
AP/JP3100 3.0 Japanese Linguistics I: The
Structure of Modern Japanese Language
AP/JP3200 3.0 Japanese Linguistics II:
Language change and usage
AP/JP2700 6.0 Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society
AP/JP3751 3.0 Japanese Business Culture
and Communication
AP/JP3070 3.0 Japanese Language in theMedia
AP/JP4100 6.0 Teaching of Japanese as a
Foreign/Second Language
AP/JP4120 6.0 Translation: Japanese English; English - Japanese

3) Application of knowledge
Cultural understanding in cross-culturalenvironment

Language use and knowledge of culture forbusiness settings
Language teaching and learning
Translation and interpretation
Internship and co-op programs
Speech contests and proficiency test

Exchange programs

AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2700 6.0 Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society
AP/JP3751 3.0 Japanese Business Culture
and Communication
AP/JP4100 6.0 Teaching of Japanese as a
Foreign/Second Language
AP/JP4120 6.0 Translation: Japanese English; English - Japanese
AP/JP 3120. 3.00 Internship & Co-op
Program
AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP4000 6.0 Advanced Reading inModern Standard Japanese
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese

4) Communications skills
A high standard of oral, aural, visual and

AP/JP4000 6.0 Advanced Reading in8

written communication skills in Japaneseand English
General communicative skills

Communicative skills in cross-culturalcommunication

Use of appropriate communication
technologies

Modern Standard Japanese
AP/JP4120 6.0 Translation: Japanese English; English - Japanese
AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2700 6.0 Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP4000 6.0 Advanced Reading inModern Standard Japanese

5) Awareness of limitations of knowledge
Awareness of the need of further elaborationon the values and concepts central to
Japanese culture and language, such aspoliteness, modesty and humility
Awareness of the need of further learning in
actual communication, reading, writing andlistening comprehension
Awareness of the need for studying or
working in a Japanese-speaking
environment
Possession of intellectual curiosity, open to
new ideas, methods and ways of thinking

AP/JP2700 6.0 Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society

AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP4000 6.0 Advanced Reading inModern Standard Japanese
AP/JP4010 6.0 Classical Japanese

6) Autonomy and professional capacity
In-depth understanding and knowledge ofthe relevant fields and the disciplines
involved

AP/JP3100 3.0 Japanese Linguistics I: The
Structure of Modern Japanese Language
AP/JP3200 3.0 Japanese Linguistics II:
Language change and usage
AP/JP3751 3.0 Japanese Business Culture
and Communication
AP/JP3070 3.0 Japanese Language in theMedia
AP/JP4010 6.0 Classical Japanese9Ability to acquire and assess new
knowledge through independent researchAutonomous language learner able todevelop language skills further

Independent thinker and risk-taker withsense of accountability and sensitivity
Ability to understand cross-cultural issues
and situations

Capacity to work effectively in teams andother collaborative environments

Possessing a high standard of ethicalbehaviour associated with their disciplineand profession
Readiness for on-the-job training such as asummer internship program or co-op
program

AP/JP4100 6.0 Teaching of Japanese as a
Foreign/Second Language
AP/JP4120 6.0 Translation: Japanese English; English - Japanese
AS/JP 3900 3.00 Independent Reading andResearch
AP/JP4000 6.0 Advanced Reading inModern Standard Japanese
AS/JP 4900 3.00 Independent Reading andResearch
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP4000 6.0 Advanced Reading inModern Standard Japanese

All courses
AP/JP2700 6.0 Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society
AP/JP3751 3.0 Japanese Business Culture
and Communication
AP/JP1000 6.0 Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP3751 3.0 Japanese Business Culture
and Communication

All courses
AP/JP2700 6.0 Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society
AP/JP3000 6.0 Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese
AP/JP3751 3.0 Japanese Business Culture
and Communicationc. Consistency of proposal with the general objectives of the unit, Faculty andUniversity Academic Plans and with the standards, educational goals andexpected learning outcomes of the degree. Comment on the explicit causal
relationship of the proposed program’s structure and curriculum for its
expected learning outcomes
The proposed honours minor degree program in Japanese Studies is in accordancewith the University Academic Plan, 2010-15 and the Strategic Plan for the Facultyof Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, 2010-20.
10The Japanese Section has implemented the values and achieved the objectives
identified in the UAP and will continue to improve its achievements further. The
Section has been making a substantial contribution to York University in enhancing
academic quality in a globalized world. The following are the achievements directly
relevant to the UAP.
Values• Commitment to excellence in research, teaching and services to the publicgood
The faculty members of the Section have presented papers at various
international and domestic conferences and published their work. The
Section has been pioneering in developing web-based curriculum and online
self-study materials in an open-learning environment, which has been highly
appreciated by students and other language teaching professionals. The
Section has been involved in public services actively in hosting the Japanese
Language Proficiency Test, an international conference for Japan Studies,and helping to organize regional and national Japanese speech contests.
The Section has been involved in offering online and off-line seminars forteachers and in assisting to create credit courses in secondary education.
• Commitment to contribute to a deeper understanding of the global issues
The Section’s effort in assisting the Faculty of Foreign Languages,
University of Havana, Cuba, has been its attempt to make contributions to adeveloping country with its expertise, which deepens our understanding
about issues in such a country.
• Recognition of York’s special opportunities and responsibilities
The Section believes that if each unit excels by taking advantage of its
potential, geographic location and resources, York University would play amajor role in various fields. The Japanese curriculum at York has alreadyachieved one of its objectives to be at the top in Canada.
• Commitments to interdisciplinarity and to the pursuit of innovative
initiatives and approaches
Language learning itself is interdisciplinary in nature, but the Japanesecurriculum has its main focus on cross-cultural communication andinterdisciplinary approaches. Thus, various courses have been developed
and offered in addition to the language courses, which would enhanceinterdiscplinarity.
• Commitment to cultivate an engaged learning and research environment
As stated elsewhere, the Section has successfully established an open
learning environment through which students can access to the instructional
materials at any time and at any place as long as the Internet connection isavailable. The Section coordinator often organizes sessions for conferences
so that the faculty members of the Section could present research papers.

11•Commitment to sustainability
This has been the major strength of the Section for many years. The
enrollment has been steadily growing and the faculty size has been
expanded accordingly, frequently assisted by external funding. Base on its
track record, the Section will continue to grow in the future as well.

