| Part IA | Core subject |
Course Description 2023-24
The reading of selected contemporary texts in order to put into practice the skills and knowledge learned in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms. This paper is designed for first-year students who have just finished the textbook to challenge themselves with real-world texts in Japanese. The syllabus offers a healthy balance of non-fictional prose concerning a range of issues related to Japan and/or fictional stories produced in contemporary Japan. Please familiarize yourself with the learning outcomes of this paper and with the schedule. We expect you to come to class having read and translated the text assigned for each session.
The learning outcomes for the course are as follows:
1. Reading unedited, real-world texts for the first time;
2. Making first steps into translation from Japanese into English and reflecting upon what this process entails;
3. Consolidating grammar knowledge;
4. Gaining passive knowledge of useful vocabulary.
Form and Conduct
This paper consists of two sections. In Section A candidates are required to translate from Japanese into English passages taken from texts read in class during the Easter Term. Knowledge of Japanese grammar may also be tested in the form of questions attached to one or more passages. In Section B candidates are required to translate one unseen passage from Japanese to English.
This description is subject to change, for the latest information, students should consult the Undergraduate Handbook available on the Faculty Intranet.