This course aims to develop and maintain an advanced competence in modern Japanese and a working knowledge of the issues currently confronting Japanese society. Course materials are taken from a variety of up-to-date authentic media, TV, film, podcasts, websites and print media. Focusing on listening, speech-making and presentation skills, students will progress from intermediate to advanced language skills—moving from the more controlled textbook learning environment to an engagement with ‘real’ materials.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Demonstrate mastery of intermediate to advanced level vocabulary and grammatical constructions necessary to understand Japanese media. 
2. Critically analyse real-world Japanese news media to demonstrate knowledge of the major issues in present-day Japanese society.
3. Communicate confidently in writing and speaking, and in collaborative groups, on topics drawn from a variety of up-to-date authentic media, TV, film, podcasts, websites and print media.
4. Demonstrate appropriate listening, speech-making and presentation skills, to present academic arguments fluently and clearly.
   
5. Demonstrate the ability to compose academic essays on complex subjects.
   

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Course Introduction
2	Diversity1	Prep Quiz Presentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)
3	Diversity2	Prep Quiz Presentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)
4	Diversity 3	Prep QuizPresentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)
5	Economy 1	Prep Quiz Presentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)AT3: Project Proposal
6	Economy 2	Prep QuizPresentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)
7	Gender 1	Prep QuizPresentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)
8	Gender 2	Prep QuizPresentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)AT4: Annotated Bibliography
9	Gender 3	Prep QuizPresentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)
10	Presentation	Research Presentation
11	Gap in the society 1	Prep Quiz Presentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)
12	Gap in the society 2	Prep QuizPresentation and Tutorial Lead (Thursday)

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Preparation Quizzes	30 %	*	*	1,2,3
Presentation and Tutorial Lead	15 %	*	*	1,2,3,4
Research Project1: Research Proposal	5 %	22/08/2025	05/09/2025	1,2,3,
Annotated Bibliography	10 %	26/09/2025	10/10/2025	1,2,3
Project Presentation	10 %	06/10/2025	23/10/2025	1,2,34
Final Essay	20 %	07/11/2025	*	1,2,3,5
Class Participation	10 %	*	*	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

See AT7 above

Assessment Task 1

Preparation Quizzes

Complete and submit weekly quizzes by the deadline

Due: Thursday Week 2-Week 12 (excl. Week 10), 10 am

 Length: Approx. 2-3hours

Weighting: 30% in total (10 x 3% each)

Format: Canvas Online Quiz

Other Requirements:

-Completing the quizzes will involve watching the media resources/reading articles provided as weekly class materials; researching unknown words/expressions/kanji; summarising discussion points of each material; stating own opinions; and reflecting Monday class  

Assessment Task 2

Presentation and Tutorial Lead

Give an oral presentation on one of class materials in assigned week (excl. Week 1 and 10). Student presentation will be held in Thursday class, and the presenter(s) are expected to lead the tutorial

Length: 4-5 minutes presentation, plus leading class discussions

Weighting: 15% (Presentation 10%; Tutorial Lead 5%)

Format: Use visual aid, such as power point slides

Other requirements:

-Your presentation must include:

1)   Summary of one class material

2)   Your own opinions about the material

-In leading a tutorial, students can use any method to facilitate class discussions, such as preparing questions, offering further materials, doing a quiz, poll, quick survey, etc.

-Students are not responsible to lead the whole tutorial. It will be anticipated to facilitate class discussions at least for 5 minutes. 

Assessment Task 3

Research Project1: Research Proposal

Write a proposal for the subject’s project work on the chosen topic

Length: 500 ji

Weighting: 5%

Submission format: Typed; in Word or PDF file

Other requirements: your submission must include:

1)   The chosen topic

2)   What exactly you want to research about (you need to narrow down your own topic)

3)   The reason(s) of the topic selection

4)   Proposed research question(s)

5)   Your aim(s) in this project

Assessment Task 4

Annotated Bibliography

Make an annotated bibliography contains at least 4 references in Japanese you will use for your final essay  

Length: up to 1200 ji (including bibliographic information of each resource; annotation will be 200-250 ji for each resource)

Weighting: 10%

Submission format: Typed; double spaced; in Word or PDF file

Other requirements: your submission must:

-be written in plain style (~ ? or~??? form: choose one);

-include complete bibliographic information of each resource;

-include brief summary of each resource;

-include explanation of how each resource is relevant to your topic/discussion;

-include explanation of how you will use each resource; and

-be written in your own words.

Assessment Task 5

Project Presentation

Give an oral presentation based on your research project in Week 10

Length: 4-5 minutes presentation, plus Q&A session

Weighting: 10%

Format: Use visual aid, such as power point slides

Other requirements:

-Your presentation must have:

1) clear structure (ie. research question, background of the issue, your original argument)

2) information on why you chose the topic

3) bibliography 

Assessment Task 6

Final Essay

Write a research essay based on your project.

Length: 2000 ji (excluding name; essay question; references)

Weighting: 20%

Submission format: Typed; double spaced; in Word or PDF file

Other requirements:

-your submission must:

1) be written in plain style (~ ? or~??? form: choose one);

2) be written in your own words;

3) have a clear structure; and

4) clear research question and original arguments

Assessment Task 7

Class Participation

This assessment aims to encourage each student to strive for deeper engagement in the course materials and active interactions with classmates. Attending classes is a minimum requirement. Activities in class expect each student to be prepared and contribute to each other’s learning process and outcomes responsibly and proactively. AT7 will be assessed from Week 2, excluding week 10.

Requirements:

Class attendance; contributing to class discussions (explaining what became clear or unclear during the preparation, giving comments on the class materials and other's comments, etc.); and contributing to group discussions. Any absence must be accompanied with a medical certificate.

Rubric

HD+	HD	D	CR	Pass	N
Proactively engaged in class discussions	Actively engaged in class discussions	Engaged in class discussions when nominated	Responded when questioned	Minimal engagement in class discussions without voicing	No visible engagement
Proactively lead group discussions; supporting peers	Actively engaged in group discussions	Engaged in class discussions with supports of peers	Participating in group discussions in some ways	Minimal participation in group discussions without voicing	No visible engagement

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students