Contexts: The External Environment• Globalization and internationalization
The Section has been actively involved globalization andinternationalization via official exchange programs, accepting many
international students, supporting programs such as the JET program,assisting the Japanese Program at University of Havana, and organizing
sessions and presenting papers at international conferences.
• Universities as sources for inspiration, collaboration, and practical solutions
to issues
The first web-based Japanese curriculum has been considered as inspiration
among language teaching professionals and institutions. The Section hasoffered distance education courses for students at St. Mary’s University and
Mt. Alison University via video-conferencing, the method of which would be
the best solution for lack of upper level courses in many regional
institutions.
• Information and communication technology (ICT) revolution
The Section has been highly evaluated and appreciated in this area. With the
ICT revolution the Japanese curriculum has been able to develop the ‘postcommunicative paradigm’, which is conducive to the use of various mobile
devices by students.
• Budgetary constraints requiring better use of resources
The Section has won various outside funding, including the Tanaka Fund, tohire and promote faculty members and to enhance the curriculum.
• Increasing demand for post-secondary education
As the Japanese curriculum has been enjoying excellent reputation, it has
been attracting more quality students who wish to acquire as high levelproficiency in Japanese.
• Competition from other institutions
York has been a target for competition from other institutions for many
years in pedagogy, speech contests, and quality of instruction. The Japanesecurriculum is currently the largest in Ontario. The Japanese Language
Proficiency Test has attracted more participants than in B.C. this year.
Principles and Assumptions Guiding Planning in the Next Five Years•

Expansion of the full-time faculty

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The current number of the full-time faculty will be sufficient for the
proposed honours minor degree program.
Critical importance to research and teaching
The Section’s strength lies in its ‘action research’, he result of which is
implemented into the curriculum and teaching strategies.
Enhancing student experiences and success
Various curricular and extra-curricular activities such exchange programs,
proficiency tests, speech contests, summer-internship and (a proposed co-op
program), and hiring students as assistants for several events, would
continue to enhance student experiences and success.
Evidence-based approaches to planning and implementation supported bymeans to monitor, measure and report on progress in order to fulfill
accountability and responsibilities to the communities
The Section has shown its excellence in innovative pedagogy, student
achievements, outreach, internationalization and public services, which are
well documented and received much recognition from within and fromoutside. Policy on accountability, equity and equal opportunities has beenstrongly underscored in the Section, based on the clearly defined andarticulated criteria.
Diversification of academic activities
The Section has been implementing a wide varieties of activities for bothstudents and the faculty, which include exchange programs, proficiency
tests, speech contests, Academic Week, Japan Week, web-based course
development, introduction of the distance education format, and online
lecture exchange.

Overarching Themes of the UAP 2010-2015•••

Academic quality
Student successEngagement and outreachAs stated elsewhere, the Section has already implemented these themes andwill continue to improve its contribution.

Priority Areas in an Integrated Plan•

Research Intensificationo Research cultureo Research capacity
o Evidence-based culture of evaluation and comparisono Research through planningo Research success for York’s reputationo Library support

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o Culture of support for research
The Section will continue to cultivate research culture among the faculty
and students, which will be required for the proposed honours minor degree
program.
Enhancing Teaching and Learningo Experiential learning opportunities for students- Speech contests, proficiency tests, exchange programs,
summer internship program, co-op programo Innovative and flexible curriculum delivery through online andhybrid courses as well as other TEL courses- The curriculum and its delivery have been online based andcontact hours have been reduced maximally by adopting thecurrently available ITC technology.
o Recognizing and supporting innovation in teaching and learning, andproviding support and recognition for instructors- Developing online tests for all the language courses has freed
up instructors’ time and energy immensely.
o Leadership in curriculum delivery modes- Completely online based and distance education format.
o Recruiting quality secondary school graduates- Via seminars for secondary teachers, campus open house, etc.
o Increasing opportunities for students’ international experiences- Exchange programs, supporting the JET program.
o Lifelong learning- The Japanese curriculum is designed to help students toacquire a solid foundation based on which they would be
able to develop their knowledge and experience further intheir lives.
The Section has been engaging itself in all the above-mentioned objectives
and successfully implementing them as stated elsewhere. This area isprobably one of the most successful areas by the Section.
The Section has been putting a very strong emphasis on the following
objectives.
Enriching the Student Experienceo Enhancing the quality and level of preparation of the incoming class- All the information and materials are made available online.
o Enhancing the first year experience- Co-organizing Academic Week, social nights, speech contests
and Culture Weeko Improving advising creating communities- Supporting the club for students who are studying Japaneseo Students’ involvement in research14

- Co-hosting Academic Weeko Increasing time for faculty to spend with students- All the faculty members spend much time to listen to theirstudents, give advice and assist them.
o Coordinating student service functions- Academic Week, social nights, Culture Weeko Supporting student communities- Advising the student clubo Space for student activities- This area has to be improved.
Building Community and Expanding our Global Reach
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Working in and with communities- Planning to develop online credit and non-credit courses forcommunities, advising heritage language schools
Aiding faculty development and recognition for community engagement andoutreach activities- Developing summer internship and co-op programs, involvedin organizing and hosting events such as speech contests andconferences
Enhanced coordinating structures for continuing and professional education- Encouraging mature students to continue studying
Lifelong learning initiatives- Needs to be improved
Leadership in collaborating with other institutions- University of Havana, Cuba, University of Tampere, Finland,
University of Calgary, St. Mary’s University, Mt. Alison
University, University of Toronto, McMaster University,
University of Waterloo, Dokkyo University, Meiji University,
the Japan Foundation, Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd.
Internationalization- Students from various backgrounds, conference organizationand presentation, faculty seminars for the Faculty of Foreign
Languages, University of Havana
Recruitment and support for international students- Coordinator’s participation in strategic meetings, hiring
international students as assistants for events such as theJapanese Language Proficiency Test and allowing them toobserve and help classes.

