Placement

Japanese language courses are divided into four levels: Elementary, Intermediate, Higher-Intermediate, and Advanced. Each level is further subdivided into two to four levels. All courses are conducted in small class sizes with the utmost individual attention. Levels are determined based on the results of a placement test at the beginning of each semester.

Even though we consider your Japanese language study experience to some extent, our decision regarding which level you should enter is based mainly on the test results, which will demonstrate your Japanese language ability. Level placement will not be based on the Japanese language courses you have taken before coming to AIU. Please note that the course numbers we use at AIU do not necessarily indicate the same level as the course numbers of your home institution.

Through the placement test, our goal is to find the most appropriate level for you in order to make your Japanese study at AIU as fruitful as possible.

Course Information

Each level may consist of 1) Core Courses, 2) Practice Courses, and/or 3) Skill Courses.

Core Courses

The course number of each core course indicates the proficiency level and is a 6 credit comprehensive course designed to develop the students’ overall Japanese language ability.

Practice Courses

Practice courses are self-directed and bear a one-credit Pass/Fail grade. They are geared toward students in Upper Elementary Level or higher, and promote autonomous language learning. In addition, these courses allow students to explore ways to improve their Japanese language ability through using materials of their choice and monitoring their progress, as well as solving problems they encounter in their study.

Skill Courses

Skill courses are designed to develop specific language abilities such as reading comprehension, writing, speaking, pronunciation, etc., and are offered for JPL300 level and higher.

Courses by Level

Download the complete table and detailed explanation here (PDF)

Find more details about each course in our online syllabus

Basic Introductory Level
Core Course	Cr	Corresponding Courses				Max Cr
		Practice Course(s)	Cr	Skill Course(s)	Cr
JPL 100: A Basic Introduction to Communicating in Japanese1	3	None		None		3
Core Course	Cr	Corresponding Courses				Max Cr
		Practice Course(s)	Cr	Skill Course(s)	Cr
JPL 101: Elementary Japanese 1011	6	None		None		6
JPL 205: Upper Elementary Japanese 205	6	JPL 231, 232, or 233: Japanese Practice	1			7
JPL 206: Upper Elementary Japanese 206	6					7
Core Course	Cr	Corresponding Courses				Max Cr
		Practice Course(s)	Cr	Skill Course(s)	Cr
JPL 300: Intermediate Japanese 300	6	JPL 331, 332, or 333: Japanese Practice	1	JPL 361: Pronunciation1	2	12
				JPL 381: Kanji Foundation1 or JPL 382: Kanji Consolidation1	1
				JPL 390: Reading Comprehension1	2
JPL 305: Intermediate Japanese 305	6			JPL 361: Pronunciation1	2	12
				JPL 381: Kanji Foundation1 or JPL 382: Kanji Consolidation1	1
				JPL 391: Reading Comprehension1	2
JPL 307: Intermediate Japanese 3075	6			JPL 361: Pronunciation1	2	12
				JPL 381: Kanji Foundation1 or JPL 382: Kanji Consolidation1	1
				JPL 394: Reading Comprehension1	2
JPL 309: Intermediate Japanese 3095	6			JPL 461: Pronunciation1	2	14
				JPL 381: Kanji Foundation1 or JPL 382: Kanji Consolidation1	1
				JPL 395: Reading Comprehension1	2
				JPL 442: English-Japanese Translation1,4,6	2
Core Course	Cr	Corresponding Courses				Max Cr
		Practice Course(s)	Cr	Skill Course(s)	Cr
JPL 402: Higher Intermediate Japanese 4021,4,5	6	JPL 431 or 433: Japanese Practice	1	JPL 411: Speaking1,4	2	18
				JPL 421: Writing1,4	2
				JPL 442: English-Japanese Translation1,4,6	2
				JPL 461: Pronunciation1,4	2
				JPL 521: Chinese-Japanese Translation*,1,4 or JPL 522: Chinese-Japanese Interpretation*,1,4 *Native fluency of Chinese required	3
JPL 406: Higher Intermediate Japanese 4061,4,5	6			JPL 412: Speaking1,4	2	18
				JPL 422: Writing1,4	2
				JPL 442: English-Japanese Translation1,4,6	2
				JPL 461: Pronunciation1,4	2
				JPL 522: Chinese-Japanese Interpretation*,1,4 *Native fluency of Chinese required	3
Core Course	Cr	Corresponding Courses				Max Cr
		Practice Course(s)	Cr	Skill Course(s)	Cr
JPL 506: Advanced Japanese 5062,4,5	6	JPL 531: Japanese Practice2	1	JPL 442: English-Japanese Translation1,4,6	2	16
				JPL 461: Pronunciation1,4	2
				JPL 521: Chinese-Japanese Translation*,1,4 *Native fluency of Chinese required	3
				JPL 541: Listening1,4	2
JPL 507: Advanced Japanese 5073,4,5	6	JPL 533: Japanese Practice3	1	JPL 442: English-Japanese Translation1,4,6	2	16
				JPL 461: Pronunciation1,4	2
				JPL 522: Chinese-Japanese Interpretation*,1,4 *Native fluency of Chinese required	3
				JPL 572: Speaking1,4	2

Notes:

1. Offered in fall and spring semesters only.
2. Offered in fall semester only.
3. Offered in spring semester only.
4. During the Winter Program, students in this level may instead enroll in JPL 432 or JPL 532: Japanese Practice; JPL 453 or JPL 553: Japanese Language in Films (2cr); JPL 563: Reading Current Topics (2 Cr); and/or JPS 580: Country Life: Human Relationships in Japanese Local Communities (3 Cr).
5. Students enrolled in this course level may also enroll in JAS 310: Intercultural Perspectives on Japanese Society, a content course conducted in Japanese.
6. The enrollment cap of JPL 442 is 15 students. If more than 15 students register, priority will be given to students who are NOT concurrently enrolled in JPL 521 or 522.

Attendance Policy

Our attendance policy for language courses is as follows: “Because of the cumulative nature of language learning, it is essential that students keep up with the course work on a daily basis, and attend all classes. Being late or absent from class frequently will affect your course grade negatively.”

Your classroom is the best place for you to try out your Japanese without worrying about making mistakes. We believe that you will learn a lot through interacting with your instructor and your peer students in your class. Therefore we consider attendance to be very important.