Japanese Studies BA

Core modules:

Exploring East Asia

This module introduces students to the study of modern East Asia. Beginning by encouraging consideration of what the subject of East Asian Studies is, it then introduces the following key topics: East Asian Geography and Environment, History, Culture and Media, Economics and Business, and Political Relations. In parallel with this content, the module also introduces core academic skills as follows: independent, lecture and seminar study; reflective practice; critical information, digital and visual literacy; evidence and argument in academic writing, and appropriate examination techniques. These two elements provide a firm foundation of knowledge and abilities for higher level study.

20 credits

Japanese Language 1A

This module is focusing on receptive activities and written productive activities in Japanese language. It aims to enable students to acquire basic competence in grammar, reading, writing and translation both from and into Japanese. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to do something practical in Japanese. Kanji (Chinese characters) as well as Japanese characters (hiragana and katakana) are introduced from the earliest stages.

20 credits

Japanese Language 2A

This module is focusing on receptive activities and written productive activities in Japanese language. This module builds on the achievement of Japanese Language 1A and introduces further grammatical structures of the Japanese language with a view to further developing reading, writing and translation skills. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to do something practical in Japanese. At the end of this level students should complete the beginner¿s level which is roughly equivalent to JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N4 or CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) A2.

20 credits

Japanese Language 1B

This module is focusing on interactive activities in Japanese. It aims to enable students to acquire basic competence in speaking and listening skills. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to communicate in Japanese through a variety of daily activities.

10 credits

Japanese Language 2B

This module is focusing on interactive activities in Japanese. This module is built on the achievement of EAS146 and develop speaking and listening skills further to provide the grounding necessary for intermediate study. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to communicate in Japanese through a variety of activities. At the end of this level students should complete the beginner's level which is roughly equivalent to JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N4 or CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) A2.

10 credits

Optional modules:
You will take one of the following Understanding Japan modules. Each module has a humanities or social sciences focus and will look at a core text, which has played a significant role in developing an intricate, understanding of Japan. The content of these modules change regularly to ensure they are topical and make the best use of our staff expertise.

you can take up to 20 credits in guided modules from across the University.

Understanding Japan 1

This module explores what it means to study Japan at university level, and considers how `area studies' research on Japan fits within a discipline such as political science, international relations or economics. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore one core topic - in this year, the development of party politics in contemporary Japan. We will consider how politics has been researched, how researchers use conceptual frameworks and types primary evidence to understand Japan's political landscape; how to navigate key debates in a field and evaluate competing arguments. You will finish this module with a deep understanding of our core topic and research, critical and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

20 credits

Understanding Japan 2

This module explores what it means to study Japan at university level, and considers how `area studies¿ research on Japan fits within a discipline such as history or cultural studies. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore one core topic ¿ in this year, the legacies of war and defeat in Japan after 1945. We will consider how histories of post-war Japan are built, how researchers use primary evidence in text and/or images to understand change; how to navigate key debates in a field and evaluate competing arguments. You will finish this module with a deep understanding of our core topic and research, critical and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

20 credits

Core modules:

Japanese Language 3A

This module is focusing on receptive activities and written productive activities in Japanese language at lower intermediate level. This module acts as a transition between the teacher-centred learning required for the acquisition of basic language skills, and the autonomous and self-directed learning required to progress at intermediate and advanced levels. Translation and functional reading skills are extended, with texts including annotated topical materials. Techniques for tackling unseen materials are developed and grammar knowledge is consolidated and expanded. Practical knowledge of kanji is raised to roughly 800 characters. Students develop skills needed to make best use of the Year Abroad programme.

20 credits

Japanese Language 4A

This module is focusing on receptive and written productive activities in Japanese language at mid-intermediate level. This module continues to act as a transition towards the autonomous and self-directed learning required to progress at intermediate and advanced levels. Grammar knowledge is consolidated and expanded and practical knowledge of kanji is expanded. Further functional reading skills and precise Japanese-English translation skills are introduced. The use of written Japanese appropriate to a variety of social contexts (i.e. life in Japan) is developed. The target level at the end of the level is roughly equivalent to JLPT N3 and CEFR B2.

20 credits

Japanese Language 3B

This module is focusing on interactive activities in Japanese language at lower intermediate level working towards JLPT N3 and CEFRB1. Every week students are made aware of and given the opportunity to practise spoken applications of specific themes, which is shared with the grammar and writing components. Students develop skills needed to make best use of the Year Abroad programme.

