The main instructional principle of the MSU Japanese Program is that students will communicate and function in Japanese accurately and appropriately, in both speech and writing. To that end, all instructors strive for the following.

1. Pay attention to: (i) tasks and functions, (ii) content and context, (iii) accuracy, and (iv) utterance/text types (i.e. words, sentences, paragraphs, multi-paragraphs).
2. Employ eclectic approaches, or various methods and techniques appropriate for the students and tasks at hand.
3. Include mainly communicative (function-focused, situational, student-centered, creative) activities, but also some pre-communicative (form-focused) exercises in context, meaningful to individual students.
4. Integrate culture and use authentic materials whenever possible.
5. Consider affective needs of students, creating atmosphere most conducive to learning.

Audiovisuals, such as videos, are vigorously used from early on, and word processing, e-mail, and webpage creation in Japanese are introduced at various levels.

Students are encouraged to participate in Japan-related activities, such as Nihon Kurabu, Japanese Coffee Hours, speaking partnerships, and speech contests, and to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, administered by the Japan Foundation.

The following table shows the year-end goal for the majority of the students at each level. Many of our students actually exceed these goals. (*-*)

1st-year:
2nd-year:
3rd-year:
4th-year:

Intermediate Low/Mid
Intermediate Mid/High
Intermediate High/Advanced Low
Advanced Low/Advanced Mid