Undergraduate Programmes, Department of Japanese Studies HKU

Department of Japanese Studies - SMLC
Undergraduate Programmes

LANGUAGE, SOCIETY AND CULTURE 2010/2011

If you are considering taking Japanese Studies courses, this booklet may help you. It contains information about the courses to be offered in the year 2010/2011, and about the syllabus as a whole. You will also find some suggestions about subjects with which Japanese Studies should make a good combination.

Further information may be obtained from the Department's course selection advisers (Mr. CY Chan and Dr. M. Yorozu), though enquiries about specific courses may be made directly to the lecturers giving those courses.

First Year

To qualify for a major in Japanese Studies, students with no prior qualifications in the Japanese language must take a minimum of 18 credits of first year courses from List A below, and students with prior qualifications in the Japanese language must take a minimum of 18 credits of first year courses from List B below. As optional courses, JAPN1009. Introduction to Japanese linguistics is offered to students who wish to put greater emphasis on the study of the language itself, and JAPN1013. Situational Japanese conversation to students who wish to improve their conversational skills and Japanese pronunciation.

List A
JAPN1011. Introduction to Japanese studies (6 credits)
JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2) (6 credits)

List B
JAPN1011. Introduction to Japanese studies (6 credits)
JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits)

First year students with prior qualifications in the Japanese language should contact the School’s general office for information on the date and time of the qualification examination, usually held in early September.

Compulsory Courses

JAPN1011. Introduction to Japanese studies (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to first year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
Introduction to Japanese studies aims to provide students with a broad-based description of Japanese society and culture. The course will cover various aspects of the country, such as its history, geography, politics and government, religion and literature. Students will be assigned to a tutorial group either in the first or second semester.
This course is targeted primarily at those Faculty of Arts’ students who have enrolled in Japanese language courses, but students from other faculties may take the course subject to availability.
Assessment: 100% coursework (presentations, essay assignments, etc.)

JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1) (6 credits)

This introductory course is designed for total beginners in the study of the Japanese language. The fundamentals of the language will be presented through a carefully graded syllabus. Equal emphasis will be placed on developing the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, thereby enabling students to establish a solid foundation in the language.
Assessment: 100% coursework (including tests, quizzes, assignments/class performance and final oral test)

N.B. For pedagogical reasons, some of the classes in this course will be taught in Cantonese. Non-Cantonese speakers should ensure that they are enrolled in a class where the medium of instruction is English. Since Chinese characters are an integral part of this course and will be given no separate introduction by the course instructors, students with no prior knowledge of Chinese characters should ensure that they discuss this issue with their class teacher at the beginning of the semester.

JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2) (6 credits)

This elementary Japanese course focuses on proficiency-based foreign language learning. While the emphasis is on a thorough understanding of basic Japanese grammar, it also aims to develop communicative competence in order to prepare students for a smooth transition to the study of Japanese at a more advanced level.
Prerequisite: JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework (including tests, quizzes, assignments/class performance and final oral test)

N.B. Since Chinese characters are an integral part of this course and will be given no separate introduction by the course instructors, students with no prior knowledge of Chinese characters should ensure that they discuss this issue with their class teacher at the beginning of the semester.

JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits)

This course is open to first year students who have completed approximately 150 hours of Japanese language studies at other institutions prior to entering HKU, or who, at the time of their admission to HKU, have attained a level of Japanese proficiency equivalent to that of students who have successfully completed the course JAPN1099. Japanese Language I (Part 2).
This course covers elementary Japanese grammar, and aims to provide Japanese language students with a solid grounding in the four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits)

This course is a continuation of JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1). The course is open to first year students who have successfully completed JAPN1188, or first year students who can demonstrate that they have attained a comparable level of ability in the Japanese language.
It will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of basic Japanese grammar. Upon completion of the course, a successful learner should have acquired the necessary Japanese language abilities and study skills to progress to an intermediate level of Japanese proficiency, and show an increased aptitude for autonomous learning in the third year.
Prerequisite: JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework

Optional Courses

JAPN1009. Introduction to Japanese linguistics (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to first year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course is an introductory linguistics course with particular reference to the Japanese language. The language will be examined from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives and frequent cross linguistic comparisons will be made with Cantonese, Mandarin and English. The purpose of the course is to stimulate interest in the Japanese language, and facilitate the acquisitional process while at the same time promoting a general understanding of human language behaviour, an issue of great relevance to students of a second language.
Assessment: 100% coursework (reading assignment summaries, test, presentation, midterm paper and term project)

JAPN1013. Situational Japanese conversation (6 credits)

This course teaches basic Japanese conversational skills for use in such situations as may be encountered during short stays in Japan. The course also provides training in natural Japanese pronunciation to facilitate communication with native speakers.
Prerequisite: JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework

Second and Third Years

Japanese Studies Programme

1. The Japanese Studies Programme course structure

The Japanese Studies Programme consists of 3 components:

(i) Japanese language courses:
Japanese language forms the backbone of the programme in Japanese Studies. The courses that make up this component are designed to provide balanced training in reading, writing, speaking and listening and to take students from an elementary to an advanced level of competence in each of these skills.

(ii) Japanese language-intensive courses:
Courses in this category are used to back up the core language courses and are designed to broaden students’ knowledge of Japanese through the examination of a wide range of materials, including excerpts from novels, short stories, newspaper articles, essays, comic books, TV programmes, web pages and so on. The primary aim of these courses, however, is to make use of such materials to analyse and discuss various aspects of Japanese society and culture. All language-intensive courses require some knowledge of the Japanese language and are open to students who are taking Japanese language courses. Non-Japanese language course students who have attained a comparable level of proficiency in Japanese may also apply for admission to these courses.

(iii) Japan-related interdisciplinary content courses:
Interdisciplinary content courses are taught by members of the Japanese Studies programme along with members of other disciplines, such as Fine Arts, History, Music and Sociology, who employ different disciplinary approaches to aspects of Japanese Studies. The aim of these courses is to provide students with a deeper understanding of different facets of Japanese society and culture. Interdisciplinary content courses are open to all students in the Faculty of Arts as well as to students from other designated Faculties/Schools. Some courses are open to students from all faculties.