Strengthening Interdisciplinarity and Comprehensiveness

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Managing enrollments- Enrollment has been steadily increasing.
Core strengths- A comprehensive language program backed by ITC andstrong rapport between the faculty and students with various
racial and cultural backgrounds
Ongoing adjustments- Staffing for a growing enrollment- Introducing more academic contents- Revamping the evaluation procedure with a new rubric andportfolio
Monitoring system and government developments- New initiatives in reorganizing the curriculum into the
proposed minor degree program with clear-cut criteria forassessment
More comprehensive university- The new honours minor degree program is expected tocontribute in this area.
Seamless education- The new degree program would fill the existing gaps to makeit more cohesive, flexible and comprehensive.
Additional support for students- Making use of the online alumni group for consultation by
graduates to current students in regards to study and work
opportunities

Promoting Effective Governance
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Effective, responsive academic administration- Regular section meetings, minutes taking, sharing
responsibilities, and advising junior faculty members
More sophisticated means of assessing ongoing and proposed academic
activities- Not implemented
Attention to academic programs and unit structures- Currently under scrutiny
Coordination of undergraduate planning around curriculum, enrollments,
and deployment of resources- Taking advantage of the web-based nature of the curriculum
to attract potential students; being involved in university
wide events such as Fall and Spring Campus Days
Strategic planning modalities that promote and permit “tough choice”
decisions that are fact-based and otherwise informed16•- Not implemented
Transparency in decision-making- Coordinator is elected and all the faculty members are
consulted with on the important issues.

Conclusion: Executing the Plan
•

•

•

•

Resource planning and investments- The Section has a clear plan for maintaining the current level
resources and seeking new external resources, which would
constitute investment for the future.
Increased cooperation within the University and with other institutions- Through ITC the Section has been cooperating with othersections in the department, and Department of FrenchStudies. The Section is a participating member of the East
Asian Studies Program. Externally, the Section is affiliatedwith University of Calgary, Mt. Alison University, St. Mary’s
University, Meiji University, Dokkyo University, Hanyang
University, University of Havana, and University of Tampere.
Establishment of benchmarks for measurement of progress and the gatheringand assessment of evidence of progress and hub- A new rubric, evaluation scheme and portfolio will be
introduced to revamp the evaluation and assessment
procedures for students’ achievement and performance.
Full, regular, and transparent reporting on progress and opportunities for
feedback- Each student’ portfolio would include comprehensive
information regarding his/her performance, which can beaccessed by all the faculty.

York is expected to be:• Higher quality• More international• More comprehensive• Known for innovation• Enhance experience- The above-mentioned expectations have been put into
practice in the Japanese curriculum for many years and they
are the main sources of its success.
The Strategic Plan for the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, 2010-20,

17

stresses the importance of York’s enhancement of the success of its graduates in bothacademic and career placements. The following is a list of the principles and the relevant
activities of the Japanese Section.
Principle 5: A principal responsibility of Colleges is to enhance the co-curricularand extra-curricular experience of students, and in particular 1st year students.
The Japanese Section in cooperation with the students’ club has been hosting
various extra-curricular activities such as Japan Week, Academic Week, Culture
demonstrations, and talks by guest speakers through Vanier College.
Principle 6: A principal responsibility of the Faculty is to respond to the academic
needs of its diverse student population including the specific needs of part-time andmature students.
The Japanese Section at York University has been catering to the needs of students
of various racial, cultural and academic backgrounds. The open-learning
environment with web-based instructional materials and distance educationdelivery method via video-conferencing and video-streaming makes the program
more accessible by part-time and mature students.
Principle 8: The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies affirms andencourages the diversity of research, scholarship, and teaching by its members.
The Japanese Section has been developing a unique open-learning environment,with web-based instructional materials and distance education delivery method via
video-conferencing and video-streaming for the Japanese language.
Principle 14: The Faculty is committed to delivering academic programs of thehighest quality.
As stated elsewhere, the Japanese Section at York University boasts its excellence instudents’ achievements and highest quality in teaching.
Principle 15: The Faculty is committed to the belief that those students who qualify
for a university education have a right to pursue one.
In response to many students’ interests and requests, the Japanese Section is
accountable for setting up degree programs in Japanese Studies.
Principle 18: The Faculty recognizes that, in all academic and professional fields,
there exist educational opportunities outside the conventional classroom.

18

Developing exchange programs and hosting various events such as the Japanese
Language Proficiency Test, regional and national Japanese speech contests andJapan Week, Academic Week, helps students to learn to put knowledge into practiceand develop practical knowledge and skills in real life situations.
Principle 19: Cross-cultural and international encounters are integral parts of highquality university education.
Studying in Japan for one year as exchange students at York’s partner universities,
such as Meiji University, Dokkyo University, Keio University, Waseda University,
Nagoya University and Hitotsubashi University, provides students with genuineinternational experience and communicative opportunities to put learning into
practice. The summer internship program and co-op program as part of the
proposed honours minor program offer students opportunities to work in a
Japanese business environment in Canada as well.
Principle 20: Community engagement and learning are valuable for educating
responsible and socially conscious citizens.
Having been involved in local Japanese-Canadian communities, such as theJapanese Heritage Language program and high school credit courses, the JapaneseSection has played a major role in improving Japanese-language education.
Principle 21: The incorporation of global context and content into teaching andresearch is integral to the pursuit of excellence.
The proposed minor degree program will reach out to students and teachers in
distant locations both in Canada and overseas via distance education format anddelivery. Issues on Japan-Canada relations in global context are integral part of the
non-language courses and in Japanese Studies in general.
Principle 23: Expansion of professional development programs, non-degree
certificates and courses is integral to serving the larger community.
The Japanese Section has been developing a professional-development program forhigh school teachers through York’s continuing education and plans to offer noncredit language courses for those who are interested in learning Japanese via
distance education. As service to the larger community the four-month teacher
education course was offered to high school teachers across Canada between
October 16, 2010 and March 2, 2011.
d. Admission requirements

19Students must satisfy the general admission requirements for all programs at York
University. Students entering the Honours Minor degree program must have aminimum grade point average of 5.0 in their home program at York.
Any student can enroll in a language course in DLLL at any level, subject to thefollowing conditions.
1) Admission to a student’s first course in a language at York University isdetermined by a questionnaire for absolute beginners and placement tests for theupper-level language courses.
2) Students who have completed a 1000-level language course with a grade of atleast C can advance to the next level in the same language.
3) Registration in language courses may be limited at the discretion of thedepartment.
4) Students who plan to minor in Japanese Studies are encouraged to start language
study in their first year.
5) Students who wish to minor in Japanese Studies are advised to consult with the
Coordinator of the Japanese Section in DLLL.
Appropriateness of the admission requirements, (e.g., achievement andpreparation, for the expected learning outcomes of the program).
Requirements for admission will be consistent with University requirements for
all programs at York University.
e. Consultation:i.

