Class discussion is encouraged. There are either two oral reports a term or a term paper. Plays on tensions in Chinese society by Tsao Yu and many collections of short stories are covered. Introduction to Chinese Linguistics. Chinese 495 is an introduction to the study of the Chinese language.
Readings are mostly in coursepack form.
In addition to written tests, students are required to give one or more oral reports and to write one research paper. A background in linguistics, though helpful, is not required. The course aims at the acquisition of the four basic language skills - reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension in Japanese. The emphasis is on thorough mastery of the fundamental structure of Japanese through aural-oral exercises and practice to the extent that natural fluency in both spoken and written Japanese is achieved. In the Fall Term the basic rules of the Japanese writing system are presented.