Third year students taking a major or minor in Japanese Studies Programme who fulfill the course enrolment requirements may choose to take an optional ‘capstone’ course, designed to allow students to advance their analytical thinking by permitting the application of disciplinary knowledge and principles learned in the first and second years.

2. Major in Japanese Studies Programme

2A. A major in Japanese Studies consists of 54 credits in the Japanese Studies programme to be taken in the Second and Third years.

To major in Japanese Studies, students who have no prior qualifications in the Japanese language and have completed JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1) (6 credits), JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2) (6 credits) and JAPN1011. Introduction to Japanese studies (6 credits) in the first year must normally take the following language courses in their second year:

JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits)

Students who do not elect to participate in a one-year exchange programme to Japan must normally take the following courses in their third year.

JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) (6 credits)

Students who do elect to participate in a one-year exchange programme to Japan must normally take the following courses in their third year:

JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2) (6 credits)

Students who have prior qualifications in the Japanese language and have completed JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits), JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits) and JAPN1011. Introduction to Japanese studies (6 credits) in the first year must normally take the following language courses in their second and/or third year in order to major in Japanese Studies.

JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) (6 credits)

However, students who have the applicable course instructor’s permission to do so can take JAPN3188 and JAPN3199 instead of/in addition to JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) and JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) as part of their requirement for a BA.

In addition, all students must complete at least one Japanese language-intensive course (6 credits) (to be selected from List F at the end of this section) in each of their second and third years, and must also complete three interdisciplinary content courses (6 credits each) (to be selected from List G at the end of this section) during the two-year period that comprises their second and third years (completing at least one in each of their second and third years).

2B. Special Honours (SH) in Japanese Studies

Goals and objectives of the SH programme

The SH provides students with opportunities to achieve upper-advanced levels of Japanese language proficiency, along with superior critical and analytical understanding in their study of Japanese culture and society. By the end of the programme, students will be able to:

- Use Japanese with high levels of accuracy and fluency in most formal and informal contexts and in the discussion of practical, social and abstract topics.
- Communicate effectively, express opinions, and hypothesize in oral/written communication.
- Read and fully comprehend a variety of literary texts and passage/pieces of expository prose.
- Follow the essentials of complex discourse in academic/professional settings, in lectures, speeches and reports.
- Attain a superior understanding of a range of fields within Japanese Studies, sufficient to create a sound basis for postgraduate research in either an English-medium or Japanese-medium programme.
- Display the ability to articulate a sophisticated level of critical and analytical argument about Japan in Japanese, sufficient to create a sound basis for postgraduate research in a Japanese-medium programme.

Eligibility

- Students who took part in a one-year exchange programme to Japan.
- Students who did not take part in a one-year exchange programme to Japan, but obtained grade A in JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) or JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2) or JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2), and have a recommendation from a Japanese Studies teacher.

Assessment for Special Honours

Exit assessment based on course grades: an average grade of B or above in Japanese Studies major courses is required for the award of a Special Honours.

Course/credit requirements

The SH consists of 60 credit units as follows.

Core language courses
To obtain Special Honours in Japanese Studies, students must take one of the following five combinations of language courses.

A:
Year 1:
JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1)
JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2)

Year 2:
JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1)
JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2)
(with grade A in JAPN2099 and a teacher’s recommendation)

Year 3:
JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1)
JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)

B:
Year 1:
JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1)
JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2)

Year 2:
JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1)
JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2)
(one-year exchange)

Year 3:
JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1)
JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)

C:
Year 1:
JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1)
JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2)

Year 2:
JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1)
JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2)
(with grade A in JAPN2199 and a teacher’s recommendation)

Year 3:
JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1)
JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)

D:
Year 1:
JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1)
JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2)
(one-year exchange)

Year 2 or 3:
JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1)
JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)

E:
Year 1:
JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1)
JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2)

Year 2:
JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1)
JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2)
(one-year exchange)

Year 3:
JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1)
JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)

Language-intensive courses
12 credits including at least 6 credits from the following courses.

JAPN3016. Advanced business Japanese (6 credits)
JAPN3025. Advanced media Japanese (6 credits)

Non-SH students are normally not eligible to take the language intensive courses listed above. Exceptions can be made however, at the teacher’s discretion, should non-SH students wish to take these courses.

Content courses
24 credits including at least 12 credits from the following courses.

JAPN3004. Contemporary Japanese fiction (6 credits)
JAPN3006. Extended essay in Japanese studies (9 credits) (The essay must be written in Japanese)
JAPN3008. Contemporary Japanese popular music (6 credits)
JAPN3009. Japanese film (6 credits)
JAPN3021. Communication and society (6 credits)

Non-SH students are normally not eligible to take the content courses listed above, with the exception of JAPN3006. Exceptions can be made however, at the teacher’s discretion, should non-SH students wish to take these courses.

Credit transfer

Core language courses
JAPN3188 (Part 1) and JAPN3199 (Part 2) are mandatory for SH students and credit transfer for these courses is not accepted.

Language intensive courses and content courses
Credit transfer can be considered in the case of students who have taken similar courses at other institutions. Students are required to submit detailed information about the course (ex: syllabus and course description, course materials, etc.) to programme coordinators in order to have their credit transfer request considered.

3. Minors in Japanese Studies Programme

The Japanese Studies Programme Minors require between 24 to 30 credit units of year two and year three courses.

3A. Minor in Japanese Language

A minor in Japanese Language shall consist of 24 credit units. Students with no prior qualifications in the Japanese language must take 24 credits from List C below.

List C
JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits)
JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) (6 credits)

The pre-requisite courses are JAPN1088. Japanese language I (Part 1) (6 credits) and JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2) (6 credits).

Students with prior qualifications in the Japanese language must take 12 credits from List D below.

List D
JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) (6 credits)

In addition, they must complete at least two third year Japanese language-intensive courses (6 credits each) (to be selected from List F at the end of this section) in the third year.

The pre-requisite courses are JAPN1188. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits) and JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits).

