Japanese Conversation Class to Be Offered

After learning the fundamentals of the Japanese language, Soka University of America students will have the opportunity to try out their skills in the college’s new advanced conversational Japanese language class to be offered in the fall.

The noncredit course, to be offered on Monday nights, will focus on discussions of various topics, including current events, culture and art.

Students and their instructor, Kyoko Akipaya, will speak only Japanese during the two-hour class.

The course is limited to those who have completed the advanced Japanese course at Soka or its equivalent elsewhere.

Instead of sentence structure and vocabulary, the class will emphasize the art of conversation in another language, said Deborah di Cesare, director of campus programs.

“It’s for people who want to develop their conversational skills,” she said. “And for those who conduct business in that language or are going on a trip, they can practice in total comfort.”

Courses in introductory, intermediate and advanced Japanese also will be offered in the fall in the America Japanese Language Center, 26800 W. Mulholland Highway.

The conversational Japanese class is $150 for a 15-week course, which will run from Sept. 9 through Dec. 16. Registration ends Aug. 30.

For more information, call (818) 878-3775.