Japanese
(Minor)
Much as I did with Linguistics, I more-or-less "stumbled" my way into a Japanese minor. Having entered my third year of college, registered for my third year of Japanese language and a class on tea ceremony just for the fun of it, I realized that I was on the cusp of a golden opportunity.
I realized that I could take several classes which would help me across the board in my studies. My Japanese language classes were already paving the way towards a linguistics degree. The course on tea ceremony could apply towards comparative religion. And there were plenty of courses on Japanese linguistics that I could take which would allow me to earn all of the elective credits I needed for both a Japanese minor and a Linguistics major. I decided that if I was going to do all of the work anyway, I might as well officially earn the title. I had taken some Japanese in high school. However, scheduling conflicts prevented me from taking third and fourth year. In addition, my high school class hadn't been the best taught and I felt that I needed to start from square one and re-solidify my basics - especially after glancing at the syllabus for quarter one of first year Japanese. It indicated that by the end of the quarter students would be able to describe their day and I didn't even know how to tell time. Unfortunately, because I used my two years of high school Japanese as my language for entering the university, that first quarter didn't count. My grades for it were moot and it didn't apply towards any credits. I essentially was forced to pay for the class without receiving credit for it. Subsequent language classes really challenged me. It was exciting to gradually obtain the skills I needed to have basic conversations - assisting tourists at my job and watching shows and movies that had simple enough dialogue without subtitles. Courses on Japanese linguistics were especially interesting. While not wholly challenging, they consisted of a lot of work, such that at the end of every quarter I found myself amazed at all of the work I had accomplished in merely 10 weeks. Focusing on Japanese Linguistics has also helped in my general Linguistics major as similar concepts have been explored in multiple classes - allowing me to have a better grip on everything I was learning. |
Cover Image: Cherry Blossoms in the UW Quad