Prerequisites may be waived if students can prove that they have attained elsewhere the requisite level.

3B. Minor in Japanese Culture

A minor in Japanese Culture shall consist of 30 credit units of second and third-year interdisciplinary content courses from the Japanese Studies syllabus. Students must complete at least one interdisciplinary content course (6 credits) (to be selected from List G at the end of this section) in each of the second and third years. As a pre-requisite, students must pass 6 credits of first-year courses in the first or second semester. The pre-requisite course is JAPN1011. Introduction to Japanese studies (6 credits). The following courses cannot count towards a minor in Japanese culture: core language courses and language-intensive courses.

Second Year Courses

JAPN2007. Modern Japanese short stories (6 credits)

This is a tutorial-based language-intensive course for second year students. The course aims to introduce students to the richness of Japanese literature, through careful study of a number of modern short stories. Students will be required to read original Japanese texts written by authors representative of Japan’s long literary tradition. The themes and ideas present in each story will be thoroughly discussed. Literary styles and the techniques of individual writers will be analysed and contrasted in order to enhance students’ analytical and critical thinking abilities. Another aim of the course is to improve students’ reading and speaking skills through literary appreciation and discussion. Grammatical explanations will be provided during class in order to facilitate understanding.
Co-requisite: JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) or JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (tests, presentation(s) and essay assignment)

JAPN2008. Translation I (Japanese into English) (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This language-intensive course aims to equip students with the skills necessary to translate Japanese texts into English. Students will be taught to analyse Japanese sentences in detail and translate them accurately into idiomatic English. The course starts with simple texts, carefully selected to demonstrate a variety of sentence structures, and gradually progresses to more complicated texts, dealing with topics studied in some of the content courses. Various types of specialized vocabulary and different writing styles will be introduced as the course progresses. Students will be expected to prepare for class by working on texts beforehand. There will be a number of written assignments for which students will be required to analyse sentence structures and prepare written translations of short texts.
Co-requisite: JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1) and JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2009. Translation I (Chinese/Japanese, Japanese/Chinese) (6 credits)

This language-intensive course aims to provide students with the basic skills required for translating Japanese texts into Chinese and vice versa. Students will translate short, simple texts, chosen to illustrate a range of sentence patterns in both Chinese and Japanese. Texts with more complex structures, that contain a wide variety of vocabulary and that typify different writing styles, will gradually be introduced to build up students’ translation skills. Students will be familiarised with a number of reference tools useful in Chinese/Japanese translation and will learn to make use of them in their work.
Co-requisite: JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1) and JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) or JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) and JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2)
Assessment: 70% coursework, 30% examination
Examination: A two-hour written examination at the end of the second semester

JAPN2032. The changing image of Hong Kong in Japanese writings (6 credits)

This is a tutorial-based language-intensive course for second year students. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, a large number of Japanese travellers visited Hong Kong. The reasons behind their visits were numerous, but Hong Kong’s unique blend of modernity and colonialism never failed to make a very strong impression on them; Japanese records and articles about Hong Kong are therefore abundant. In this course, representative passages will be selected and studied in their original versions.
Through the examination of these materials, the course aims to enhance students’ understanding of Hong Kong-Japan relations. The stereotypical images or views of Hong Kong apparent in many of these Japanese texts will be evaluated and discussed in light of the historical context in which they were written. Events such as the anti-Japan riots, the Diaoyutai issue and the phenomenonal popularity of Japanese culture among local youngsters, all of which have had, and in some cases continue to have, a significant influence on Hong Kong-Japan relations, will be looked at and discussed.
As a language-intensive course, the aim is to further improve students’ reading abilities by exposing them to a variety of writing styles. Differences in writing techniques and in how arguments are presented to the reader will also be dwelt upon in order to strengthen students’ potential for analytical and critical thinking.
Assessment: 100% coursework (quizzes, presentation(s) and essay assignment)

JAPN2041. Comprehensive basic grammar (6 credits)

This course aims to consolidate and further expand students’ grammatical knowledge. The course will start with a revision of basic grammar patterns taught in the first year, to ensure that they are fully understood. Following that, new patterns commonly used in daily life will be introduced. Though the course’s focus will be on grammar, a wide range of vocabulary, listening and reading exercises will be incorporated to promote proficiency in these equally important areas.
Co-requisite: JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2042. Productive skills I (6 credits)

This course is designed for students who have completed approximately 150 hours of Japanese language studies, and thus have a basic knowledge of Japanese grammar. The course aims to develop/enhance students’ proficiency in Japanese and previously acquired language skills through various activities and actual usage of the language. Upon completion of the course, successful students will have mastered the basic language skills necessary to effectively communicate in local (i.e. Hong Kong) situations that call for the application of Japanese language skills. Students will undergo language training designed to improve their Japanese oral production skills (which include pronunciation, conversation and speech presentation) as well as writing skills.
Co-requisite: JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2043. Productive skills II (6 credits)

This course aims to enhance students’ previously acquired Japanese language skills through various activities and tasks, assignments and exercises. In addition to providing further training in accurate pronunciation and intonation, the course will concentrate on improving students’ listening, reading and speaking skills. Using various pedagogical approaches, students will be introduced to the characteristics of written and spoken Japanese, as well as given instruction in how to master different means of expression, and in how to present their ideas verbally and in writing.
Co-requisite: JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits)

This course is a continuation of JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2), and covers elementary Japanese grammar. It is a balanced course that involves reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension. The course aims to provide students with a strong grounding in the Japanese language.
Prerequisite: JAPN1099. Japanese language I (Part 2) or equivalent
Assessment: 100% coursework

N.B. This course is designed for students who do not have a thorough grounding in elementary Japanese grammar. Students with a strong/pre-existing Japanese language background (e.g. students who have attended language courses outside the university, have lived in Japan, or have Japanese parents) should check with the applicable teachers as to their suitability for the course before enrolling in it. Students may be required to take a qualifying examination.

JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits)

This course is a continuation of JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1), and basic grammar will be covered in depth. Additional training will be provided to enable students to successfully use the fundamental grammatical patterns already acquired to express themselves in natural and fluent Japanese. Readily available everyday learning materials will be used to encourage independent study. Upon completion of the course, a successful learner should have acquired the necessary Japanese language abilities and study skills to progress to an intermediate level of Japanese proficiency, and show an increased aptitude for autonomous learning in the third year.
Prerequisite: JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework

Third Year Courses

JAPN3004. Contemporary Japanese fiction (6 credits)

This Japanese-medium interdisciplinary content course looks at selected works of fiction by post-war Japanese writers. Students will be expected to read, understand and analyse these works in their original, Japanese-language, version, and required to write a long essay about one of them. The themes, literary techniques and styles of these various fictional works will be critically evaluated and discussed at length, in line with the course’s aim to provide students with a greater understanding and enjoyment of Japanese literature.
Co-requisite: JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (essay assignment)

JAPN3006. Extended essay in Japanese studies (9 credits)

This interdisciplinary content course may be taken only by third year students who have accumulated at least 54 credits as part of their BA in Japanese Studies, and who wish to specialize in a particular topic. Students must obtain their supervisor’s approval for their choice of topic, and the latter must be selected and discussed under their supervisor’s tutorial guidance, before it is written up in either English or Japanese as an extended research essay. The length of the essay cannot be less than 8,000 words in English, or 10,000 characters in Japanese.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN3007. Translation II - Japanese – English (6 credits)

This advanced translation course aims to help students acquire the necessary skills and to render a variety of Japanese texts into English. The first objective of the course is to improve students’ competence in both the original language (Japanese) and the target language (English). Students are expected to acquire the necessary grammatical and analytical tools to enable a grammatically and semantically correct understanding of the Japanese text. This objective will be attained through the completion of practical Japanese-into-English translation exercises, both in class and as homework. The second objective is to introduce students to a number of translation strategies and concepts which can help them evaluate their own translations and those of others. Various approaches to translation and their appropriateness to different types of texts will be discussed. This objective will be accomplished through lectures, reading course handouts and completion of practical exercises aimed at evaluating particular translations in terms of the theories introduced during the course.
Co-requisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) and JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2), or JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) and JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN3008. Contemporary Japanese popular music (6 credits)

This Japanese-medium interdisciplinary content course looks at the contemporary Japanese popular music scene since World War Two. The main approach used will be anthropological rather than musicological or ethno-musicological. The course will take a close look at how the Japanese popular music industry was established and developed. It will also examine how the images of particular popular singers and their songs were constructed by the music industry, and then revised to take into account audience response. It will also explore the social and historical circumstances that led to the popularity of a particular singer or song.
Co-requisite: JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (assignment, quiz and test)

JAPN3009. Japanese film (6 credits)

This Japanese-medium interdisciplinary content course introduces students to contemporary Japanese filmmakers (e.g. Iwai Shunji, Furuhata Yasuo, etc.) and their works. Students will watch carefully selected films (with Japanese, English and/or Chinese subtitles) and discuss them in Japanese. The course aims to enhance students’ appreciation of Japanese films, to provide them with a general introduction to Japanese films and film directors, and to offer them the opportunity to discuss the content and style of these films in Japanese.
Co-requisite: JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (essay and discussions)

JAPN3010. Translation II (Chinese/Japanese, Japanese/Chinese) (6 credits)

This language-intensive course is a continuation of JAPN2009. Translation I (Chinese/Japanese, Japanese/Chinese). It aims to further develop students’ skills through the translation of more complex passages from Japanese into Chinese and vice versa. Excerpts in both languages and covering a variety of topics and themes will be selected from established sources.
Co-requisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) and JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) or JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) and JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part2)
Assessment: 70% coursework, 30% examination
Examination: A two-hour written examination at the end of the second semester

JAPN3014. Project in Japanese business (9 credits)

This interdisciplinary content course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge of Japanese language, society and culture to a project commissioned by a Japanese business organization. Through this project, students will gain real life experience in dealing with Japanese organizations at a managerial level, while perfecting their communication and interpersonal skills. Upon completion of their projects, students will make use of various theoretical frameworks to analyze the problems encountered during their tasks and will write these up in the form of an essay. Enrolment in this course involves a selection process and requires the approval of the course instructor.
Co-requisite: Either JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) or JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework (report, project portfolio, presentation, etc.)

JAPN3016. Advanced business Japanese (6 credits)

This is an advanced language-intensive course for students who are enrolled in JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2). Classes are held twice a week. The first class will concentrate on the reading and understanding of business correspondence and other business documents. Students will learn the formats required for proper Japanese business correspondence, and how to tailor business correspondence to a variety of topics. They will increase their knowledge of formal honorific written Japanese, as well as of specialized business vocabulary, allowing them to fully understand the format of these documents and draft their own. The second class will go beyond the basics of spoken business Japanese and focus on more advanced interactive skills. Students will learn with the appropriate language styles, vocabulary and phraseology to deal with a variety of business situations.
Co-requisite: JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (assignments, written/ oral quizzes, discussions and presentations)

JAPN3017. Business Japanese (6 credits)

This is a language-intensive course for third-year Japanese language students. The course will concentrate on basic concepts of ‘positive face’ and ‘negative face’ as proposed under the ‘Politeness theory’ and will enable students to understand the underlying reasons why some behaviours are acceptable in Japanese society and others are not. Emphasis will be placed on the differences between Japanese and Hong Kong behaviours and practices. Students will also acquire basic spoken and written business Japanese skills and the behaviours appropriate to a Japanese business context with a focus on the language styles, vocabulary and phraseology needed to deal with a variety of business situations. By the end of the course, students are expected to effectively employ the concepts in Politeness theory and business language, as well as other knowledge acquired throughout the course, in the presentation of a short skit.
Students enrolled in JAPN3188 Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199 Japanese language IV (Part 2) are not eligible to take this course.
Assessment: 100% coursework (assignments, quizzes and oral interview test)

JAPN3020. Advanced translation, Japanese to Chinese (6 credits)