Identify similar programs elsewhere at York
East Asian Studies Program
Currently students can major and minor in East Asian Studies (EAS) with afocus on China, Japan or Korea. There is no 90-credit major program and its
minor program does not require students to demonstrate advanced levelcompetence in an East Asian language. The proposed honours minor degree
program in Japanese Studies will allow students to acquire the Japanese
language to the level of competence for practical usefulness in their careerdevelopment. Many students in EAS wish to study Japanese further, and thishonours minor degree program in Japanese Studies will give them more options
to enhance their language ability and broaden and deepen their knowledge andunderstanding about Japan. A minor degree program with high concentration on
languages will, thus, be not only complementary but also synergistic to thecurrent East Asian Studies Programs. There will be little overlap between EAS
and the proposed Japanese Studies except for language courses.

20

ii.

Describe the nature and extent of the consultation which has taken place withother programs and indicate what, if any, cooperative arrangements have been
explored with respect to staffing, appointments, course offerings, physical space,etc.
Professor Josh Fogel, Coordinator, EAS, has given this initiative his full
support.
Professor Farrokh Zandi, Associate Director, Undergraduate Programs,
Schulich School of Business, is in support of our initiatives in developing
more courses iBBA students will be able to take.
The proposed program will be in complementary distribution with the East
Asian Studies Program except for sharing the language courses.
The Japanese language is a choice of foreign language for students of various
disciplines such as humanities, business, fine arts, and science. Consultations
will take place with all the faculties involved in regards to approving of theirstudents’ options for major/minor.

iii.

Consult with the Vice-President Academic on resource aspects of the proposal(see below, Item 5).
TBA – through the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies

f. Need and Demand:i.

A brief description of the general need and demand for the initiative, whether
based on student interest, potential employment opportunities for graduates,
needs expressed by professional associations, government agencies or policy
bodies; or, if none of the foregoing, whether the initiative serves the general
betterment of society;
The current Japanese Section’s strength is that it does not rely on JapaneseCanadian students (who actually comprise a very small percentage of thestudent enrollment) and that it caters to the needs of a wide variety of students.
In the past ten years, the resurgence of strong interest in Japanese culture has
been observed, probably based on popular culture and job opportunities inJapan-related fields. Many students have voiced their wishes to specialize inJapanese Studies so they can focus their studies on Japan. As a result ofstudents’ success and quality instruction, enrolment has been growing steadily,
reaching approximately 450 students in 2012. Enrollment is expected to reach
500 students by 2015, if not before. In an informal survey conducted recently,

21

approximately 50-60% of students in AP/JP 1000 6.00 and 60-70% of theupper-level students are interested in either a major or minor degree program inJapanese Studies. 8 Currently not many students go on to upper-level courses,
mainly because there has been no degree program in Japanese Studies. Students
in other disciplines must take upper-level courses in their degree programs andrun out of elective credits. Another reason is that quite a few students go to
Japan for one year after the completion of the AP/JP 3000 6.00 through theexchange programs. The Japanese Section is quite confident in its ability to
attract many students to either a major- or a minor- degree program. With thecurrent teaching staff and course offerings, the Japanese Section feels it isappropriate to propose an Honours Minor degree program in Japanese Studies.
As stated above, most students who are taking Japanese are interested infocusing on language education up to the most advanced level. Establishing aminor program will allow students to acquire the Japanese language to the levelof competence for practical usefulness in their career development. A minor
degree program with high concentration on languages will, thus, be not only
complementary but also synergistic to the current East Asian Studies degree
programs.
Many graduates in various disciplines who studied Japanese at York have beenworking in countries such as Canada, Japan, Korea, China, India, and Vietnam.
Advanced knowledge of the Japanese language and culture increases job
opportunities for students both domestically and internationally. It also helps
students who wish to apply to graduate schools. 9ii.

For student demand, include five-year enrolment projection, defining steadystate enrolment and when it is to be achieved; obtain an estimate of the demand
for the program from the Admissions Office (see below, Item 6); 10
1st Year
2nd Year
3rd Year

2012-13300
100
60

2013-14300
120
80

2014-15300
120
80

2015-16
300
120
100

8

The data are available based on a questionnaire circulated among the students currently enrolled in thecourses offered in the Japanese Program.
9
Ms. Anthea Murphy was an EAS major who studied Japanese up to the 4000 level at York, and who iscurrently pursuing her M.A. degree in Asian Studies at UBC. She won the Klaus Pringsheim Prize for the
M.A. students’ category at the Japan Studies Association of Canada Conference, held at UBC, Sept. 30 – Oct.
4, 2010.
10The projected enrollment figures are based on the rate of increase in the past. The current 300 in AP/JP
1000 6.0 is a result of capping the enrollment due to lack of teaching staff.

22

4th Year
30
Total
490
*Steady state enrolment
st

1 Year
2nd Year
3rd Year
4th Year
Total

iii.

2012-13
20
20
10
5
55

40
540

40
540

40
560

2013-14
20
25
15
5
65

2014-15
20
25
15
5
65

2015-16
20
30
20
5
75

An indication of the extent to which proposed program provides students withpreparation for graduate studies in the area;
East Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Teaching of Japanese as a Foreign
Language.
Students who pursue their language study in Japanese will prepare themselves
for foreign language requirements of graduate schools.
The Japanese Program has been helping graduate students to obtain Monbukagakusho (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan) scholarships for their research in Japan. 11

iv.

Cite similar programs offered by other institutions in the Ontario university
system and provide evidence of justifiable duplication based on societal need
and/or student demand.
According to our web search on 20 universities in Ontario, as of September,
2012, no institution offers both the Major and Minor in Japanese. The
University of Western Ontario-Huron University College and Carleton
University offer a Minor in Japanese language (with a focus on language
courses). The University of Western Ontario - Huron University College offers
an additional program called Minor in Japanese Studies (with a focus on nonlanguage courses).
Duplication in minor degree programs can be justified for the following reasons.
•Geographical: York’s program can attract students in Greater Toronto
and its outskirts.

11

Recently, Mr. Benjamin Landau, a graduate student in Communication and Culture, has been selected as arecipient of this prestigious scholarship. He took AP/JP 1000 6.0 in 2009-10 and is currently enrolled in
AP/JP 2000 6.0 to improve his Japanese before he assumes his research in Japan next spring.

23

•
•

•

Choice: Offering Minor in Japanese Studies at York makes an option
available for students in various disciplines for major/minor.
Faculty: Western has one tenured faculty member and two instructors;
Carleton has three language instructors; York University has two tenured
faculty members, a third in the tenure-track and one CLA. With the four
full-time faculty members York’s Japanese Studies program will be able
to provide a wider variety of course offerings and quality instruction.
Study opportunity: Although each university has partner institutions inJapan, York distinguishes itself from the others in its ties with very
prestigious universities, such as Meiji, Dokkyo, Keio, Waseda, Nagoya
and Hitotsubashi Universities as shown below. York’s program will be
far more attractive to those who wish to study in Japan.

