Japanese Studies Major

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Major in Japanese Studies provides a solid grounding in Japanese language, culture, literature, and linguistics, with 32-36 units of core courses covering each of these areas and 4-8 units of elective courses in Japanese history, religion, philosophy, economics, politics, art, and business.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will:

Acquire Japanese language proficiency at the intermediate to advanced level, according to the ACTFL national standard
Learn the Japanese language through the lens of the rich variety of cultural landscapes in historical and contemporary Japan and will develop substantial cultural knowledge about Japan
Gain a comprehensive understanding of the historical development and contemporary state of the Japanese language, literature, and selected aspects of culture
Acquire the competency to employ the analytical and conceptual tools relevant to their study

Major Requirements (40 Units)

The three semesters of lower-division Japanese language courses (JAPN 101 , JAPN 102 , and JAPN 201 ) serve as a prerequisite but do not count toward the units necessary for the major

Core Courses

Required (24 Units)

Students take the following Japanese language courses and one Japanese linguistics course:

Japanese Studies Electives (16 Units)

Complete 16 units from the following:

JAPN 195 - FYS: First-Year Seminar
JAPN 310 - Zen & Art Japanese Calligraphy
JAPN 350 - Japanese Culture
JAPN 351 - Contemporary Japanese Culture
JAPN 355 - Japanese Lit/Translation
JAPN 357 - Naturalism in Japanese Lit
JAPN 3XX - Japanese Calligraphy and Ink Painting

Optional Elective Courses:

Please note: a maximum of two optional electives can count towards the elective requirement for the Japanese Studies major.