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About the Course
Do you want to improve your Japanese language skills? In AP Japanese Language and Culture, you’ll practice your communication skills in real-life situations as well as read and analyze texts in Japanese. You’ll explore culture and learn how to express your ideas and opinions in Japanese.
Skills You'll Learn
Understanding Japanese when you hear and read it
Holding conversations in real-life situations
Delivering presentations on cultural topics
Writing essays that support a position or perspective
Equivalency and Prerequisites
College Course Equivalent
An intermediate level (typically third- or fourth-semester) college course in Japanese
Recommended Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites, but students are typically in their fourth year of high-school-level study. In the case of native or heritage speakers, there may be a different pathway of study leading to this course.
Exam Dates
Deadline: Submit Your Personalized Project Reference (PPR) through the AP Digital Portfolio
AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam
This is the regularly scheduled date for the AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam.
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AP can lead to a wide range of careers and college majors.
About the Units
The course content outlined below is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. Your teacher may choose to organize the course content differently based on local priorities and preferences.
Course Content
Unit 1: Families and Communities
You'll explore themes related to families and communities in Japanese-speaking societies.
In this unit, you might:
- Explore how families shape values and traditions, as well as personal beliefs and interests
- Examine the experiences faced by families in modern society
- Consider the evolving role of the community in contemporary societies
Skills you might practice include:
- Interpreting correspondence, literary texts, and audio reports
- Identifying main ideas and supporting details across print and audio sources
- Analyzing data from charts and infographics paired with audio sources
- Following verbal instructions
- Participating in conversations about family and community topics
- Giving a presentation on families and communities in Japanese-speaking cultures
Unit 2: Language and Culture
You’ll examine how language and culture influence each other in Japanese-speaking societies.
In this unit, you might:
- Explore how developments in science and technology impact language and the ways in which people communicate
- Examine how social media affects others
- Consider the role of entertainment and advertising as integral parts of culture
- Explore how a community’s values are reflected in its art and customs
Skills you might practice include:
- Interpreting articles and audio reports
- Identifying point of view, tone, and perspective in texts and audio sources
- Analyzing data from charts and infographics
- Drawing connections between texts and their larger cultural context
- Giving a presentation comparing cultural concepts in Japanese-speaking societies to your own
Unit 3: Art and Creativity
You'll explore art and creativity in Japanese-speaking societies.
In this unit, you might:
- Explore how art and creativity influence the quality of life and values in a community
- Consider the role and importance of art in Japanese-speaking communities
- Discover how the arts capture and reflect the history of a community
- Investigate how the concepts of art and creativity are defined within a culture
- Explore how art challenges and reflects cultural perspectives
Skills you will practice may include:
- Interpreting literary texts and articles
- Analyzing advertisements and promotional materials
- Understanding audio presentations and interviews
- Making connections between artistic and cultural products, practices, and perspectives
- Giving a presentation on art and creativity in Japanese-speaking cultures
Unit 4: Science and Technology
You’ll examine how developments in science and technology affect daily life in Japanese-speaking communities.
In this unit, you might:
- Explore how developments in science can both create and resolve challenges in contemporary society
- Investigate how technology creates new ways to connect with others and how it impacts and shapes language and culture
Skills you will practice may include:
- Interpreting charts, tables, and infographics in context
- Reading articles about scientific and technological trends
- Understanding interviews and oral presentations
- Interpreting verbal instructions
- Writing essays that draw on sources with multiple viewpoints
- Giving a presentation on the impacts of scientific and technological developments
Unit 5: Contemporary Life
You’ll learn more about contemporary life in Japanese-speaking communities.
In this unit, you might:
- Investigate how cultural perspectives and traditions relate to contemporary life
- Consider how a community’s culture affects public life
- Explore how popular culture influences contemporary life
Skills you will practice may include:
- Connecting literary texts to larger cultural topics
- Interpreting charts and articles
- Identifying perspective, tone, and attitude in audio sources and podcasts
- Participating in conversations using idioms and culturally relevant expressions
- Giving a presentation comparing contemporary life across cultures
Unit 6: Global Contexts
You’ll explore how the lives of Japanese-speaking people are affected by the world around them.
In this unit, you might:
- Investigate how global phenomena affect individual families and communities
- Explore how individuals can influence the world around them
- Suggest possible solutions that address contemporary global challenges
Skills you will practice may include:
- Analyzing articles and charts on global and social issues
- Listening for connections and meaning in audio reports
- Making cultural connections across multiple sources
- Writing essays to defend a position and integrate viewpoints from multiple sources
- Giving a presentation on how Japanese-speaking communities fit into broader global contexts
Credit and Placement
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Course Resources
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AP Classroom Resources
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Download
AP Japanese Language and Culture Course and Exam Description
This is the core document for this course. Unit guides lay out suggested thematic content and skills as well as recommend sequencing. The included project manual provides suggested pacing and activities to guide students through the project component of the course. Note: Audio icons in this CED are temporarily inactive; audio is available in AP Classroom and will be restored once this PDF issue is resolved.
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