ATS3978 - Japanese communication in professional settings - 2019

The unit provides advanced students of the Japanese language with theoretical and practical knowledge of the socio-cultural and communicative challenges in workplaces where the Japanese language is used, and the strategies employed to tackle those challenges. The unit addresses a variety of real-life professional settings and roles, including working in a Japanese organisation, using Japanese with clients and collaborators, and functioning as a linguistic and cultural intermediary. Students will extend their existing language skills in various modes of face-to-face and electronic communication, and engage with key ideas regarding organisations and interpersonal relationships in and around Japan.

Upon successful completion of the unit, students should be able to:

1. Comprehend a variety of spoken and written texts used routinely in Japanese-language workplaces
2. Use spoken and written Japanese appropriate to professional contact situations, and appreciate how non-native speaker identity is constructed and negotiated in such situations
3. Employ strategies for mediating interactions involving the use of both Japanese and English languages
4. Apply a range of disciplinary approaches to understanding business institutions and organisations in a Japanese context
5. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the concepts and terms used to describe and discuss Japanese approaches to work and professional interaction
6. Read critically and engage with existing research, with the potential to facilitate life-long learning.
7. Demonstrate independent research skills including enquiry techniques, critical thinking, and skills of oral and written communication.

Within semester assessment: 70% + Exam: 30%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Japanese studies