By the end of 205, students are ready to start reading Japanese books in Japanese. The college language requirement is completed with 205. Japanese 206 focuses on polishing and refining practical skills in both spoken and written Japanese. Advanced courses allow students to enjoy modern Japanese poetry and short stories in the original and discuss them in Japanese with classmates, or to read Japanese newspapers and discuss current topics in Japanese. One goal of these courses is to attain a high level of communication skills in Japanese.
Japanese literature is one of the richest in the world.
Carleton offers courses to acquaint students with classical Japanese fiction in translation such as the Tale of Genji, modern Japanese novels by Mishima, Tanizaki, and Nobel Literature Prize winners Kawabata and Oe, or contemporary fiction by Japanese women. In addition to texts themselves and the traditions they represent, these classes explore the social, cultural and esthetic context in which they were written. Students may petition for a special major in Japanese or they may focus on the study of the language or literature as Asian Studies majors. Japanese courses are also an integral part of the East Asian Studies Concentration and an advanced certificate of language learning is offered by the college for students completing the required number of courses after Japanese 206. It is the student's responsibility, in consultation with advisors, to devise a program suited to that student's needs and interests.