As a language is so heavily informed by that country's culture, the goal of this class is to provide cultural context that is both interesting and helpful to students developing a better understanding of Japanese. Being able to read/write Hiragana/Katakana/Kanji characters is not required but an understanding of at least a basic level of Japanese grammar and/or vocabulary is recommended in order to get the most out of this class.

As the theme of this 8-week course is popular culture in Japan, each class will include a short presentation on cultural topics related to some aspect of Japanese media entertainment with images and video clips (when appropriate). Aside from learning about Japanese culture, these presentations are also for practicing listening comprehension and will be given partially in Japanese by the teacher (with keywords translated into English to aid in comprehension). A short check for student understanding and a chance for students to ask questions (in English or Japanese) will be done throughout each presentation.

In addition, each class will also focus on learning key vocabulary and practicing grammar patterns related to the cultural topic introduced in the presentation. This will be done in the form of games or activities such as roleplaying and the focus will be on learning and practicing how to use them in conversation.

Week 1: Music in Japan - Genres & Instruments - Starting with Expressing Opinions ("I Think/Feel...") & Desire ("I Want...")
Week 2: Cinema in Japan - Genres, Terms & People - Expressing Opinions & Comparisons ("I Think/Feel... is the Most...") & Talking About Who Made It & Who's In It
Week 3: Television in Japan - Genres, People & Characters/Roles - Talking About "If I Were..."
Week 4: Anime/Manga in Japan - Genres, Terms & People - Expressing Reactions ("When I Watch/Read... I Feel/Want...")
Week 5: Literature in Japan - Talking About What's the Story ("It's About...")
Week 6: Fun & Games in Japan - Talking About Past Experiences & Giving Reasons for Your Opinion
Week 7: Building Your Review in Japanese - Making Suggestions & Talking About Likes/Dislikes & Favorites
Week 8: Enjoying (More) Media in Japan - Student Presentations of Final Projects, Quiz Game & Wrap-Up

**Please note that this 8-week class is the fifth part of the "Learn Japanese Through Culture" series. Each part is organized around a certain theme and is designed to be more or less independent so that students do not have to take all of the parts , nor do they have to take them in order to benefit. Some parts may have similar topics within them, but the way in which the related grammar, vocabulary, etc. is implemented in each part is informed by the theme.