List of Departments - Foreign Languages
Foreign LanguagesSocial SciencesHumanitiesNatural Sciences
Foreign Languages
｜ English ｜ German ｜ French, Italian ｜ Chinese ｜
｜ Korean ｜ Russian ｜ Spanish ｜ Classical and Mediterranean Languages ｜
English
The Department of English at the College of Arts and Sciences is mainly responsible for English language teaching for the Junior Division (first and second year students), which forms a part of the Liberal Arts education at the College of Arts and Sciences. In the modern world, English plays an extremely important role as a global language in many fields such as politics, economics, diplomacy and academia, but as with all other languages, it also has a cultural dimension that deeply reflects the history and society that nurtured its development. Bearing those two essential roles of English in mind, the Department of English provides courses with distinctive features.
In English I, we use our originally-produced textbooks as the standard text, and endeavour to equip both arts and science students with the reading and listening skills necessary to comprehend intellectual material appropriate for their calibre. In English II, students aim to develop a balanced set of English skills by spending one semester on each of the following: R (reading comprehension), P (presentation: essay writing, oral presentation and debating) and C (comprehension: seminars that integrate reading and listening comprehension). For further information, please visit the departmental website 
.
German
The Department of German provides Foundation courses for both beginners (Ab initio German I, II, Seminars) and non-beginners (Non-beginner's German I and II). The Department also offers Integrative Courses under International Communications, each at beginner or intermediate levels: 'Seminars' for science students (equivalent to its arts counterpart); 'Conversation', 'Composition' and 'Expression' classes to develop practical command of the language; Intensive Courses for concentrated learning; and 'German as a Third Language' courses for those who did not study German as a Foundation Course. The Department is also responsible for the courses 'Thematic Lectures', 'German Text Analysis', and 'Language and Literature'.
During the two years at the Junior Division of the College of Arts and Sciences, it is hoped that students will actively take up new languages and integrative courses in order to nurture broad perspectives and a rich intellectual sensibility.
French, Italian
French is not only one of the most accessible languages for English speakers, but is also the second most common official language in the world and an invaluable asset for students wanting to build an international career. Built on a legacy of cultural and intellectual prowess across the centuries, French continues to be a language of exquisite charm across literature, film, art, and music.
Italian, like French, is a Romance language that has its roots in Latin, and Italy as a country still retains much of the original Latin culture that had once formed the core of the European civilisation. In Japan, our perception of Italy is perhaps dominated by its art, fashion, cuisine, industrial and automobile innovation, or football - yet, home to the world's oldest university and to a plethora of valuable manuscripts and cultural artefacts, Italy is also an enduring cradle of academic scholarship.
The exposure to the breadth of cross-cultural diversity is one of the major objectives of language study. It is hoped that that students will be able to experience the pleasure of studying the French and Italian languages by discovering the true appeal of the cultures that are entwined with the languages.。
At the Komaba campus, the following two-year curriculum enables students to attain a foundational level in reading, speaking and writing:
French
| Year 1 | In French I and II the focus is on grammar. Parallel seminars are also offered in the practical language skills of pronunciation, listening comprehension and verbal/written expression. |
| Year 2 | The focus is on reading comprehension and verbal/written expression, using 'Promenades' as the primary text. |
| International Communications (elective course) | Beginner or intermediate level courses in: practical seminars, conversation, composition, expression, French as a third language, intensive courses etc. For further information please refer to the departmental website at http://langue-fr.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/. |
Italian
| Year 1 | In Italian I and II the focus is on grammar, using 'Start Italian: Italiano in partenza' as the primary text. Parallel seminars are also held in the practical language skills of pronunciation, listening comprehension and verbal/written expression. (Refer to the International Communications course below) |
| Year 2 | The focus is on reading comprehension and verbal/written expression, using 'Piazza' as the primary text. |
| International Communications (elective course) | Beginner or intermediate level courses in: practical seminars, conversation, composition, expression, Italian as a third language, etc. (For further information please refer to UTask.) |
Chinese
Shaping individuals with both the linguistic mastery and profound cultural understanding of China - such are the aims of teaching at the Department of Chinese. With China's growing role in the global community, the need to understand the Chinese culture and language is now greater than ever. Already, many of our former students are taking global leadership roles across private and public sectors, independent administrative institutions, journalism, and in academia.
