LIN201 INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE AND CULTURE: JAPANESE, FALL 2008
Instructor: Dr. Arden Jensen Office: VB 101B Home Phone: 478-2864
email: (home) bonniesden@charter.net (office) ajensen@leeuniversity.edu
TEXT: Lay, Steven R. Japanese: Language and Culture, third ed., 2006.
UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT:
Lee University seeks to provide education that integrates biblical truth as revealed in the Holy Scriptures with truth discovered through the study of the arts and sciences and in the practice of various professions. A personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the controlling perspective from which the educational enterprise is carried out. The foundational purpose of all educational programs is to develop within the students knowledge, appreciation, understanding, ability, and skills which will prepare them for responsible living in the modern world.
Catalog Description
A course introducing students to the concept of the interaction of language and culture in a specific target language. The course will also provide a basic and limited oral introduction to the target language and its use in specific contexts. This course meets the language requirement for Bachelor of Science students only. (Bachelor of Science students with two years of high school foreign language or proficiency at the 112 level may take three hours of a foreign language at the intermediate level to fulfill the language requirement.)
The course may be repeated once for elective credit, provided the topic is different than that taken the first time.
Three hours credit.
I. Purpose
The purpose of this course is to provide students the basic tools necessary for intercultural communication in the context of a selected target language and culture.
II. Objectives of the Course
A. General Learning Objectives
This course seeks, with respect to a specific target language and culture, to
1. Provide basic language instruction in the target language
2. Expose students to useful language acquisition techniques and communication strategies.
3. Provide individualized learning components/units designed for students with specific cultural objectives (e.g.; medical or business terminology).
4. Heighten personal awareness of cross-cultural dimensions of language, thereby making students more sensitive language users.
5. Enhance understanding of one’s own and others’ cultural values as they are transmitted by language.
6. Introduce the framework of an inclusive learning community in which individual differences are recognized and respected.
B. Specific Behavioral Objectives
As a result of the activities and study in this course, the students should be able to
1. Communicate at the novice level of oral proficiency in the target language.
2. Use basic language acquisition techniques and appropriate communication strategies.
3. Apply specific linguistic and cultural knowledge to their particular area of interest or discipline.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the cross-cultural dimensions of language.
5. Compare and contrast target cultural values as they are transmitted by the target language.
III. Topics to be covered
A. Target-language vocabulary sufficient for handling simple, elementary needs and expressing basic courtesies.
B. Introduction to the basic phonetic system of the target language.
C. Target-language and cultural variations likely to be encountered.
D. Linguistic functions necessary to facilitate basic communication in the target language, such as asking questions, seeking information, expressing intentions, interpretation, and negotiation.
E. Language learning and communication strategies, such as organization, living with uncertainty, use of mnemonics, making errors work, learning from context, making intelligent guesses, production techniques, and language register.
F. Metalinguistic conveyance of respect for the target culture.
G. Implications of “silent language” such the use of space, bodily gestures, and perception and use of time.
H. The Christian response to cultural and linguistic diversity.
I. Strategizing cross-cultural adaptability.
IV. Instructional Procedures
A. Language instruction, including proficiency-oriented activities such as oral drills, listening comprehension, role plays, paired practice, and use of current authentic materials
B. Technology-enhanced learning activities
C. Lectures and teacher presentation
D. Class discussions
E. Guest speakers and native representatives of the target culture
F. Student oral presentations and projects
V. Course Requirements
A. Attend class meetings
B. Preparation of regularly assigned readings and written homework
C. Participation in class discussions
D. Tests and a final exam
VI. Evaluation
A. Components and relative weights of evaluation activities
1. Homework 25%
2. Language Quizzes 25%
3. Tests 25%
5. Final Exam 25%
Note: There will be a short quiz every class. There will be no make-up of missed quizzes.
B. Attendance: A maximum of two absences may be excused. In order for an absence to be excused, the student must bring a signed note from a responsible authority--doctor, judge, etc. For each unexcused absence, the student will be penalized five points up to a maximum of ten. A tardy counts as 1/2 absence.
C. Grading Scale
90 - 100 = A, 87 - 89 = B+, 83 - 86 = B, 80 - 82 = B-, 77 - 79 = C+, 73 - 76 = C, 70 - 72 = C-, 60 - 69 = D, below 60 = F
D. Electronic Device Policy: Anyone using a cell-phone, electronic game, earphones, laptop, etc. may be dismissed from class and counted absent. A zero will be recorded for the day, including for any assignments that are due on that day. There will be no make-up for any assignments missed.
As a Christian community of scholarship, we at Lee University are committed to the principles of truth and honesty in the academic endeavor. As faculty and students in this Christian community, we are called to present our academic work as an honest reflection of our abilities; we do not need to defraud members of the community by presenting others’ work as our own. Therefore, academic dishonesty is handled with serious consequences for two fundamental reasons: it is stealing - taking something that is not ours; it is also lying - pretending to be something it is not. In a Christian community, such pretense is not only unnecessary, it is also harmful to the individual and community as a whole. Cheating should have no place at a campus where Christ is King because God desires us to be truthful with each other concerning our academic abilities. Only with a truthful presentation of our knowledge can there be an honest evaluation of our abilities. To such integrity, we as a Christian academic community are called. See your student handbook, pages 54-55, for additional information
VIII. Students with Disabilities:
Lee University is committed to the provision of reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities as defined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students who think they may qualify for these accommodations should notify their instructor immediately. Special services are provided through the Academic Support Program.