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/radio news. The students will watch and read on a regular basis the most current news of the events that are taking place in Japan. The students become familiar with aural/textual features of Japanese media (TV/radio news and newspaper/magazine) as well as terms and idiomatic expressions frequently used. Skills of understanding the TV/radio news, reading of newspaper/magazine articles are 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 others) 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.