Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1992

Department Prepares for Expansion The department currently comprises a total of five lecturers, two full-time instructors, one part-time instructor and two part-time teaching assistants. The Japan Foundation sponsors two of the lectureships. To prepare for the continued expansion in both the curriculum and student enrolment, the department is in the process of recruiting one more lecturer and a professor specializing in Japanese finance. Equal Emphasis on Japanese Language and Studies An important feature of the programme is that equal emphasis is put on language training and Japanese studies, which means that students will be equally at home whether they are speaking Japanese or discussing Japanese literature or society. Courses in four major areas are offered each year at different levels: Japanese language, literature, culture and society, and finance. During the first and second years, the emphasis is mainly on studying the language. Subsequently, the students concentrate more oh the Japanese studies aspects of the course. They have to take courses from both the humanities stream and the social science stream. The former includes courses on Japanese language, literature, comprehension, composition, translation, culture and history, while the social science subjects include Japanese society, economics, politics, management, and finance. Students to Spend a Year in Japan The course is not all theoretical, and students are expected to spend a year in Japan as exchange students. Students who enter the course after Form Six will spend the second year of their course in Japan and then return to Hong Kong for their last two years. Form Seven entrants also go to Japan in their second year. During this time students acquire a more thorough understanding of Japanese culture through their interactions with Japanese people and organizations. The Chinese University recognizes any units obtained by their students during their studies at universities in Japan. Student Opinions Wong Chui Hung, Anny ( M a j o r) Anny Wong was a science graduate from Sacred Heart Canossian C o l l e g e , and had always wanted to study Japanese when she was a secondary student. Her school work ， however, took up most of her time ， and she was unable to f u l f i l her long-cherished wish until she enrolled in the University's Department of Japanese Studies last year. She is scheduled to study for a year at the Nagoya Institute of Commerce in Japan this September. ‘I would give the programme 90 marks. I've fully enjoyed the nine months here despite the "hardships" I've been through. To learn a language well, one must speak more ， listen more and write more in that language. And this is exactly how Japanese is taught in the department. Well, the 20 of us didn't start at the same level: like me, some had never studied Japanese before, and we had a very difficult time. But thanks to the patience and lively teaching methods of our tutors, we have made much progress in several months and we are now close to one another in standard. In addition to this, every now and then our teachers will arrange seminars and video sessions to provide us with the latest information about studying in Japan, and that is very useful indeed.' Department of Japanese Studies 10