This language-intensive course aims to promote students’ skills in translating Japanese texts into Chinese. Through discussions and regular practice, students will learn about the subtleties and complexities of Japanese expressions, and how to render them into fluent Chinese. To familiarize students with different genres of writings, newspaper articles, literary works and other kinds of Japanese texts will be introduced. A small translation project will be carried out during the course to enhance students’ language competence and translation skills.
Co-requisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) and JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) or JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part1) and JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part2)
Assessment: 70% coursework, 30% examination
Examination: A two-hour written examination at the end of the second semester

JAPN3021. Communication and society (6 credits)

This Japanese-medium interdisciplinary content course explores the social behaviour of Japanese people embedded in their language use. A sociolinguistic approach to Japanese culture is promoted through students’ active participation in the empirical analyses of language variations such as dialects, gender differences and age markers. Coursework also includes the examination of problems that frequently occur in cross-cultural communication.
Co-requisite: JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (project, presentation, journal writing and essays)

JAPN3025. Advanced media Japanese (6 credits)

This advanced language-intensive course is designed for students who are enrolled in JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2). The course aims to help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate information drawn from a variety of media sources. It will also provide them with the training necessary to extract factual information from both oral and written texts and increase their understanding of the ideas these texts convey.
Co-requisite: JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) or JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (quizzes, project and presentation)

JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) (6 credits)

This language course is designed for students who have taken part in a one-year exchange programme to Japan or who have a similar level of proficiency in Japanese. Students in the Japanese Studies Special Honours stream are required to complete this course. The course focuses evenly on all four language skills, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing, and aims to help students achieve upper-advanced levels of Japanese proficiency. JAPN3188’s main focus is to provide students with the language skills necessary for them to carry out the course assignments required by JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2). Credit transfer for this course is not accepted.
Prerequisite: Course instructors’ approval
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2) (6 credits)

This language course is designed for students who took part in a one-year exchange programme to Japan or who have a similar level of proficiency in Japanese. Students in the Japanese Studies Special Honours stream are required to complete the course. The course introduces hands-on activities that allow students to put what they learned in JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) to practical use. Credit transfer for this course is not accepted.
Prerequisite: JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) and the course instructors’ approval
Assessment: 100% coursework

Second and Third Year Courses

JAPN2003.Introduction to Japanese literature (6 credits)

This general interdisciplinary content course offers an overview of Japanese novels, poems and plays. The aim of this course is to provide students with a strong foundation in the historical development of Japanese literature. The course will cover Japanese myth, monogatari, waka, renga and haiku.
Prerequisite: Basic Japanese language knowledge is required
Assessment: 100% coursework (tests, presentation(s) and essay assignment)

JAPN2010. Japanese business: an anthropological introduction (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course - taught by means of lectures and tutorials - focuses on various aspects of Japanese business. It is particularly concerned with the social organization and culture of the Japanese salaryman, and deals with such varied topics as company socialization, decision-making, management procedures, gender relations, leisure activities, sake drinking and so on. The course is open to both second- and third-year Japanese Studies students, as well as to students from other departments and faculties who may have an academic interest in its contents.
Assessment: 100% coursework (group projects and final essays)

JAPN2011. Anthropology of Japan (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course - taught by means of lectures and tutorials - is designed to provide undergraduate students specializing in Japanese Studies with a comprehensive introduction to, and understanding of, certain aspects of contemporary Japanese society. As such it will focus on such themes as comics, tourism, sexuality and TV dramas.
Assessment: 100% coursework (group projects and final essays)

JAPN2014. China and Japan (6 credits)

This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the study of the history and politics of Sino-Japanese relations in the context of the East Asia world order up to the early twentieth-first century. The course is divided into two parts: The first part of the course takes on a macro-historical approach, and examines the modernization process of Japan and China in a comparative perspective, and in the process dissects the complicated relationship that China and Japan had with each other up to end of the Cold War. The second part of the course examines post Cold War Sino-Japanese relations. Students are introduced to topics by means of two broad survey lectures, and are invited to examine in greater detail the various controversial issues within this set of bilateral relations. The course will examine the following themes from the perspective of Sino-Japanese relations: historical legacy, nationalism and identity, the Pinnacles (Senkaku/Diaoyutai) Islands dispute, the Taiwan issue, the Korean Peninsula crisis and the competition for energy sources. By the end of the course, students will hopefully be able to reach some sort of understanding as to whether China and Japan are destined to be rivals, or whether they can actually co-exist as great powers and promote peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Assessment: 100% coursework (presentations and essays)

JAPN2015. Japanese enterprise groupings (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course - taught by means of lectures and tutorials - concentrates on the study of Japanese enterprise groupings. It will start by introducing three major theoretical perspectives on economic organizations - structural, strategic and institutional – so as to provide students with a theoretical understanding of these groupings. The histories of different enterprise groupings, their operation and the function they serve will then be examined. Analysis will focus on the roles played by major Japanese banks, general trading firms, insurance companies, core member corporations of the groupings, and on the so-called preferential trading between core large corporations and their peripheral companies. Finally, the discussion of these topics will be looked at in the context of Japanese and American trade disputes.
Assessment: 100% coursework (group projects and final essays)

JAPN2016. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese I Comparative phonology (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course will detail the phonological components of Japanese and Cantonese through the extensive examination of current theories and the application of contrastive analysis. Besides introducing both features commonly found in all human language sound systems and characteristics specific to a select few, the course will help students familiarize themselves with the most common forms of transcription used in language teaching, including the most important of all, the International Phonetic Alphabets (IPA).
Assessment: 100% coursework (a series of transcription tests and a final project on comparative studies)

JAPN2024. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese III Syntactic features and pedagogical implications (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course initially focuses on a theoretical discussion of the grammatical peculiarities of the languages in question, from the perspective of two natural world languages with their own distinctive features. Next, these languages are examined and contrasted in relation to the potential problem areas that arise when they are considered either as the source language or the target language in the course of acquisition, i.e. the learning of Japanese by Cantonese native speakers or of Cantonese by Japanese native speakers.
Assessment: 100% coursework (assessment portfolio including lecture and reading summaries, tests, presentation and term paper)

