This course is designed to introduce elementary Japanese to students with no previous background in the language. It is aimed at developing basic proficiency in the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. This course introduces the three Japanese writing systems from the beginning of the semester. Students are required to learn all 46 Hiragana and 46 Katakana, as well as 29 Kanji (Chinese characters). The course covers Chapters 1 through 4 of the textbook Genki I.