Japanese at Drake

Studying Japanese at Drake University is rewarding and productive from the very first day of class. Regardless of the level of study, students work with a native speaker of Japanese and no more than three classmates and use Japanese exclusively to communicate things that are truly meaningful, i.e., not the mindless filler materials found in many current textbooks.

Through the standard sequence of courses (001, 002, 051, 052, 140, 150), students expand their competencies beyond the initial emphasis on speaking in order to develop skills in listening, writing, and reading.

In each Japanese course, as in every language course in the program, students produce an individual electronic portfolio that normally consists of recordings students make of their own voices following a provided model, samples of videos students make of themselves, writing samples, clips from examinations, etc. This record allows coordinators and the students themselves to track progress both within a given semester and over several semesters. Students can also use the ePortfolios after graduation to demonstrate to potential employers or graduate schools their ability to function in Japanese. Examples are representative student work is available by clicking here:

Culture is not, of course, neglected in these courses. The faculty of the Drake University Language Acquisition Program is well aware that culture is embedded in every language. The study of culture is additionally enhanced through the use of weblogs that focus the studentsÕ attention on many important topical, historical, and useful themes. The blogs are utilized in both English and Japanese, depending on the studentsÕ level of proficiency with the language.

The DULAP Japanese program sponsors Japanese cultural learning activities, such as origami workshops, calligraphy workshops and karaoke night every semester for students of Japanese and Japanese speakers in the surrounding community.

Coordinator Contact Information

Chinatsu Sazawa
Email: chinatsu.sazawa@drake.edu
Office: 214 Meredith Hall 271-4992
AIM chinatsusazawa        

First Semester Offered: Fall 2002

Textbooks used

Japanese 001, 002, 051

            Nakama Vo1. by Makino, Hatasa, and Hatasa

Houghton Mifflin Company ISBN: 0-669-27583-2

            Nakama 1: Workbook/ Laboratory Manual

            Houghton Mifflin Company ISBN: 0-669-27585-9

Japanese 052, 140, 150

・Nakama Vo2.  by Makino, Hatasa, and Hatasa

Houghton Mifflin Company      ISBN: 0-669-28504-8

            ・Nakama 2: Workbook/ Laboratory Manual

Japanese 001

Japanese 002

Japanese 051

Japanese 052

Japanese 140