JAPN2027. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese II Phonological transfer and pedagogy in foreign language acquisition (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course will highlight potential areas of native language interference in the acquisition of a second or third language’s pronunciation system using the difficulties encountered by native Cantonese and Japanese speakers when learning another language as an example. The course will use theoretical discussions and knowledge gained from JAPN2016. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese I as a basis for training students to predict these areas of interference. Languages such as English, Mandarin, French and Korean will serve as references.
Prerequisite: JAPN2016. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese I - Comparative phonology
Assessment: 100% coursework (tutorial tasks, test and a final project on pedagogy)

JAPN2029. Japanese popular music and Hong Kong society (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course examines the way in which Japanese popular music was integrated into the Hong Kong music scene in the 1980s, a time when Japanese popular music was at its most influential. To understand this phenomenon, the course will first take a close look at the popular music scene in Japan in the 1970s and the 1980s. Then, it will examine how socio-political developments in Hong Kong shaped the local popular music industry and affected the selection, import, and distribution of Japanese popular music in the territory. Lastly, the course will look at changes in the way Japanese popular music has been consumed in Hong Kong from the 1990s to the present. In so doing, it aims to provide students with an introduction to the contemporary popular music scene in both Hong Kong and Japan. The main approach used will be social scientific rather than musicological.
Assessment: 100% coursework (quiz, test and essay)

JAPN2030. Japanese business, culture and communication (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course focuses on intercultural communication involving Japanese professionals. The course will explore how and why members of different groups misunderstand each other in spoken, written and electronically mediated communication. It will consider the ways in which people use language to claim and display complex and often multiple identities. Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach and applying it to both Japanese and Chinese professionals, the course will take a situation-based approach to the examination of professional communication across cultures.
Assessment: 100% coursework (projects, presentations and essays)

JAPN2031. The media and Japan (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This interdisciplinary content course introduces students to the workings of the electronic media in Japan. The course will focus on the following three areas: coverage of the Hong Kong handover; TV documentary features on international affairs; and Japanese TV entertainment programmes available in Hong Kong. It will examine how the Japanese media covered the 1997 handover and will contrast its coverage of the event with that of other international media organisations. Students will watch and analyse feature-length documentaries whose broadcasting subsequently influenced the decisions of high-ranking Japanese Government officials. The course will also look at the distribution and consumption of Japanese cartoons, dramas and entertainment shows amongst the local Hong Kong Chinese population from the 1970s onwards.
Assessment: 100% coursework (projects, presentations and essays)

JAPN2039. Negotiation and conflict resolution: a cross-cultural perspective (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course introduces students to some powerful frameworks for analyzing and preparing for negotiations and for resolving conflicts. Students will practice applying these frameworks through in-class simulations and role plays. The course will make use of numerous cross-cultural cases and readings (particularly relating to Japan and mainland China) to help students develop an awareness of how the cultural contexts and the cultural backgrounds of negotiators could influence negotiations.
Assessment: 100% course work (class participation, negotiation planning documents, class diary and research paper or book review)

JAPN2040. Understanding Japanese business through novels (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course will introduce students to a number of Japanese-language economic or business novels that have been translated into English. By understanding the feelings, attitudes and personalities of a wide variety of literary characters, students will be able to gain insights into the drama of working life from a Japanese perspective. They will also gain a deeper understanding of how certain significant economic events have impacted companies and their employees.
Prerequisite: none, although JAPN2010 or a prior knowledge of Japanese business or the Japanese economy would be helpful
Assessment: 100% course work (class participation and two analytical essays)

JAPN2045. Sex, gender, and technology in Japan and East Asia (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This class will explore the social and material structures that have shaped understandings of sex and gender in East Asia, focusing on Japan, with some exploration of the Chinese and Korean situations. “Technology” is taken to be the sum of the techniques and practices that shape material, social, and cultural production and reproduction. This deliberately broad definition allows us to trace the interactions between social norms, political structures, and cultural change. Our source materials are similarly interdisciplinary: they are drawn from literature, memoirs, and anthropology as well as history.
Assessment: 100% coursework (presentations, essay assignments, etc)

JAPN2046. Critical inquiries into Japanese and East Asian modernities (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This seminar will examine the role of “Japan” in “Asia,” beginning with an “Area Studies” inquiry to investigate the boundaries and purposes of “Japanese Studies” and “Asian Studies.” This inquiry will lead to a further examination of how the modern experiences of “Japan” and “Asia” were seen by both non-Asians and Asian. What does it mean to be the first “modern” nation of Asia? What is the significance of Japan’s modern experience for “Asia?” The topic covered will include (but are not limited to): Japan, Orientalism, colonialism and decolonization, inventions of traditions, modernity, nationalism and identity.
Assessment: 100% coursework (presentations, essay assignments, etc)

JAPN2047. Japan and China as great powers in international security and global affairs (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course aims to provide students with a theoretical as well as a policy-oriented introduction to the study of International Security and Global Affairs, paying special attention to the role of Japan and China as strategic and security actors in the world. The ascendancy of China and Japan in the post Cold War era has major repercussions as their economic clout, diplomatic stature and political influence are already felt way beyond the Asia-Pacific region. Their rise not only signifies the emergence of new global Great Powers, but heralds a new period in the history of both Japanese and Chinese foreign relations. For the first time in history, we witness a strong China co-existing next to a strong Japan. As both Japan and China seek to carve out new roles for themselves worldwide, this course invites students to re-examine how China and Japan could and should contribute to global affairs. In particular, this course examines how China and Japan are making their presence felt in various parts in the world. At the same time, students are invited to consider regional and international security through the study of Japanese and Chinese foreign relations by looking at their record of direct military and political participation, and also through their multilateral diplomacy and institution-building activities.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2048. Selected readings in Japanese Studies (6 credits)

This tutorial-based language-intensive course provides students with an opportunity to read and discuss Japanese-language texts related to specific aspects of Japanese language. It is open to second, third and fourth year students who have successfully completed JAPN1199 OR at least one 2000-level language intensive course.
Co-requisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) or approval from the instructor
Assessment: 100% coursework (short quizzes, presentation(s) and essay assignment)

