100 Level Courses

JAPA 101: Introduction to the Japanese Language. 3 credits.
Includes basic grammar, oral expression, listening comprehension, and reading and writing. Notes: Students may not receive credit for JAPA 101 and JAPA 110. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to JAPA 110.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 102: Introduction to the Japanese Language. 3 credits.
Includes basic grammar, oral expression, listening comprehension, and reading and writing. Notes: Students may not receive credit for JAPA 102 and JAPA 110. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to JAPA 110.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 101, appropriate placement score, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 110: Elementary Japanese. 6 credits.
Introduces elements of grammar, vocabulary, oral skills, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Notes: Students may not receive credit for JAPA 110 and JAPA 101, 102. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to JAPA 101, JAPA 102.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese

200 Level Courses

JAPA 201: Intermediate Japanese I. 3 credits.
Further development of skills acquired in JAPA 101 and 102, including grammar, oral expression, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Use of written language (katakana, hiragana, and kanji) emphasized. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 102, JAPA 110, or equivalent.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 202: Intermediate Japanese II. 3 credits.
Continuation of JAPA 201. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 201 or equivalent.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Fulfills Frgn Lng requirment, Taught in Japanese
JAPA 240: Introduction to Japanese Culture. 3 credits.
This introductory survey course covers Japanese history, culture, and society from prehistory until the present day. It is designed to familiarize students with key aspects of Japanese culture that inform contemporary viewpoints and social issues. This class will provide a foundation of basic knowledge about Japan that will serve as a springboard for future engagement with the nation, its people, and its cultural legacy. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

300 Level Courses

JAPA 310: Japanese Culture in a Global World. 3 credits.
Study of globalizing Japanese cultural phenomena from the 19th through the 21st century. Explores how movements of ideas, technologies and products across borders influence both local and global ideas and practice. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: ENGH 101 or equivalent or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
JAPA 320: Japanese Cinema. 3 credits.
Comprehensive analysis of Japanese cinema based on cross-cultural perspectives and cultural criticism. Major developments and trends as viewed in selected Japanese films with emphasis on post war and contemporary eras. Knowledge of Japanese history, communication, and cultural studies or film and media studies helpful. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with approval of department. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Lecture, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
JAPA 330: Advanced Reading and Speaking I. 3 credits.
Designed for students to develop conversational proficiency and reading skills. Students work toward a mastery of linguistic and sociolinguistic rules by incorporating reading and speaking abilities through class discussions, reports, and presentations. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 202, appropriate placement score, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 331: Advanced Reading and Speaking II. 3 credits.
Designed for students to develop conversational proficiency and reading skills. Students continue to develop mastery of linguistic and sociolinguistic rules by incorporating reading and speaking abilities through class discussions, reports and presentations. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 330, appropriate placement score, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 340: Topics in Japanese Literature. 3 credits.
Study of selected topics in Japanese literature in English translation. Content varies. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with permission of department. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Mason Core: Literature
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies, Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: ENGH 101 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
JAPA 350: Readings in Japanese Culture. 3 credits.
An integrated content-based Japanese course designed to advance students' oral and writing skills, as well as their critical understanding of Japanese culture and mythology. Introduces a variety of genres, such as rakugo (traditional comical story-telling), shinwa (myths), and mukashi-banashi (folk legends). Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 202, appropriate placement score, or permission of department.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 360: Topics in Japanese Popular Culture. 3 credits.
In-depth look at anime and manga in order to arrive at a deeper understanding and appreciation of the cultures and histories that generated these art forms, as well as how they continue to shape international entertainment media and fan subcultures. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
JAPA 370: Video Games and Japan. 3 credits.
Examines video games as digital works of art, literature, and social engagement within the context of contemporary transnational mediascape. Includes study of the history and development of Japanese video games, as well as the markets and cultures surrounding them. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
JAPA 380: Japan in Motion. 3 credits.
This course introduces student to the evolution of Japanese performing arts from representations in Japanese mythology to the various folk and classical styles of performance. Among the aims of this course is to provide the classical foundations of Japanese performance and the ways it influenced modern and contemporary theater, cinema, and popular culture. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Registration Restrictions:

Required Prerequisites: (ENGH 101C or 101XS).
C Requires minimum grade of C.
XS Requires minimum grade of XS.

Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

400 Level Courses

JAPA 410: Readings in Japanese Modern Fiction. 3 credits.
This course will further develop the student’s language skills and advance their Japanese proficiency level through the comprehension of selected Japanese popular fiction. Students will advance their Japanese comprehension (reading, writing, and speaking) and also foster a deeper understanding of Japan through the examination of the emergence of the Japanese modern identity. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 300-400 course conducted in Japanese in addition to JAPA 331; appropriate placement score; or permission of instructor
Registration Restrictions:

Required Prerequisites: (JAPA 331C or 331XS).
C Requires minimum grade of C.
XS Requires minimum grade of XS.

Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 420: Animals and Nature in Japan. 3 credits.
Serves as an introduction to ecocriticism through the lens of Japanese culture from the late medieval period to the present day. Themes relating to the study of the natural world will be approached from a multidisciplinary perspective, and the class will address topics concerning Japanese history, religion, and folklore. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
JAPA 440: Integrated Study of Japanese Language and Society I. 3 credits.
Integrated approach to study of Japanese language and society through grammar review, vocabulary and kanji development, intensive practice in spoken and written Japanese, and sociological and cultural readings and analysis. Includes class discussion, oral and written reports, and out-of-class direct interactions with native speakers. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 331, appropriate placement score, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese
JAPA 441: Integrated Study of Japanese Language and Society II. 3 credits.
Integrated approach to study of Japanese language and society through grammar review, vocabulary and kanji development, intensive practice in spoken and written Japanese, and sociological and cultural readings and analysis. Includes class discussion, oral and written reports, and out-of-class direct interactions with native speakers. More emphasis on actual use of Japanese language. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: JAPA 440, appropriate placement score, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Additional Course Details: Taught in Japanese