This is an advanced Japanese course focusing on further developing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and communication skills by using authentic newspaper/magazine materials and TV/online news. The students will watch and read the most current news of the events that are taking place in Japan and the world on a regular basis. The students become familiar with aural/textual features of Japanese media (TV/online news and newspaper/magazine) as well as terms and idiomatic expressions frequently used. Skills of understanding the TV/online news, reading of newspaper/magazine articles will be developed. Emphasis will also be put on enlarging kanji compound (??) knowledge and developing communication skills of summarizing and presenting the news content in one’s own words. By the end of the course, students will become accustomed to listening to the natural speed news (NHK broadcast and other sources) and get the gist of the news as well as some key details/points, and to pick up Japanese newspaper, skims through articles of interest, and read them without relying too much on dictionary.