JAPN2049. Media Japanese (6 credits)

This language-intensive course enhances students’ listening and reading capabilities in the Japanese language through the watching of Japanese TV programmes (primarily internet broadcasts), and the reading of Japanese newspapers and current affairs publications. It also introduces students to the most prominent Japanese media outlets.
Co-requisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) or JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework (quizzes, project and presentation)

JAPN2050. Creative industries in East Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan) (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
Previously, research in media or cultural studies has paid much attention to the consumption of cultural and media texts. This course, however, calls for their production to be examined, by focusing on the creative industries in East Asia including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. While it is important to examine the inter-relation between production, circulation, consumption, regulation, and representation when we study the meaning of a cultural text, production remains a primary and vital moment in creating the meaning of a cultural text. Furthermore, while there are studies on the creative industries outside East Asia, the production of media and cultural texts within the region has been little studied. Given the fact that media and cultural texts in East Asia, such as Japanese comics, animation and pornography, Korean and Hong Kong movies, and the Taiwanese performing arts, have spread and had tremendous impact globally, an understanding of their production is increasingly important.
In this course, we shall explore how the recent trends in the political economies in East Asia have influenced the production of media and cultural texts in the region; several important sectors within the creative industries, including comics and animation, pornography, movie, popular music, and performing arts in East Asia; the production and marketing strategies of several major corporations in the region such as TVB in Hong Kong, Sony in Japan; and the manufacture of idols in the creative industries.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2051. Interpretation I (6 credits)

This elementary course in interpretation is skill-oriented (listening and speaking) with a focus on rendering Cantonese/English into Japanese and vice versa. Students are introduced to different practical and theoretical aspects of interpreting, modes of interpretation, as well as the skills necessary to provide consecutive interpretation in a variety of settings. Emphasis is placed on generating equivalent messages in Japanese and the target language(s) and on correctly interpreting the nuances arising from the cultural differences that exist between Hong Kong and Japan. Students are to be given opportunities to undertake practical training/ Interpreter Internships at selected Japanese institutions in Hong Kong.
Co-requisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) & JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2), or JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) & JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2052. Business strategy in Asia: Japan and China (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course starts with an overview of the various business strategies adopted by Asian companies, with a focus on those favoured by Japanese and Chinese corporations in a variety of industries. It then examines the organizational behaviour and business philosophy of selected companies in Japan and China from a comparative perspective before moving onto a cross-cultural analysis of Western and Eastern management practices.
This course is taught using a combination of lecture, tutorial, small group discussion, and case analysis. Practical business applications and case studies of Japanese and Chinese corporations are integrated into the lectures and tutorials throughout the course. The course also requires students to work effectively as a team (4-6 persons) in the preparation of their group presentation. This exercise is designed to enable students to develop practical presentation skills, as well as to enhance their interpersonal, leadership, negotiation and organisational capabilities.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2053. International marketing strategy: Focus on Japan (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course looks at the marketing strategies and innovative solutions that have made Japanese corporations successful in the global arena and asks whether these are sufficient to face the competitive threat posed by Chinese and Korean companies in the 21st century.
This course is taught using a combination of lecture, tutorial, small group discussion, and case analysis. Practical business applications and scenario analyses of Japanese, Chinese and Korean business models are integrated into the lectures and tutorials throughout the course. The course requires students to work effectively as a team (4-6 persons) in the preparation of their group presentation. This exercise is designed to enable students to develop practical presentation skills, as well as to enhance their interpersonal, leadership, negotiation and organisational capabilities.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2054. Strategy management: Focus on Japan (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course provides a detailed examination of various aspects of the Japanese management system, including the formulating of vision and mission statements, the setting of objectives, as well as the implementation of corporate strategies and adoption of organizational frameworks that have distinguished Japanese corporations from those of other countries around the world.
This course is taught using a combination of lecture, tutorial, small group discussion, and case analysis. Practical business applications and scenario analyses of Japanese corporations are integrated into the lectures and tutorials throughout the course. The course requires students to work effectively as a team (4-6 persons) in the preparation of their group presentation. This exercise is designed to enable students to develop practical presentation skills, as well as to enhance their interpersonal, leadership, negotiation and organizational capabilities.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2056. Traditional stories in Japanese (6 credits)

This is a language-intensive course designed to give students opportunities to further enhance their reading and writing skills through close reading of Japanese traditional stories. Students will read Japanese traditional stories for text/grammatical analysis and narrate them to improve their oral skills. They will also improve their writing skills by choosing a non-Japanese story and reproduce it in a written form and an oral form in Japanese.
Co-requisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) or JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2)
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2057. Multi-cultural advertising (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course examines how the cultures of different countries or regions, more specifically those of the United States, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and China, impact on product advertising, marketing and consumer behaviour at both a local and global level.
This course is taught using a combination of lecture, tutorial, small group discussion, and case analysis. Practical business applications and scenario analyses of American, European, Japanese, Chinese and Hong Kong marketing models are integrated into the lectures and tutorials throughout the course. The course requires students to work effectively as a team (4-6 persons) in the preparation of their group presentation. This exercise is designed to enable students to develop practical presentation skills, as well as to enhance their interpersonal, leadership, negotiation and organizational capabilities.
Prerequisite: JAPN2053. International marketing strategy: Focus on Japan
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2058. Understanding popular culture in Japan and Greater China (Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China) (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
This course begins with an introduction of various socio-cultural theories on popular culture. It then examines the development of popular culture including comics, shopping culture, TV dramas, movies, pornographic culture, food, magazines, fan culture and popular music in post-war Japan and Greater China. Lastly, it investigates the transfer and reception of Japanese popular culture in, and the impact on, Chinese societies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2059. Family and social institutions in Japan and Greater China (6 credits)

