EPD 332: Basic Technical Japanese II

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EPD 332 - Basic Technical Japanese II

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Catalog Description

332 Basic Technical Japanese II. (Crosslisted with E Asian 332.) II; 3 cr. Completes the grammar necessary for reading technical writing in the sciences. Concludes with individual projects in specialized fields. P: EPD/E Asian 330. Davis.

Course Prerequisite(s)

EPD 330

Prerequisite knowledge and/or skills

Understanding of basic principles of science and engineering.
Ability to use a kanji dictionary and a Japanese-to-English dictionary.
Proficiency with Japanese word processing software is recommended.

Textbook(s) and/or other required material

1) Basic Technical Japanese; E. E. Daub, R. B. Bird, and N. Inoue; University of Wisconsin Press; ISBN 0-299-12730-3
2a) The Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary; A. N. Nelson; Tuttle; ISBN 0-8048-0408-7
or
2b) The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary; J. H. Haig; Tuttle; ISBN 0-8048-2036-8
3) Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary; I. Kondo and F. Takano; Shogakukan; ISBN 4-09-510252-7

Course objectives

In the Basic Technical Japanese sequence students will learn:
the Japanese pronunciation system;
the two types of Japanese phonetic script (hiragana and katakana);
265 kanji (characters) that are used frequently in technical fields;
a vocabulary of common scientific and engineering terms;
most of the grammar necessary to read technical documents;
strategies for reading in Japanese.

Topics covered

Provisional and Conditional Forms: provisional form of verbs and adjectives, conditional form of verbs and adjectives, transitive-intransitive verb pairs
Passive, Causative, and Potential Verbs; More on Adjectives: passive verbs, potential verbs, causative verbs, comparative and superlative adjective expressions, other parts of speech derived from adjectives
Tentative Forms; Miscellaneous Expressions: tentative form of verbs and adjectives, interrogative expressions, more noun-following and verb-following expressions
Other Verb and Adjective Forms: representative form of verbs and adjectives, desiderative adjectives, imperative form of verbs, verb suffixes, polite and honorific forms used in manuals
Mathematical Terminology: numbers, numbers used in technical terms, units and counters, approximate numbers, some mathematical expressions
Chemical Nomenclature: the elements, binary compounds, coordination compounds, organic compounds, biochemical compounds
Vocabulary Building and Translation Examples: essays to reinforce grammatical patterns and broaden technical vocabulary
Note: KANJI are introduced at a rate of 10-15 per week throughout the semester. New technical terms are introduced in each chapter of the text. Readings and vocabulary are drawn from the physical and biological sciences and from all fields of engineering.

Class/laboratory schedule

Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 50 minutes per class

Contribution of course to meeting the professional component

This course contributes primarily to the students' general education.

The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.

This course enhances the student's ability to gather information from diverse sources. This course contributes to the student's ability to understand a different culture through its language and writing style.

Relationship of course to undergraduate degree program objectives and outcomes

This course serves students in a variety of engineering majors. The information below describes how the course contributes to the college's educational objectives.

This course counts toward the 27-credit Certificate in Japanese Studies for Engineering Majors. The Certificate helps meets industry and government agencies' demands for engineers who function effectively in Japanese. The course supports program objectives by providing instruction in a foreign language that is extremely important as a vehicle for conveying current scientific and technical information.

Assessment of student progress toward course objectives

Homework is assigned daily. Assignments provide practice in writing characters, vocabulary building, word usage, and sentence structure. All assignments are corrected, returned, and discussed in class.
Three examinations assess the following: recognition of specific characters and technical terms in Japanese; understanding of Japanese grammatical patterns and idiomatic expressions; ability to read and understand Japanese sentences and short essays containing technical information.

Person(s) who prepared this description

James L. Davis

Copyright 2007 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
Date last modified: 06-Sep-2007
Date created: 29-Jul-1999
Content by: custserv@epd.engr.wisc.edu
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