Japanese

Introduction： 日本語 (にほんご) のクラスに ようこそ！

Since Mrs. Takako Wakita established the Japanese Language program at Santa Barbara City College in 1984, the program has been offering a wide range of classes for students at all levels. The courses aim at the acquisition of four basic skills in contemporary Japanese - speaking, listening, reading and writing based on the fundamentals of the sound system, grammar and vocabulary.

JAPN 101 and 102 introduce the student to the essential tools of communication in Japanese and further to Japanese writing systems and its culture.

In the intermediate level, JAPN 103 and 104 emphasize comprehension, vocabulary building and enrichment of grammar for both spoken and written Japanese. These courses also introduce additional Kanji (Chinese characters) and different aspects of Japanese culture.

Welcome to the Japanese program!

We encourage all students from various majors who are interested in Japanese language and culture to take our classes. You will learn basic Japanese and build a good foundation to continue learning in the future. As you are learning new things every day, attendance and submitting assignments are fundamental to your enjoyment and ability to improve your language skills. Let's study Japanese together.

We use Genki 1 as our textbook. 

Here are links to Hiragana and Katakana,  Japanese writing systems which you will learn in JAPN101.

Hiragana: genki.japantimes.co.jp/site/self/site/hiragana/hiragana.html

Katakana: genki.japantimes.co.jp/site/self/site/gakusyu/katakana.html

If you have studied Japanese in the past outside SBCC or speak it at home, please contact us and take a placement test during the current semester so that you can take a higher-level class, such as 102, 103 or 104 in the following semester. After you pass the test, we will issue a placement verification letter.

If you have taken Japanese this semester, you are encouraged to continue taking Japanese in the next semester. We advise not to skip a semester if possible because it will be tough going back to where you left off. Please read on to find out more reasons why you should take Japanese courses one after another in consecutive semesters.

• Reason #1: Be able to accumulate necessary units quickly for a junior-level transfer You need to complete a minimum of 60 UC/CSU transferable semester units/90 quarter units to be eligible for a junior-level transfer to UC/CSU. It would make more sense to advance to an upper level of Japanese courses rather than taking an entirely new course since you are familiar with our teaching methods. As you know, having more than one semester of a foreign language looks strong in your transfer application.* * note: In general, for freshman admission or a junior transfer, 4-year universities require at least two years of foreign language classes in high school or one semester of a collegiate foreign language class, respectively. Some competitive universities, however, even urge freshman applicants to take foreign language courses for 3-4 years in high school.
  
  
• Reason #2: Be able to focus on studying subjects of your major after transfer For instance, most UC campuses cap the maximum number of units you can transfer from CC to satisfy graduation unit requirements at 70 semester/105 quarter units. You should earn as many transferable units as possible while you are at SBCC. So if you have already completed all Japanese courses at SBCC, you can focus on classes for your major, once you transfer to a 4-year college.
  
  
• Reason #3: Major in Japanese at a 4-year college If you want to major/double-major in Japanese, Japanese linguistics, or some specific majors such as global studies and comparative literature (which requires 1 or 2 years of two foreign language collegiate courses) in a 4-year college, it would be best to keep taking Japanese courses till you finish JAPN104 at SBCC. Also, even after JAPN 104, you can take advanced levels of classes at UCSB through Cross Enrollment. Cross Enrollment can provide SBCC students with the opportunity to enroll without formal admission to UCSB, in a maximum of one UCSB course per quarter on a space-available basis for some fee (as of Fall 2021, $46.00 per unit which is subject to change). This way if you want to keep studying Japanese, the transition to a four-year college is smooth. You will be able to meet degree requirements for your major sooner while you are at SBCC. See “After JAPN104: Cross Enrollment”.

How You Can Continue Taking Japanese Courses After SBCC Japanese 104

After you complete Japanese 104 at SBCC, you can continue taking advanced levels of Japanese courses at UCSB as an SBCC student through Cross Enrollment, where you can enroll (without formal admission) to UCSB.

Please refer to the following two websites and know the eligibility for Cross Enrollment.

• Cross Enrollment (from the SBCC website)
• Intersegmental Cross Enrollment Program (ICE) (from the UCSB website). https://registrar.sa.ucsb.edu/Intercampus.aspx

The procedure of the enrollment is as follows:

• Step 1. Check your eligibility with your SBCC academic counselor.
• Step 2. Get the eligibility certification from SBCC.
• Step 3. Email to a coordinator* from the Japanese program at UCSB and sign up for the placement test.
• Step 4. Bring the eligibility requirement form to the placement test.

*The coordinator who you should contact varies according to an academic year so please ask Kumi Hashimoto (khashimoto@pipeline.sbcc.edu) when you want to take a placement test at UCSB. She will let you know the contact information.

Other information:

1. How do Japanese Courses at UCSB work?

Japanese courses at UCSB: What and when? The first-year courses: J1 (Fall Quarter), J2 (Winter Quarter) and J3 (Spring Quarter). The second-year courses: J4 (Fall Quarter), J5 (Winter Quarter) and J6 (Spring Quarter). The third-year courses: J120A (Fall Quarter), J120B (Winter Quarter) and J120C (Spring Quarter). Upper courses (See the Japanese Program Website.)

2. I am transferring to UCSB this coming quarter. What should I do?

Take a placement test at UCSB. They provide placement tests at the beginning of each quarter. You can get the information (e.g., how to register, when and where) from the Japanese Language Program Website.

SBCC University Transfer Academy

Application Period: 2 weeks in October (Fall Semester) and in March (Spring Semester) 

Award: $300 for one student

Luria Japanese Language Scholarship is awarded to one student every semester. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be enrolled in any Japanese language class during the semester that they wish to be considered for this scholarship. Applicants do not need to be full-time students. Selection shall include a review of a standard scholarship application and personal essay in English. Award of this scholarship is based on academic achievement and financial need.

In your application, please mention how in the future you will use Japanese language skills you have been learning in class.

 Apply online: sbcc.academicworks.com

• w3newspapers.com/japan/
• jnto.go.jp/eng/

Communication and Film Studies Short Program in Tokyo, Japan, Summer 2024

History, Global Studies and History of Animation in Kyoto, Japan, Spring 2025

https://sbcc.edu/studyabroad/programs/index.php