This is an intermediate/advanced Japanese language course that is designed to further develop oral and written communication skills through the study of various topics of current Japanese society. The students will read authentic news articles, magazines, websites, etc., of their choice, and/or watch/listen to authentic TV/radio programs, engage in group and class discussions, use the language in the actual research in interview, questionnaire, and/or email survey, and present the findings of their research formally. Through these activities, the students will enlarge their vocabulary, including the knowledge on the kanji compound words as well while deepening the understanding of current-day Japan. All four skills will be developed to increase overall proficiency and grammatical accuracy, which will be accomplished through language exercises in class and as homework assignments, frequent reading and writing exercises, and writing up a research report with multiple drafts. Students are assumed to know at least 500 kanji and their combinations and to have good foundation on basic grammar structures.