Schedule!

I have a final schedule now! Yay~

So here's how it goes. Classes in parenthesis are classes I'll be going to when I feel like it, because they are Japanese language classes that I won't be taking for credit since they're too hard for me to pass, but that will be useful for me to attend. I may end up scrapping them after all, but who knows; for now they're on my schedule.

Monday:
9:00-10:30 - Japanese III (Reading children's books)
(10:40-12:10 - Japanese VII (Making Speeches))
4:20-7:30 - Japanese II (Watching dramas)
Tuesday:
(9:30-10:30 - Japanese Communication II (Checking the logic of the news...in Japanese))
2:40-4:10 - Japanese Studies IV (Understanding Japanese Society)
Wednesday:
10:40-12:10 - Japanese VII-2 (Learn at your own level with a TA)
1:00-2:30 - International Relations II (International Criminal System and Prosecution of International Crimes)
2:40-4:10 - Gender & Society
Thursday:
(9:30-10:30 - Japanese Communication II (Checking the logic of the news...in Japanese))
10:40-12:10 - Japanese VII-2 (Learn at your own level with a TA)
Friday:
9:00-10:30 - Japanese III (Reading children's books)
1:00-2:30 - Business Practices in Asia (Korean Economic Development)
2:40-4:10 - Japanese Studies IV (Understanding Japanese Society)
Saturday:
(9:00-12:10 - Japanese IV (Grammar and Spelling in Japanese))

So yeah.....I guess I'll give a basic rundown of the classes.

Japanese III
I am actually taking this class for credit because I'm sure to pass it. It's at my level! Not too hard, like alllllll the other Japanese classes. lol. What happens is you go to the library and get children's books that are at your level. For example, if you can't read Kanji, you get a book with less kanji. If you don't have a lot of vocabulary you can pick books with smaller paragraphs. The aim is to start low, so you can read without using a dictionary, and then slowly work your way up. It's kind of tough because you have to read 100 books by the end of the semester, but they're short books, so it's okay. You keep a log of it, and twice during the semester your write a report, and 3 times you present. Not too hard, and good practice.

Japanese VII
I honestly don't remember much about this class because I've only been to it once (last Monday was a school holiday), but basically we'll do speeches. It seems really hard. It'd be good practice, but I probably can't do a speech at the level she wants us to do it, so I might just sit in and listen. It's especially not good because we actually have another class at the same time as the second class of the week, so I probably will end up dropping it.

Japanese II
So this class is actually rather difficult. They say it's like, second from the top of the hardest classes. Basically, it's all listening comprehension, but with colloquial Japanese. He gives us a LONG list of vocab words from the drama that we're watching, which we have to understand the meaning of for the next class for a quiz. He goes over it in class, which is mildly boring (pretty much everyone fell asleep....lol) and then we watch and episode of the drama and have to answer questions as we go. It's not easy, but I think I can do this because this is my specialty. ;)

Japanese Communication II
So I don't quite understand why Tanaka-sensei put me in this class because it's for the highest level students of Japanese, which I am obviously not, however much I might puff myself up. 85% of the stuff he says I don't understand, partly because he talks a million miles a minute, but also partly because I don't have enough vocab. I also can't read the handouts he gives us. xD; But it's all good practice. It's fun being in his class (there are only like 7 or 8 students) and I am learning stuff. Oh also, it's about communication (obv) and how reporters and newspaper articles skew things with improper logic. At least that's what I've got so far. lol.

Japanese Studies IV
This class is actually really interesting. Umemoto-sensei knows a lot about Japanese society, and each class has a different topic. I'm learning a lot of interesting facts from the class. It's also an English class for Japanese students, so there are a few Japanese students in it, and sometimes we break up into groups and have discussions (which are basically just us international students talking and the Japanese students listening. xD;) but it's okay cuz we get to interact with the Japanese students a little. I like it.

Japanese VII-2
So this class divides us international students by language ability and then sets up a TA (a Japanese student who is good at English) to help you out. I'm not a huge fan of this class because I'm not sure if it will teach me much, but it's fun interacting with Japanese students, and sometimes we just sit around and chat (in Japanese) instead of going through our respective textbooks, like we did last class. It was fun. Above all (except for kanji practice), I need lots of speaking practice so that I can acquire more vocabulary. So it's good, mostly.

International Relations II
I thought this class was going to be interesting but unfortunately it's rather boring. xD; The subject matter is interesting, but unfortunately it's another English class for Japanese students, so the teacher talks very slowly and repeats herself very very often. So us English speakers zone out a lot. xD; But it's still okay because, well, the subject is pretty interesting, although it doesn't seem like we will have much in class interaction with students.

Gender and Society
At first I hadn't intended to take this class, but all of the other international students were taking it, so I decided to just go once, and it actually ended up being really fun. The teacher is this really kind of outspoken Indian woman who tries really hard to get the Japanese students to come out and talk. I'm sure she comes off as terrifying to them, but the boys at least seem to have fun with it. She, too, breaks us up into groups so we can talk about gender issues and such, and provokes debates and discussions without breaking up into groups. I really like it since it's great interaction and you can cover a lot of topics.

Business Practices in Asia
I really like the subject of this class because the economic development of Korea is something I wrote a paper on freshman year, although of course I don't remember much of it, lol. It's quite interesting. Unfortunately, it seems like all the Japanese students were scared away by the first class because only one came back to the second, and I'm not sure if he will come back again. xD; But as long as us 3 English speaking students stay in it, then it will be a class, which is important because this is the only class I need to apply to my major. xD; So yeah.

Japanese IV
Uhhhh I haven't been to this class for a while because last Saturday we had no class and today I skipped because I wasn't feeling good. But when we went two weeks ago it was quite difficult and we kind of didn't understand much at all. She said we could come to only half the class if that was easier for us, but I don't know if I want to keep going at all because it's on Saturday (ugh) and because I don't understand anything except for the katakana spelling exercises. xD; Yeah. We'll see.


So yeah. That's the lowdown. You really didn't have to read all that if you didn't feel like it. Lol. Tonight we have plans to go to an izakaya (which is basically a bar, but not western style--you basically go there to drink alcohol and eat bar food, but at a low table on the floor). I'll take pictures, and maybe post them here if no one in the pictures is opposed.

Toodles!