• Class Number 3544
  • Term Code 3630
  • Class Info
  • Unit Value 6 units
  • Mode of Delivery In Person
  • COURSE CONVENER
    • Dr Toshiyuki Nakamura
  • LECTURER
    • Dr Toshiyuki Nakamura
  • Class Dates
  • Class Start Date 23/02/2026
  • Class End Date 29/05/2026
  • Census Date 31/03/2026
  • Last Date to Enrol 02/03/2026
  • TUTOR
    • Marina Hirose
SELT Survey Results

Japanese 5 is an intermediate Japanese language course. During lectures, tutorials, and seminars, students work in small groups reading, discussing, and writing about a broad range of real-world materials. The focus of this course is to help students to transition from the certainty of a textbook to the ambiguity and confusion of real-world Japanese. The language of instruction for this class is Japanese and it is expected that all students will make every effort to use only Japanese in class time and class-related correspondence. By the end of Japanese 5, students will, with the aid of dictionaries, be able to read a wide range of Japanese materials (e.g., social media, novel). Students will be familiar with the various spoken and written registers and will be able to use those registers to write their own short stories.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Use an active vocabulary of kanji (approximately 1000 vocabulary and kanji characters) and expressions, common to Japanese novel and similar media.
  2. Demonstrate an ability to comprehend grammatical constructions and vocabulary necessary to read non-specialised, assigned texts without the use of a dictionary.
  3. Develop independent reading strategies to engage with unfamiliar texts and read real-world materials with the aid of a dictionary.
  4. Clearly distinguish between different levels of formality in reading and writing and demonstrate a clear understanding of writing styles.
  5. Express one's opinions and conclusions in spoken and written Japanese, on a range of topics related to contemporary Japanese society. 
  6. Develop and apply critical thinking skills through the consideration of the cultural context in which Japanese Language operates, and reflect on a student's own first-language and its cultural context in comparison

Research-Led Teaching

A substantial portion of the course materials is informed by the research findings of the course convenor, whose scholarly interests encompass language learning motivation and Mikhail Bakhtin's philosophy of language. His research has revealed that learners of Japanese are frequently motivated to acquire speech genres - rather than normative linguistic styles - that are embedded in specific social contexts. In response, the convenor integrated the concept of speech genre into the course curriculum (e.g., lecture slides) to foster greater student motivation in learning Japanese. 

Required Resources

There is no prescribed textbook for this course. All required materials will be provided either through the course page or in-class.

All students should have access to a good kanji dictionary, a good Japanese-English and Japanese-Japanese dictionary and a good grammar dictionary. Recommendations for grammar dictionaries can be seen below. 

 

A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

Author: Makino & Tsutsui

Publisher: Japan Times

ISBN: 978-4789004541


A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar

Author: Makino & Tsutsui

Publisher: Japan Times

ISBN: 978-4789007757


All About Particles: A Handbook of Japanese Function Words <--this is="" an="" extremely="" useful="">

Author: Chino, Naoko

Publisher: Kodansha America

ISBN: 978-1568364193



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.

Other Information

Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates.

Class Schedule

Week/Session Summary of Activities Assessment
1 Week 1:Orientation, Song lyrics 1 Quiz 0 (practice)
2 Week 2:Song lyrics 2 Quiz 1
3 Week 3:Social media 1: X post Quiz 2, Mini writing test 1
4 Week 4:Social media 2: YouTube video Quiz 3
5 Week 5:Manga 1 Quiz 4, Mini writing test 2
6 Week 6:Manga 2, Exam 1 Quiz 5, Exam 1
7 Week 7:Short story 1, Instructions for the short story assignment Quiz 6, Mini writing test 3
8 Week 8:Short story 2, Group work for the short story assignment Quiz 7, Submission of the short story plan
9 Week 9:Short story 3 Quiz 8
10 Week 10:Short story 4 Quiz 9, Submission of the short story draft
11 Week 11:Group work for the Short Story assignment
12 Week 12:Review of this semester, Exam 2 Exam 2
13 Submission of the final version of the short story