York
Carleton
Tokyo Keio University
area
Waseda University
Dokkyo University
Meiji University
Hitotsubashi
University
Osaka
Kansai Gaidai
area
University
Konan University
Other
areas

Nagoya University

International
University of Japan
Kumamoto Gakuen
University
Nanzan University

Western:Kansai Gaidai
University
Kyoto -Universityof Foreign Studies
Gumma Prefectural
University for
Women

For these reasons, it is clear that duplication of Minor in Japanese Studies isjustifiable.

Addenda: The following universities have East Asian Studies programs.

University of Waterloo
University of Western
Ontario, Huron University
College
University of Toronto

Minor
Yes.
Yes.

Major
Yes.

Yes.

Yes.
24

York University

Yes. (Honours)

Yes. (Honours)

Other universities offering Japanese language courses.
Level ofinstruction
1st & 2nd

Number Name

up to 3rd2

up to 4th

3

6

Brock University,
Queen's University,
Trent University,
University of Ottawa,
University of Windsor
Western (different campus from Huron University) College
McMaster University
University of Waterloo
Carleton University
University of Toronto
University of Western Ontario (Huron University College)

2. Program Requirementsa. Outline of course requirements
The program is being brought forward as an Honours Minor. The degree requirements
are as follows;•

Honours Minor: 36 credits in the minor

The Honours Minor in Japanese Studies may be combined with any approved
Honours B.A. program that offers a major/minor option in the Faculties ofEnvironmental Studies (Bachelor of Environmental Studies - BES), Health, Liberal
Arts and Professional Studies, Fine Arts or Science and Engineering. For further
details on requirements, refer to the listings for specific Honours programs that may
be pursued jointly with other Faculties.
General Requirements
Students in the Honours Minor program will be required to fulfill not only the
Minor requirement in Japanese Studies but also the other Faculty of Liberal Arts
and Professional Studies degree requirements. Students entering the Honours Minor
program must have a minimum grade point average of 5.0 in their home
program/faculty at York.

25

Graduation requirement is: a minimum GPA of 5.0 for the Honours Minor.
General education requirements
24 credits of General Education chosen from Humanities, Modes of Reasoning,
Natural Science and Social Science, including a minimum of six credits in each of
Humanities, Natural Science and Social Science.
Minimum requirements for Honours Minor Program
All students must take at least 36 credits within the course offerings of JapaneseStudies, of which at least 6 credits must be at the 4000 level. Those who are
exempted from AP/JP 1000 6.00, AP/JP 2000 6.00 or AP/JP 3000 6.00 must take
AP/JP 4000 6.00 and at least one more 4000 level course.
Recommended courses toward the Minor option 12
The proposed program is structured around the following core language andculture curriculum.
Core Curriculum
AP/JP 1000 6.00 Elementary Modern Standard Japanese
AP/JP 2000 6.00 Intermediate Modern Standard Japanese
AP/JP 2700 6.00 Contemporary Japanese Culture and Society
AP/JP 3000 6.00 Advanced Modern Standard JapaneseCredit666
6In addition to the above core courses students can focus on one of the following
areas with the recommended courses.
1. Language & Culture••••

AP/JP 3050 3.00 Japanese Business Culture and Communication
AP/JP 3070 3.00 Japanese Language in the Media
AP/JP 4000 6.00 Advanced Reading in Contemporary Japanese
AP/JP 4010 6.00 Classical Japanese

2. Language and Business••
12

AP/JP 3751 3.00 Japanese Business Culture and Communication
AP/JP 3800 3.00 Internship or Co-op Program

The listed streams are for suggestions only, not formal ones.

26

•
•

AP/JP 4000 6.00 Advanced Reading in Contemporary Japanese
AP/JP 4120 6.00 Translation: Japanese-English; English-Japanese

3. Language and Teaching• AP/JP 3100 3.00 Japanese Linguistics I: Structure of Modern
Japanese Language• AP/JP 3200 3.00 Japanese Linguistics II: Structure of Modern
Japanese Language• AP/JP 4100.6.00 Teaching of Japanese as a Foreign/Second
Language• AP/JP 4000 6.00 Advanced Reading in Contemporary Japanese• AP/JP 4010 6.00 Classical Japanese• AP/JP 4100 6.00 Teaching of Japanese as a Foreign/Second
Language
4. Advanced Language
•
•
•
•
•

i.

AP/JP 3100 3.00 Japanese Linguistics I: Structure of Modern
Japanese Language
AP/JP 3200 3.00 Japanese Linguistics II: Structure of Modern
Japanese Language
AP/JP 4000 6.00 Advanced Reading in Contemporary Japanese
AP/JP 4010 6.00 Classical Japanese
AP/JP 4120 6.00 Translation: Japanese-English; English-Japanese

Courses currently offered, with frequency of offering;
Course No. and title
AP/JP 1000 6.00 Elementary Modern Standard
Japanese
AP/JP 2000 6.00 Intermediate Modern Standard
Japanese
AP/JP 2700 6.00 Contemporary Japanese Culture
and Society
AP/JP 3000 6.00 Advanced Modern Standard
Japanese
AP/JP 3100 3.00 Japanese Linguistics I: Structure ofModern Japanese Language
AP/JP 3751 3.00 Japanese Business Culture andCommunication
AP/JP 3900 3.00 Independent Reading and Research

Offering
Every year
Every year
Every year
Every year
Every year
Alternate year27

AP/JP 3900 6.00 Independent Reading and Research
AP/JP 4000 6.00 Advanced Reading inContemporary Japanese
AP/JP 4010 6.00 Classical Japanese
AP/JP 4100 6.00 Teaching of Japanese as a
Foreign/Second Language
AP/JP 4120 6.00 Translation: Japanese-English;
English-Japanese
AP/JP 4900 6.00 Independent Reading and Researchii.

