This course focuses on introducing basic knowledge of Japanese for practical situations and aims at developing students’ language ability in such areas as grammar, vocabulary, writing, listening and speaking. After finishing this course, students will be able to apply knowledge of Japanese customs and practices to communicate with Japanese speakers, demonstrate control of important elements of Japanese grammar, and master most daily-used Kanji characters and Japanese vocabulary at an intermediate to higher immediate level.  By the end of the course, students should have reached a proficiency level roughly equivalent to the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Level N4 (Part 3)/N3 (Part 1).