Tutorial Registration

Through Allocate Plus

Assessment Summary

Assessment task Value Learning Outcomes
Online Quiz (x9) 5 % 1,2,3,4
In-Class Exam (x2) 40 % 1,2,3,4
Short Story (Plan, Draft, and Final) 40 % 1,4,5,6
Mini Writing Test (x3) 10 % 1,4,5,6
Participation 5 % 1,2,3,4,5

* 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:

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

Attendance is vital to a successful semester.

Assessment Task 1

Value: 5 %
Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3,4

Online Quiz (x9)

From Week 2 to Week 10, students will complete one online quiz per week. Each quiz is due by 23:55 pm on Sunday. These quizzes are designed to help students prepare for Monday's lecture. They are self-paced and may be taken whenever the student feels ready. If a student is not satisfied with their score, they may (and should) retake the quiz as many times as they wish without penalty. The final attempt (not necessarily the highest score) will be recorded. After the deadline, no further attempts will be accepted. 

Weight: 5% (0.555%x9)

Assessment Task 2

Value: 40 %
Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3,4

In-Class Exam (x2)

Two in-class exams will be held in Weeks 6 and 12 during the scheduled seminar sessions. These exams will assess students' reading comprehension. Students are expected to have mastered all relevant grammar and vocabulary covered in lectures and seminars, and to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the assigned texts. Each exam will have a time limit of 45 minutes.

Weight: 40% (20% each)

Assessment Task 3

Value: 40 %
Learning Outcomes: 1,4,5,6

Short Story (Plan, Draft, and Final)

Students will submit a short story (1200-1500 Japanese characters) on a topic of their choice. Prior to the final submission, students are required to submit a plan, followed by a rough draft. Written feedback will be provided on the draft to support revisions. Marked short stories will be returned within two weeks of the submission deadline. All submissions must be entirely the student's own work. No external assistance is permitted, except for feedback from the Japanese 5 instructor and tutor. Any violations of this rule will be considered academic misconduct and addressed in accordance with the ANU Academic Honesty Policy. The marking rubric will be available on Canvas.

In this assignment, students are required to demonstrate critical thinking skills, including the ability to critically evaluate their choice of language and to construct a logical narrative structure.

Weight: 40% (Plan: 3%, Draft: 17%, Final: 20%)

See Canvas for due dates.

Assessment Task 4

Value: 10 %
Learning Outcomes: 1,4,5,6

Mini Writing Test (x3)

In tutorials, students will study how to incorporate the expressions, registers, and techniques used in the text into their own writing. Assessments for this component of the course consists of three mini-writing tests. Students are expected to write appropriately 100-200 characters in each test. We aim to return marked tests within two weeks of completion. Each test has a time limit of 10 minutes.

Weight: 10% (Test1: 3%, Test2: 3%, Test3: 4%)

See Canvas for test dates.

Assessment Task 5

Value: 5 %
Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5

Participation

  • Class participation will be assessed based on your contribution to every lecture, tutorial, seminar class from Week 3.
  • During class, your instructor will check how you participate in the activities.
  • You can view your attendance record via My Timetable for reference.

Weight: 5%

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

Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, 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).
Dr Toshiyuki Nakamura
0261259788
u1097854@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


second language acquisition, language learning motivation, language identity, multilingualism, Mikhail Bakhtin's language philosophy

Dr Toshiyuki Nakamura

Thursday 11:00 12:00
Thursday 11:00 12:00
Dr Toshiyuki Nakamura
0261259788
u1097854@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


second language acquisition, language learning motivation, language identity, multilingualism, Mikhail Bakhtin's language philosophy

Dr Toshiyuki Nakamura

Thursday 11:00 12:00
Thursday 11:00 12:00
Marina Hirose
u1047291@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Marina Hirose

Sunday

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