This 10-week course is pitched at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and completion of the course meets some of the level requirements. To help develop your fluency in the language, the course will focus primarily on speaking and listening skills, but will also include practice in reading and writing. You will have plenty of opportunities to practise the target language through hands-on class activities such as discussions and role-plays.
Japanese: Intermediate - Part 1
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Course starts: 29 Sep 2025
The weekly course schedule below is intended to give an indication of the main topic(s) likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change according to the tutor’s discretion to reflect the interests of course participants.
Week 1: Setting Goals and Getting to Know Each Other in Japanese
Week 2: Describing Your Life and Your Daily Environment
Week 3: Talking About Your Hobbies and Personal Preferences
Week 4: Sharing Your Plans and Ambitions
Week 5: Japanese Food Culture
Week 6: Talking About Your Room, Habits, and Study Patterns
Week 7: Japanese Sports, Martial Arts
Week 8: Giving a Short Talk About Yourself and Your Interests
Week 9: Understanding Communication and Emotional Expression
Week 10: Final Presentations, Review Games, and Output Activities
Key grammar points:
* Passive sentences
* Make comparisons
* Clarify or emphasise
Key functions:
* Introducing yourself and describing your daily life
* Giving advice and making suggestions
* Explaining causes and effects
* Expressing opinions and impressions
* Describing traditions and cultural values
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Additional reading:
Eriko Sato Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Japanese Grammar, Premium Second Edition (NTC FOREIGN LANGUAGE) (ISBN:978-1-260-46321-7)
Online dictionary: https://www.collinsdictionary.com
Textbooks
To participate in the course fully, you will need access to the following textbook:
Digital Certification
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add your badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £300.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Ms Rie Wakayama
An Oxford local, Rie is a qualified and very experienced lifelong learning Japanese language teacher. She has taught Japanese courses to adults for many years and also GCSE and A-Level syllabuses to children at local private schools. In her spare time, Rie loves Japanese cooking.
Course aims
To help you to practise and consolidate the language required to express yourself with a degree of fluency and spontaneity in some situations regularly encountered at work, educational settings, leisure centres and while travelling abroad.
Course objectives:
- To develop the learners’ language skills to be able to deal with a range of situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
- To consolidate reading comprehension skills to enable learners to understand a range of texts written in everyday and job-related language.
- To equip learners with the vocabulary and grammatical structures required to write straightforward, connected texts on some topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
- To increase the learners’ intercultural awareness and understanding of some of the differences and similarities in social and everyday practices between their own and the target culture.
Teaching methods
You will learn through a communicative teaching approach with the emphasis on actively engaging in classroom activities in the target language. These are likely to include role-plays, pair- and small-group work, and conversational practice conducted in a supportive, friendly and informal learning environment.
The course has been structured to help you primarily to improve your speaking and listening skills and to deepen your awareness of cultural nuances and customs in your target language. You will also learn and practise new grammatical structures in a communicative context and will be encouraged to develop your reading and writing skills in your own time.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to:
- exploit language to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the target language is spoken;
- understand the main points of clear standard speech on most familiar matters regularly encountered at work, educational settings and leisure centres;
- read and understand simple texts which include job-related language, descriptions of events, reasons or opinions;
- write straightforward connected texts on familiar topics or matters of personal interest.
Assessment methods
You will be set short, optional assignments to consolidate your learning and to allow you to progress at your own pace.
Application
Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education