Alternate year
Alternate year
Alternate year
Alternate year
Offered in 2012

New courses (new courses are subject to approval by Faculties in accordance with
Senate legislation);
2014-15:
AP/JP 3070 3.00
Japanese Language in theMedia (to be proposed for2014-15)

AP/JP 3200 3.00
Japanese Linguistics II:
Structure of Modern
Japanese Language(proposed for 2014-15)
AP/JP 3800. 6.00
Co-op Program (to be
proposed for 2014-15) 13

This course explores how the Japanese language is used inmedia such as magazines, advertisements, fashion, anime,
and web pages, based on discourse analysis and sociocultural observations. Intentions of the use of certain words
and expressions and their effectiveness will be focussed onin reference to socio-cultural changes taking place in Japan.
Prerequisite: AP/JP 2000 6.00 (or equivalent); AP/JP 2700
6.00 or concurrent
This course is the continuation of AP/JP 3100 3.00 Japanese
Linguistics I: Structure of Modern Japanese Language. The
focus of this course is on complex sentence structures,
discourse, pragmatics and socio-linguistic aspects of theJapanese language.
Prerequisite: AP/JP 3100 3.00
Students who are accepted to a co-op program can have theopportunity for on-the-job training by working full-timewith pay for six months to one year in a Japanese businessenvironment in Toronto.
Prerequisite: AP/JP 3000 6.00 (or equivalent)

Note: the courses listed under 2014-15 have been included for information only.
iii.

Required courses mounted by other units; are these to be cross-listed
None.

13

Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. continues to offer the current summer internship program and will support a
co-op program for York students (confirmed, March, 2013).

28

For course substitutes and a listing of relevant courses but that are not credited
towards the Japanese Studies degree programs, please contact the Coordinator forJapanese, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.
iv.

Comment on the appropriateness of the program’s structure and curriculum for its
learning objectives;
The proposed program is structured around the following core language and culture
curriculum.
Core Curriculum
AP/JP 1000 6.00 Elementary Modern Standard Japanese
AP/JP 2000 6.00 Intermediate Modern Standard Japanese
AP/JP 2700 6.00 Contemporary Japanese Culture and Society
AP/JP 3000 6.00 Advanced Modern Standard JapaneseCredit66
66This core curriculum ensures that students will achieve advanced level language
proficiency based on knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture in crosscultural contexts. Each student’s language proficiency varies based on the entry
level knowledge of the language.
Students are required to take further courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels according
to their choices of the following suggested (unofficial) streams: Language andCulture; Language and Business; Language and Teaching; Advanced Language.
The Honours Minor program provides students with an advanced level of language
proficiency and advanced knowledge and understanding of the area studies theychoose.
Through the degree program students receive academic and non-academic
instruction and advice, to enhance their academic knowledge and experiential
knowledge to achieve the set goals and objectives.
The Japanese Studies program adopts a holistic approach to help students broaden
their academic and non-academic experiences through various channels andactivities. Exchange programs provide students with on-site experience and learning
opportunities of cross-cultural communication. The summer internship program or
the proposed co-op program provides the participants with on-the-job training andexperience, and upon successful completion they can earn credits toward the degree.
Extra-curricular activities such as speech contests, Japan-related club activities, andacademic week help students to acquire skills in public speaking, organizing events,
and discussing issues.

29

v.

Comment on the appropriateness of the mode of delivery (including, whereapplicable, distance or online delivery) to meet the program’s learning objectives
All the language courses are web-based and have been tested for online delivery via
video-conferencing and video-streaming. The online option would be madeavailable for York students and distant learners in the near future. Online lecture
exchanges have already begun in language courses, which will be expanded to nonlanguage courses as well. Creating a multi-dimensional learning environment inwhich York students study with students at distant sites has been very effective andsuccessful. 14

vi.

Comment on the appropriateness of methods used to evaluate students’ progress.
As the number of enrolments has grown rapidly in language courses, all the
language tests have been successfully administered online with Moodle to evaluate
students’ knowledge of structures, expressions and vocabulary, and their listening
comprehension. The modular approach adopted for the language courses allows toassess students’ knowledge and proficiency in all the four skill areas – speaking,listening, reading and writing by means of in-class group conversation assignments,
weekly quizzes and writing assignments. The Section has begun to develop a rubric
for assessment, evaluation and portfolio. Extra-curricular activities such as
participating in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, Japanese Speech Contests,
exchange programs, the summer internship program and the proposed co-op
program are also useful yardsticks for measuring students’ progress.

3. Calendar Copy

Japanese Studies
Honours Minor B.A.: A minimum of 36 credits
The Honours Minor in Japanese Studies may be combined with any approved Honours B.A.
program that offers a major/minor option in the Faculties of Environmental Studies(Bachelor of Environmental Studies - BES), Health, Liberal Arts and Professional Studies,
Fine Arts or Science and Engineering. For further details on requirements, refer to thelistings for specific Honours programs that may be pursued jointly with other Faculties.
Note: in a major/minor program, a course may count only once toward major credit orminor credit.
14

The combination of an open learning environment, video-conferencing and video-streaming is a powerful
method for delivering high quality instructions to learners in remote areas. Our open learning environment has
been accessed by learners and teachers of the Japanese language in various countries in the world, such as
USA, India, England, Mexico, and Japan.

30

Minor credits: A minimum of 36 credits in the minor, including at least six credits at the
4000-level.
36 credits including:(i) Japanese Studies Core: 24 credits (compulsory):• AP/JP 1000 6.00
• AP/JP 2000 6.00
• AP/JP 2700 6.00
• AP/JP 3000 6.00(ii) 12 additional credits at the 3000 or 4000-level chosen from:• AP/JP 3050 3.00
• AP/JP 3070 3.00
• AP/JP 3100 3.00
• AP/JP 3120 3.00
• AP/JP 3751 3.00
• AP/JP 3800 3.00
• AP/JP 4000 6.00
• AP/JP 4010 6.00
• AP/JP 4100 6.00
• AP/JP 4120 6.00
• AP/JP 4900 6.00
Note: Students exempt from AP/JP 1000 6.00, AP/JP 2000 6.00 or AP/JP 3000 6.00 musttake AP/JP 4000 6.00 and additional 4000-level courses as well as the above 12 credits.
4. Human and Physical Resource Requirements
a. Faculty Members:i.

