NICHOLE CAVADA
STAFF WRITER
A new school year marks a hopeful beginning for all of us and AP Japanese is no different. The advanced class was recently added to the list of courses available for this year and is working towards encouraging students to join in the future. The class focuses on diving deeper into the Japanese culture and discussing global issues.
“In AP Japanese, we focus on themes that deal with social issues. We take the language to another level, so most of the vocabulary is more connected to the problems the world is facing,” AP Japanese teacher, Jamie Tateyama said.
AP Japanese students will also be able to work with topics that they are interested in, such as the ongoing problem of Japanese citizens overworking themselves. The class will be discussing the 2020 Tokyo Games Committee’s goal to become a carbon-free society, because of global warming. Another topic they will touch on is the innovation of recycling. Japan’s zero-waste town, Kamikatsu, has been attracting foreign attention because of its success in recycling or reusing nearly 80% of its non-organic waste.
“I expect my students to really dig deep into the culture. I’d like them to practice their reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. I would also like them to climb to another level of proficiency, but I don’t want them to feel inadequate because we’re all trying to climb to the next level,” Tateyama said.
The AP exam will test students on their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills using popular topics, like Japanese celebrities. The goal of the class is for students to enhance these four skills so that they will be able to use their own words to discuss current events and issues efficiently.