In the first year, students attain a foundation level in standard Chinese. From the second year onwards, students can supplement their core learning with elective courses in order to facilitate a natural progression through intermediate to advanced levels. In addition, we also offer intensive courses at beginner or intermediate level that focus on strengthening communication skills, as well as classes in Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Shanghainese. Our emphasis is not only on improving practical language skills, but also on facilitating a holistic insight into China; as such, all of our staff are specialists in Chinese language, society, and culture.
Korean
Japan's relationship with the Korean peninsula goes back to antiquity. Knowledge of Korean has not only been important in learning the culture and society of our neighbour, but also in understanding our own - and is still of great relevance today.
The Korean language is very similar to Japanese in both grammar and vocabulary; further, the Hangul script is very logical, formed of syllabic blocks that combine characters for vowels and consonants. Although pronunciation may pose some initial difficulty, with perseverance it is entirely possible to be able to read more complex texts with the aid of a dictionary by the end of the beginner's course.
In addition, full support is provided across all aspects of language learning, be it grammar, conversation, reading comprehension or composition, such that students can stretch their individual strengths for accelerated progress.
Russian
The Department of Russian is run by five specialist members of staff and mainly organises Russian language teaching at the College of Arts and Sciences, catering from absolute beginners to those who even write their theses in academic Russian. The Department provides a variety of courses to allow both a systematic and holistic understanding of all aspects of the language across grammar, reading comprehension, composition, and conversation. In addition, the Department runs courses in Polish and Serbo-Croatian, each at beginner or intermediate levels, to provide a gateway into the diverse world of the Slavic languages, culture, and society.
Spanish
Spanish, along with French and Italian, is a Romance language that has its origins in Latin. As an official UN language, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, not only in Spain and Latin America but also as a mother tongue by Hispanics (or Latinos) in the United States.
Learning the Spanish language serves as a gateway into the vibrant world of Spanish arts and sports: literary greats, such as Cervantes' Don Quixote and the Nobel laureate Vargas Llosa; art and architecture virtuosos, as represented by Goya, El Greco, Velázquez and Gaudí; and the world renowned football teams of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
To facilitate learning, the Department makes full use of the Internet. In the classroom, first year students use 'Dímelo', and second year students 'Viajeros', as their primary text to ensure all students can attain the same standard upon completion of their courses. To allow a deeper understanding of 'Dímelo', the Department uploads detailed grammar explanations, vocabulary lists, texts, and model answers to exercises on the departmental homepage. There are also video clips to practise grammar in action, and original video materials and photo galleries to encourage a deeper exploration of the world of Spanish. For further information, please visit the departmental website at http://spanish.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/
In the first year, compulsory classes are held twice a week for both arts and science students. Each week, Spanish I first provides the initial grounding in grammar, which is followed by Spanish II, which focuses on reading comprehension and exercises to reinforce the grammar. By the end of the first year, students will have covered all essential grammar and should be able to read simple texts. For arts students, additional compulsory seminars focus on speaking under guidance from native Spanish staff, and put the language skills from Spanish I and II into action. Science students can opt to take its counterpart as an Integrated Course under International Communications should they wish to study up to the same level as the arts students.
International Communications also offer other optional courses in conversation, composition, intermediate-level seminars and analysis of Spanish texts. These courses allow those wishing to study beyond the compulsory curriculum to further their insight into the Spanish language
Classical and Mediterranean Languages
The Department of Classical and Mediterranean Languages is an intimate department consisting of two expert members of staff: Kenji Tsutsui (specialist in Classical and Biblical Studies), responsible for beginner and intermediate Greek and Latin, and Hideaki Sugita (specialist in Comparative Literature and Culture), responsible for beginner and intermediate Arabic. In addition, some classes in beginner's Latin are taught by Hermann Gottschewski from the Department of German, while the Department also arranges for many guest lecturers in Greek and Latin every year.
Foreign LanguagesSocial SciencesHistorical ScienceNatural Sciences