List of faculty including appointment status, home unit, areas of teaching andresearch interests, noting their academic expertise in the area of the proposed
program;NameToratani,
KiyokoAppointment Home Unit
Status
Associate
DLLL
Professor
2004 –
tenuredArea of
Teaching
Language,
Culture &Society

Research
Interest
The syntaxsemantics
interface-Lexicalsemantics

Academic
Expertise
Linguistics,
Culture andSociety,Language for
Business31

-Cognitive
linguistics-L2 acquisition
Language,
Pedagogy,
TJFL,
CulturalClassical
Studies,
Japanese,
History andTranslation
Culture, Cross&culturalInterpretation communication

Ota, Norio

Associate
Lecturer,
Coordinator
1984 –
tenuredDLLL

YabukiSoh, Noriko

Assistant
Professor
2000 –
CUPE
2010 –
tenurestream(conversion)

DLLL

LanguageInutsuka,
KumikoLecturer(CLA)
2008 –
CUPE
2010 – CLA
Partially
funded by
the Tanaka
Fund(AUCC)DLLL

Language

Linguistics,
SLA,
CulturalStudies,
History and
Structure ofJapanese,
Translation
andInterpretation
SecondLanguage
Education,
Languageand Media

Secondlanguageacquisition andJapaneselinguistics,
Language andMedia
Onlinelanguageteaching
SecondSecondlanguage
Languagereading: effects Educationof orthography
on literacy
Secondlanguageassessment,
Teaching
Japanese as asecond/foreign
languageii.
a. New faculty requirements and gaps they would be expected to fill.
The current faculty is sufficient for the proposed honours minor degree programwith a few part-time instructors.

32

b. Administration: Specify the need for a coordinator/chair, support staff, advisors, ifany.
The current one coordinator and one support staff member (available in DLLL) will
be sufficient.
c. Library Holdings required.
The current collection of Japan-related books in Scott Library and the books to be
donated to Scott Library by the Japanese Section (300+), will be augmented withnew books, approximately 40, used in new courses.
Ms. Haiyun Cao , Cataloguing Librarian, Scott Library, has reported the following.
“We have 16771 titles related to Japan. 13130 titles are in English and 517 titles are
in Japanese. Others are in French, Chinese, German, etc. 12019 titles are books, 786
titles are Government documents, 716 titles are videos, 518 titles are audios, etc.”
d. Academic computing required.
Each faculty member is equipped with a PC through CRP.
e. Other special equipment required, if any.
A server is required to host an open-learning environment (already installed by the
Section – no extra cost).
More video-conferencing and video-streaming facilities would be desirable fordeveloping TEL hybrid courses.
f. Space requirements.
More rooms specifically equipped with hardware for language teaching and learning.
More rooms equipped with video-streaming (MediaSiteLive) for hybrid courses.
5. Statement of Funding and Resource Availability
A summary statement of funding requirements to support resources needed, including both
start-up costs and continuing costs, including comment on appropriateness of the utilizationof the existing human/physical/financial resources. Append statements attesting to theadequacy of resources to support the proposal from the relevant Dean(s)/Principal, theUniversity Librarian, the University Registrar and comment from the Vice-President
Academic on resource implications of the proposal (see Item 6).
York won the third year competition for the Tanaka Fund administered by AUCC to
support the current CLA position (2010-12).

33

Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. has committed to accepting our students (incompetition with students in other institutions) for the current summer internshipprogram, and the proposed co-op program (proposed for 2014-15).
6. Attachments
a. Statement of support from the relevant Dean(s)/Principal, attesting to the adequacy of
resources: space, computing, staff, faculty, etc.
Dean Martin Singer has approved setting up an honours minor degree program inJapanese Studies.
Professor Ken Coates, President of the Japan Studies Association of Canada, andthe then Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Waterloo.
Mr. Masayuki Suzuki, Former Director, the Japan Foundation Toronto.
Professor Fumiko Ikawa-Smith, Former President of the Japan Studies Associationof Canada, and Professor Emeritus of McGill University.
b. Comment on resource implications from the Office of the Vice-President Academic.
To be requested.
c. Statement from the University Librarian confirming the adequacy of library holdings.
Document available.

d. Statement from the University Registrar regarding the proposed implementation
schedule.
To be requested.
e. Confirmations from "interested" programs that their comments have been solicited.
•

East Asian Studies:
Professor Josh Fogel, Former Coordinator, East Asian Studies Program, expressed
his full support for this attempt in the recent E-mail communication of August 31,
2010.
The current Coordinator, Professor Gordon Anderson, has written a letter of support
dated November 27, 2012.

34

•

Schulich School of Business:
The Japanese Section has been cooperating with the Schulich School of Businessvery closely for a long time in educating their students in the iBBA Program inparticular. The section’s initiative in developing a language course for business has
been supported strongly by Professor Farrokh Zandi, Associate Director,
Undergraduate Programs, Schulich School of Business.

f. Estimate of demand for the program from the Office of Admissions.
Still to come.
g. Course Descriptions
Appendix g: Course Descriptions
Course No. And Title
AP/JP 1000 6.00
Elementary Modern
Standard Japanese

AP/JP 2000 6.00
Intermediate Modern
Standard Japanese

AP/JP 2700 6.00

Course Description
Basics of spoken Japanese, with strong emphasis on
immediate practical usefulness in everyday situations, thetwo kana syllabaries, approximately 150 Kanji (SinoJapanese characters) and elementary reading are covered.
Simple sentence grammar is focused on. No previous
knowledge of the language is assumed. Course credit
exclusions: None. Prior TO FALL 2009: Course credit
exclusion: AS/JP 1000 6.00.
Simple sentence grammar is focused on. No previous
knowledge of the language is assumed.
Prerequisite: None.
Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusion: AS/JP 1000
6.00.
Further study of common grammatical forms and structures;
items covered in AS/JP 1000 6.00 are reviewed andexpanded. Situation and task oriented conversation,
strategy-centred reading and structure-based writing are
involved with emphasis on complex sentence grammar.
Approximately 300 additional Kanji (Sino-Japanesecharacters) are introduced.
Prerequisite: AP/JP 1000 6.00 or equivalent.
Course credit exclusions: None.
PRIOR TO FALL 2009: Prerequisites: AS/JP 1000 6.00 orequivalent. Course credit exclusion: AS/JP 2000 6.00.
This course provides an overview of contemporary Japanese35Contemporary Japanese
Culture and Society

