Summer 2012 Conversational Japanese

TUITION
Non-members: $290
Members: $250
*For tuition discount, please contact Reiko Sassa at 212-715-1256.

Course Descriptions and Registration Form (PDF)

The curriculum is conversation-intensive, with the aim of strengthening the student’s ability to communicate effectively in both business and social situations. The materials used will emphasize the vocabulary and grammar useful in everyday activities. Each class meets twice a week for a total of 18 hours of instruction.

LEVEL I (Introductory)
For students with no previous background in Japanese. Elementary conversation, vocabulary and simple sentence structure will be taught. Text: JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE, Vol. I
I-A MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS AUGUST 13 – SEPTEMBER 12 (no 9/3) 6 – 8 PM Instructor: Nakazawa
I-B TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS AUGUST 14 – SEPTEMBER 11 6 – 8 PM Instructor: Nakazawa
I-C MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS AUGUST 13 – SEPTEMBER 12 (no 9/3) 12 – 2 PM Instructor: Nakanishi

LEVEL II (Beginner)
finished Level 1 or 2 of our regular Japanese Course, or equivalent.
For students with some background in Japanese. Same subject matter as above but in greater depth. Some social situational survival skills will also be introduced.
II-A TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS AUGUST 14 – SEPTEMBER 11 6 – 8 PM Instructor: Miyashita
II-B TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS AUGUST 14 – SEPTEMBER 11 12 – 2 PM Instructor: Miyashita

LEVEL III (Advanced Beginner)
finished Level 3 or 4 of our regular Japanese Course, or equivalent.
The course will focus on skills needed to survive in Japan. Frequently used expressions will be practiced
in context.
III-A MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS AUGUST 13 – SEPTEMBER 12 (no 9/3) 6 – 8 PM Instructor: Hama/Aizawa
III-B MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS AUGUST 13 – SEPTEMBER 12 (no 9/3) 12 – 2 PM Instructor: Hama/Aizawa

LEVEL IV (Intermediate)
finished Level 5, 6, or 7 of our regular Japanese Course, or equivalent.
The course will focus on strengthening speaking skills by having students engage in various exercises.
IV-A TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS AUGUST 14 – SEPTEMBER 11 6 – 8 PM Instructor: Hama/Aizawa
IV-B TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS AUGUST 14 – SEPTEMBER 11 12 – 2 PM Instructor: Hama/Aizawa


LEVEL V (Int.-Advanced)
finished Level 8, 9 and Int. Speaking & Listening of our regular Japanese Course, or equivalent.
The class will emphasize role-playing by the students in different social and business situations. The focus will be on maintaining a conversation and learning and using the situational vocabulary.
V-A MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS AUGUST 13 – SEPTEMBER 12 (no 9/3) 6 – 8 PM Instructor: Miyashita
V-B MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS AUGUST 13 – SEPTEMBER 12 (no 9/3) 12 – 2 PM Instructor: Miyashita


INSTRUCTORS: All of the Toyota Language Center’s instructors are native Japanese with extensive experience.
Ms. Yuko Aizawa has taught at the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, Japan and at the Royal Hawaiian Academy in the United States. She has been an instructor at the Toyota Language Center since 1994.
Ms. Keiko Hama has taught Japanese in Germany and the US for over ten years. She received her Master’s Degree in Japanese Sociology and Linguistics at the University of Heidelberg. Since then, she has been an interpreter, translator and Japanese teacher in the private and public sectors.
Ms. Mami Miyashita earned a Japanese Teaching License in Japan, a certificate of Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language from Ohio State University and a Master’s Degree from West Chester University. She has been involved with foreign language education for more than nineteen years, most recently at the University of Delaware from 1999 to 2005.
Ms. Mami Nakanishi-Sheehy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature from Sophia University in Tokyo. She is one of the top graduates of the Society’s Teacher Training Program. She has been a member of the Society’s teaching staff since the summer of 2010.
Ms. Kazuko Nakazawa has a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Literature. She is one of the top graduates of the Society’s Teacher Training Program. She has taught Japanese privately and in an after-school program in Japan for three years, and privately in the United States for two years. She has been a member of the Society’s teaching staff since the summer of 2010.