(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.)
The course starts with an examination of traditional Chinese families and introduces the basic concepts of "chi" (breath), "hsing" (form), and "fang/jia-zu" which are fundamental to an understanding of Chinese family life and kinship. The course critically reviews current understandings of the traditional Japanese family before moving onto an analysis of the social institution of marriage and the social expectations it engenders in Chinese and Japanese societies. The final part of the course focuses on how traditional Chinese and Japanese family systems impact on non-kinship organizations, the running of family firms, and post-war nation-building in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China and Japan. It also examines how the traditional family system orders the concepts of "public" and "private" in contemporary Chinese and Japanese society.
Assessment: 100% coursework

JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) (6 credits)

This language course is a continuation of JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2), and continues to focus on developing a balanced range of language skills, but with additional emphasis on the applications of linguistic principles and methodology, as well as on reading skills, both general and specialized. Students who took part in a one-year exchange programme to Japan are not eligible to take this course. Credit transfer for this course is not accepted.
Prerequisite: JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) or JAPN1199. Japanese language II (Part 2) or equivalent
Assessment: 100% coursework (test, quizzes, presentation and homework/portfolio)

JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) (6 credits)

This language course is a continuation of JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) and again focuses on developing a balanced range of language skills, but with additional emphasis on the applications of linguistic principles and methodology, as well as on reading skills, both general and specialized. Students who have taken part in a one-year exchange programme to Japan are not eligible to take this course. Credit transfer for this course is not accepted.
Prerequisite: JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1)
Assessment: 100% coursework (test, quizzes, presentation and homework/portfolio)

List E. Japanese Language Courses

Second Year
JAPN2088. Japanese language II (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2099. Japanese language II (Part 2) (6 credits)

Second and Third Years
JAPN2188. Japanese language III (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN2199. Japanese language III (Part 2) (6 credits)

Third Year
JAPN3188. Japanese language IV (Part 1) (6 credits)
JAPN3199. Japanese language IV (Part 2) (6 credits)

List F. Language-Intensive Courses

Second Year
JAPN2007. Modern Japanese short stories (6 credits)
JAPN2008. Translation I (Japanese into English) (6 credits)
JAPN2009. Translation I (Chinese/Japanese, Japanese/Chinese) (6 credits)
JAPN2032. The changing image of Hong Kong in Japanese writings (6 credits)
JAPN2041. Comprehensive basic grammar (6 credits)
JAPN2042. Productive skills I (6 credits)
JAPN2043. Productive skills II (6 credits)

Second and Third Years
JAPN2048. Selected readings in Japanese Studies (6 credits)
JAPN2049. Media Japanese (6 credits)
JAPN2051. Interpretation I (6 credits)
JAPN2056. Traditional stories in Japanese (6 credits)

Third Year
JAPN3007. Translation II - Japanese – English (6 credits)
JAPN3010. Translation II (Chinese/Japanese, Japanese/Chinese) (6 credits)
JAPN3016. Advanced business Japanese (6 credits)
JAPN3017. Business Japanese (6 credits)
JAPN3020. Advanced translation, Japanese to Chinese (6 credits)
JAPN3025. Advanced media Japanese (6 credits)

List G. Interdisciplinary Content Courses

Second and Third Years
JAPN2003. Introduction to Japanese literature (6 credits)
JAPN2010. Japanese business: an anthropological introduction (6 credits)
JAPN2011. Anthropology of Japan (6 credits)
JAPN2014. China and Japan (6 credits)
JAPN2015. Japanese enterprise groupings (6 credits)
JAPN2016. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese I Comparative phonology (6 credits)
JAPN2024. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese III Syntactic features and pedagogical implications (6 credits)
JAPN2027. Comparative linguistics: Cantonese and Japanese II Phonological transfer and pedagogy in foreign language acquisition (6 credits)
JAPN2029. Japanese popular music and Hong Kong society (6 credits)
JAPN2030. Japanese business, culture and communication (6 credits)
JAPN2031. The media and Japan (6 credits)
JAPN2039. Negotiation and conflict resolution: a cross-cultural perspective (6 credits)
JAPN2040. Understanding Japanese business through novels (6 credits)
JAPN2045. Sex, gender, and technology in Japan and East Asia (6 credits)
JAPN2046. Critical inquiries into Japanese and East Asian modernities (6 credits)
JAPN2047. Japan and China as great powers in international security and global affairs (6 credits)
JAPN2050. Creative industries in East Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan) (6 credits)
JAPN2052. Business strategy in Asia: Japan and China (6 credits)
JAPN2053. International marketing strategy: Focus on Japan (6 credits)
JAPN2054. Strategy management: Focus on Japan (6 credits)
JAPN2057. Multi-cultural advertising (6 credits)
JAPN2058. Understanding popular culture in Japan and Greater China (Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China) (6 credits)
JAPN2059. Family and social institutions in Japan and Greater China (6 credits)

Third Year
JAPN3004. Contemporary Japanese fiction (6 credits)
JAPN3006. Extended essay in Japanese studies (9 credits)
JAPN3008. Contemporary Japanese popular music (6 credits)
JAPN3009. Japanese film (6 credits)
JAPN3014. Project in Japanese business (9 credits)
JAPN3021. Communication and society (6 credits)

The following interdisciplinary content courses are available in other disciplines (although not all may be offered each year).

Second and Third Years

Fine Arts
FINE2044. The whys of where: visual geographies of China and Japan (6 credits)
FINE2048. Arts of Japan (6 credits)
FINE2054. Visual culture of modern Japan (6 credits)
FINE2063. Ink painting in Muromachi Japan (1392-1564) (6 credits)

History
HIST2099. Themes in the history of the post-Cold War world (6 credits)
HIST2105. The rise of modern Japan, 1830s to the 1950s (6 credits)
HIST2106. Imperial Japan: Its modern wars and colonial empire (6 credits)
HIST2107. The Second World War in Asia and the Pacific, 1931-1952 (6 credits)
HIST2123. Meiji Japan, challenges and transformations, 1853-1912 (6 credits)
HIST2124. Taishō and Shōwa Japan: Perfecting state, society and nation, 1912 to 1989 (6 credits)

Department of Sociology
SOCI0017. Japanese economic institutions (6 credits)
SOCI0018. Japanese society (6 credits)