Task #5: Katakana Literary Works Evaluation Categories

Task 5-1: Start brainstorming your literary work

In the next task, you will be asked to create your own literary work, using katakana words or expressions. Start brainstorming what sort of literacy work you want to create. 

Below are some examples from the last year's students.

Manga1   Manga2

Story1   Story 2

Poem1  Poem2

Advertisement 1   Advertisement 2


If you decide to create haiku or senryuu, read this post to learn about what they are.

Haiku1   Haiku2

Senryu1    Senryu2


Task 5-2: Below is a list of the last year's evaluation categories. If you have anything to add or to revise, write in the comment section of this blog by Wednesday, November 7.

Based on these evaluation categories, your literacy work will be evaluated by your instructor as well as your classmates.

Katakana Literary Works Evaluation Categories
1. Emotiveness (Appeal to heart)
Capture the readers, appeals to the senses, inspire reaction
Thought provoking, evoke emotion
Relatable to the reader

2. Delivering message (Message)
Eternal verities, providing lessons (underlying deeper messages), depth beyond the plot,

Has a point to it
Thought provoking content
Star-crossed romance, sense of fantasy (mythos)

3. Aesthetic Factors (Beauty)
Aesthetically pleasing,
Follows a structure, style, formation of a style and consistency
Provokes image, songs, and etc, can picture in your head
Sounds beautiful, should flow, have rhythm, rhythmical

4. Creativity (Interest)
Unique, exciting, interesting, fun, not boring, wit, smart, funny, humorous, entertaining, well developed, not repetitive/ cliché, sparking new ideas and questions, original, imaginative, innovative, original
challenging societal conventions, question the typical standards

5. Consideration for Others (Ease of Reading)
Coherent, clear, thoughtful, an appropriate length, concise, cohesive
Easy to interpret and/or understand
Ability to reach wide audiences across ages and cultural backgrounds, potentially carry universal values, Respect all cultures
Vocabulary that takes into account the audience's level of understanding

6. Language (Relation to Language)
Use of language, meaning either a unique use of diction perhaps
Well crafted (i.e.- put thought/effort into it, strategic choice of words, etc.)
Wordplay, fun with language, has an eloquent use of words, illustrative language

Use language that we’ve learned

Haiku & Senryu
Rhythms, rhymes, and catchy sounds, satiric, succinct
Correct form and style

Subtlety is appreciated to achieve mood or image
Express an aspect of human nature (Senryu)
Express an aspect of the natural world (Haiku)

Story & Manga
1) Plot & Structure
Good, interesting, clear story line, good artwork
Depth of character and plot
Beginning, middle, and end
2) Characters
Character development, characters that you can relate, memorable characters

Task 3&4: Comment and Revision

Task #3: You will read your classmates' analyses and make comments on them.

Does the analysis include the following contents?

1.  Choose at least 2 katakana words/expressions that you found and think about what kinds of effects / purposes there may be in these words/expressions writing in katakana instead of hiragana or kanji.
2.  Also, think why there are such effects/purposes.
3. Think about why each textbook is different in explaining katakana, and why the textbooks explained katakana in the manners that they did.

Do you agree/disagree with your classmates' analyses? Why or why not?

Provide questions, suggestions, and new perspectives, if any.

*Your comments are due on 10/18 (R) for 5:40-class; 10/22 (M) for 11:40-class.

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Task #4: Based on the feedback you received from your classmates and others, revise your Katakana analysis and post it as the final version. Instead of erasing the draft, add a new version to your blog. For the title, write "Katakana Analysis (Final)." Your final Katakana analysis will be graded by the instructor.

The final version of your Katakana analysis is due on 10/30 (T) for 5:40-class; 10/31 (W) for 11:40-class. (Deadlines extended)

Task 2: Katakana Analysis (Draft)

Think about katakana use and write your analysis on your blog. Follow the directions below.

(Other people will read your analysis and make comments on your analysis, later.)
You may write in English.

1. Choose at least 2 katakana words/expressions that you found and think about what kinds of effects / purposes there may be in these words/expressions writing in katakana instead of hiragana or kanji.
2. Also, think why there are such effects/purposes.
3. Think about why each textbook is different in explaining katakana, and why the textbooks explained katakana in the manners that they did.

* On your blog, post what you have written in the question above. For the title, write "Katakana Analysis Draft." (deadline: 10/9 (T) for 5:40- class; 10/10 (W) for 11:40- class)

Katakana Analysis Checklist

1. Did you clearly state the source(s) for your data (e.g., newspaper "Asayomi shinbun," women's magazine "Kitty")?
2. Did you gather enough information from varied sources to support your conclusion?
3. Were you able to exchange your opinion with people who knows Japanese (i.e., advanced level Japanese learners, a Japanese person)?
4. If you want to read about the Katakana project objectives and procedure, click here.