AP/JP 3000 6.00
Advanced Modern
Standard Japanese

AP/JP 3100 3.00
Japanese Linguistics I:
Structure of Modern
Japanese Language

AP/JP 3751 3.00
Japanese Business Culture
and Communication

culture and society, to help students in understanding Japanand its people in the age of globalization and cross-culturalcommunication. Taught in English.
Prerequisite: None
Course credit exclusions: None.
PRIOR TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusions: AS/JP
2700 6.00, AS/JP 2800A 6.00 (prior to Fall/Winter 20032004).
The course focuses on continuous texts; edited texts on
various topics are read, summarized, translated anddiscussed with emphasis on discourse grammar. All Kanji(Sino-Japanese characters) in Education Characters (881)
will be covered.
Prerequisite: AP/JP 2000 6.00 or equivalent.
Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Prerequisite: AS/JP 2000 6.00 orequivalent. Course credit exclusion: AS/JP 3000 6.00.
This course is an introduction to the linguistic study of themodern Japanese language, focusing on structural aspects of
the language. Its major goal is to examine spoken Japanese,offering linguistic description and analyses of a variety ofphenomena. Topics include: phonetics (place and manner ofarticulation and voicing, phonetic inventory of Japanese,
phonology (phonological rules in Japanese, sequential
voicing, mora vs. syllable, accentuation, mimetics, loan
words), morphology (part of speech categories, word
formation, headedness, compounding, nominalization),
lexical semantics (word meaning, relations between words,
lexical aspect), and syntax (word order, grammatical
relations, anaphora and reflexives, passive and causative,
noun modification, tense and aspect).
The language of instruction is English. Readings may
include texts written in Japanese but will be glossed in
English.
Prerequisite: AP/JP1000 6.0 - Elementary Modern Standard
Japanese or AP/LING1000 6.0 Introduction to Linguistics
This course is an introduction to Japanese business culture
and communication. The first part of the course examines
the characteristics of Japanese corporate culture and aspectsof management styles, focusing on the features prominently
observed in large organizations. Topics include historicaldevelopment of Japanese management, human resource
management, decision-making, Japanese consumers,

36

AS/JP 3900 3.00
Independent Reading andResearch.

AS/JP 3900 6.00
Independent Reading andResearchJapanese psych in workplace, and female workforce. The
second part deals with Japanese communication styles. It
outlines linguistic and paralinguistic characteristics
observed when Japanese attempt to communicate inEnglish. It diagnoses symptoms of miscommunication andsuggests strategies for successful cross-culturalcommunication, drawing on concepts from linguistic
theories and cultural/social studies.
The language of instruction is English and all texts are readin English.
Prerequisite:
AP/JP2700 6.0 - Contemporary Japanese Culture andSociety or concurrent
A student may take an independent, individually supervised
reading/research course, provided that the student and thecourse meet the requirements as set out by the Faculty of
Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and those establishedby the department. Note: Independent reading/researchcourses require a signed agreement between the student andfaculty member, as well as the approval of the section
coordinator and undergraduate director. Note: Please
consult the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies
Academic Advising and Student Responsibility section of
the calendar for detailed regulations regarding independent
reading courses.
Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusion: AS/JP 3900
3.00.
A student may take an independent, individually supervised
reading/research course, provided that the student and thecourse meet the requirements as set out by the Faculty of
Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and those establishedby the department. Note: Independent reading/researchcourses require a signed agreement between the student andfaculty member, as well as the approval of the section
coordinator and undergraduate director. Note: Please
consult the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies
Academic Advising and Student Responsibility section of
the calendar for detailed regulations regarding independent
reading courses.
Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusions: AS/JP 3900
6.00.

37

AP/JP 4000 6.00 Advanced Readings in un-annotated original essays and articles on
Reading in Contemporary
current issues taken from periodicals; interpretation,
Japanesetranslation, summarization and discussion of readings
enable students to use a wide variety of Japanese materials
independently. Recognition of Characters for Daily Use(1,945).
Prerequisite: AP/JP 3000 6.00 or equivalent.
Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Prerequisite: AS/JP 3000 6.00 orequivalent. Course credit exclusion: AS/JP 4000 6.00.
AP/JP 4010 6.00 Classical Classical Japanese. In this course, classical JapaneseJapaneselanguage is studied using a wide range of Japanese texts.
Prerequisite: AP/JP3000 6.00 or equivalent or permission of
the department. Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Prerequisite: AS/JP 3000 6.00 orequivalent or permission of the department. Course credit
exclusions: AS/JP 4010 6.00 and AS/JP 4800B 6.00 (Prior
to Fall/Winter 2003-2004).
AP/JP 4100 6.00
This course offers comprehensive teacher education andTeaching of Japanese as a
training for the Japanese language. The main objective is toForeign/Second Language familiarize teachers with current theories, methodologies,
and their practical applications developed in the relevant
areas, with strong focus on the communicative approach,and computer assisted language learning and teaching.
Prerequisites: AP/JP 3100 3.00, AP/JP 3200 3.00 and AP/JP
4000 6.00 or equivalent (for non-native speakers ofJapanese); TOEFL score: 580 or equivalent (for non-native
speakers of English); B.A. or B.A. expected within a year
(may be waived at the instructor's discretion); teachingexperience preferred; AP/LING 3230 3.00 strongly
recommended.
Course credit exclusions: None.
PRIOR TO FALL 2009: Prerequisites: AS/JP 4000 6.00 orequivalent (for non-native speakers of Japanese); TOEFL
score: 580 or equivalent (for non-native speakers ofEnglish); B.A. or B.A. expected within a year (may be
waived at the instructor's discretion); teaching experience
preferred; AS/LING 3230 3.00 strongly recommended.
Course credit exclusion: AS/JP 4100 6.00.
AP/JP 4120 6.00
The course stresses translation practice from and into
Translation: JapaneseJapanese. Exercises are taken from current affairs, social
English; English-Japanese science, humanities, natural science, and other sources.
Students are expected to learn corresponding structures,

38

AP/JP 4900 6.00
Independent Reading andResearch

expressions and vocabulary of Japanese and English.
Students are introduced to relevant aspects of cross-culturalcommunication, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics,
pragmatics and stylistics.
PREREQUISITE: AP/JP 4000 6.00 or equivalent; AP/JP
3000 6.00, with permission of the instructor, permission of
department.
Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Prerequisite: AS/JP 4000 6.00 orequivalent or AS/JP 3000 6.00 with permission of thedepartment.
Course credit exclusions: AS/JP 4120 6.00 and AS/JP
4800B 6.00 (Prior to Fall/Winter 2003-2004).
A student may take an independent, individually supervised
reading/research course, provided that the student and thecourse meet the requirements as set out by the Faculty of
Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and those establishedby the department. Note: Independent reading/researchcourses require a signed agreement between the student andfaculty member, as well as the approval of the section
coordinator and undergraduate director. Note: Please
consult the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies
Academic Advising and Student Responsibility section of
the calendar for detailed regulations regarding independent
reading courses.
Course credit exclusions: None.
Prior TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusion: AS/JP 4900
6.00.

39