History
The Japanese Program at WVU began in 1975 with only four students. The enrollment rapidly increased as the curriculum expanded with more course offerings. Within ten years, over 100 students were studying Japanese, and in 1991-93, the enrollment went over 200.

Courses offered
The program offers Elementary Japanese (1 & 2), Intermediate Japanese (3 & 4), Advanced Japanese !103, 104, 109, & 110), and also Japanese 191 (5th year Japanese on Culture & Literature). Besides these 9 levels of Japanese language courses, 4 levels of Japanese Language teaching Methodology courses are offered. They are Language 191-A, 191-B, 292-A, 292-B.

In-Class Methods
The process of foreign language acquisition should be as natural as that of the mother tongue. Therefore, oral drill sessions for the Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels are designed to parallel the process of a child's natural language acquisition skills. However, in-class oral drill sessions in Japanese, of course, are far more organized, condensed, and grammatically patterned than casual conversation engaged by a a child in a natural family setting. Still, the methods and techniques utilized in conducting these oral drill sessions remain consistent throughout the four years of the Japanese curriculum. The contents of oral drills do become progressively more difficult and complicated in higher levels, just as different features (such as reading and writing ) are introduced at different stages of the four-year curriculum. However, consistency of the teaching methods used throughout the four years ensures the students with a smooth and efficient progression of their language learning. Take, for example, the goal of Japanese 1. It is for the student to gain oral fluency in basic Japanese. In every class session, the student, using visual aid materials, engages in constant oral drills, under the supervision of her/his tutor. The Sentence/Word Repetition Drill, Word Substitution Drill & Structure Expansion Drill are interwoven into patterned dialogs. While doing these drills, the student is making active use of vocabulary words without translating. At the same time, the student does internalize the grammar of basic sentence structures. Occasionally socio-cultural-linguistic background will be given to the student by reading "NIHONGO NOTES."

Teaching Methodology Courses
Native speakers of Japanese, as well as non-Japanese students who are in upper levels of Japanese, are qualified to enroll in these courses. by serving as in-class tutors to the students in Elementary/Intermediate Japanese, the methodology students learn hands-on practical know-how in an actual classroom. The methods include: how to conduct oral drills, how to create effective visual aid materials, how to teach the writing of Japanese characters (Kana & Kanji), how to grade RENSHUU MONDAI take-home tests, etc.

Student Evaluation
The Japanese programs consistently enjoy receiving good comments in the Student Evaluation. the following are some samples in Spring 1997. "The tutor system developed in this class works amazingly well. This course was set up in the best possible way to learn the language." "Sensei is wonderful. The class is great. Her teaching methods are excellent. I'd recommend this class to anyone."

Note: The course summary submitted to Dr. Madley, the Chair of the Foreign Languages Department. All rights reserved.