10 credits

Japanese Language 4B

This module is focusing on oral and aural activities in Japanese language at intermediate level. This module is designed in the light of the year abroad in Japan. Students are made aware of and given the opportunity to practice spoken applications of specific situations. There will be two main themes: giving a presentation and settling-in in Japan. The target level at the end of this level is roughly equivalent to JLPT N3 and CEFR B2.

10 credits

Optional modules: Block A
You will take one of the following modules

Mass Culture and Digital Society in East Asia

This module takes a transcultural approach to the study of mass culture and digital society in East Asia, tracing the adoption, adaptation, and innovation of a variety of media over the twentieth and twenty-first century. We will examine how mass culture, from radio and literature to art, entertainment and social media have continuously negotiated the concept of “national” identity across East Asia.

20 credits

Gender and Identities in East Asia

This module offers an overview of the study of gender and its connection to social, cultural, political and economic discourses across East Asia. Covering key issues related to the structures and dynamics of gender in East Asia, we learn to situate these dynamics in their historical and cultural context using case studies drawn from across the region.

20 credits

Optional modules:
Plus on of the modules listed below

you can take up to 20 credits in guided modules from across the University.

Contemporary Japanese Society

This module explores key factors shaping contemporary Japanese society, while developing core disciplinary skills in the contemporary social sciences - anthropology, sociology, geography and cultural studies. Our particular focus will be on the last twenty years as post-Bubble Japan has entered a period of economic decline, prompting a series of debates about the effects of this change on society. Students will develop a strong understanding of these social changes and the social scientific debates regarding them, and the methods and practices used to conduct contemporary social scientific research in Japan today.

20 credits

East Asian Cinema

This module will examine key East Asian film directors, cinematic movements and industry developments since 1945, and introduce you to some of the key cinematic theoretical frameworks such as national and global cinemas, gender, spectatorship. We will examine the ways in which selected films and directors interact with the history and culture of their respective nations. We will also teach and assess a range of transferable media skills. This module is designed to encourage students to critically examine both the text (the films) and the context (the national environmental, film festival circuit, film finance) that surrounds any film work.

20 credits

Environment and Development of the Japanese Islands

This module takes geographical, ecological, socio-cultural and political-economic perspectives in charting the emergence of Japan as the world’s first non-Western developed country. Beginning with Japan’s geological formation in pre-history and ending with a speculative enquiry into the state of Japan in 2100, the module assesses the human and ecological consequences of Japan’s development within the country’s Asian, Pacific, and global contexts.

20 credits

Evolution of the Japanese Language

The module introduces the language and representative examples of the main literary genres - including poetry, travelogues, diaries, tales and military chronicles - from the Nara period to the mid-Edo period, focusing mainly on the language of the Heian and Kamakura periods. Grammar is taught in the first three weeks in parallel with the reading of a representative short text, focusing on the main differences between the Classical language and the modern language.

20 credits

Gender and Identities in East Asia

This module offers an overview of the study of gender and its connection to social, cultural, political and economic discourses across East Asia. Covering key issues related to the structures and dynamics of gender in East Asia, we learn to situate these dynamics in their historical and cultural context using case studies drawn from across the region.

20 credits

Mass Culture and Digital Society in East Asia

This module takes a transcultural approach to the study of mass culture and digital society in East Asia, tracing the adoption, adaptation, and innovation of a variety of media over the twentieth and twenty-first century. We will examine how mass culture, from radio and literature to art, entertainment and social media have continuously negotiated the concept of “national” identity across East Asia.

20 credits

Modern Japanese History

This module will explore key themes in the modern history of Japan from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century, while developing core skills in reading primary sources and historical analysis. Broad themes include identity and nation-building, social and economic change, war and its practical and cultural legacies. Key sub-disciplinary approaches will be based in social and cultural history, with some excursions into other historiographical approaches. It will be delivered through weekly lectures, and seminars structured around developing primary source analysis skills and relating these to appropriate secondary literature.

20 credits

Postwar Japanese Politics

This module will examine postwar Japanese politics, economy and international relations with a focus on the change and continuity of political organizations and policy-making processes. The module is designed to equip students with analytical skills based on a framework generally applicable to political science so that they will be able to examine political phenomena in general, and particularly in relation to Japan, from a range of theoretical perspectives. Students will work together in a group presentation based on a case study and take a formal exam that will assess their ability to conduct critical analysis and make a coherent argument.

20 credits

Core module:

Japanese Year Abroad

During the Japan Year Abroad students take the intensive Japanese language classes provided by our partner universities with the aim of developing their Japanese competency to approximately level N2 as measured by the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, supplemented by familiarity with the 2136 Chinese characters in general use. In addition, students will have the opportunity to take a wide variety of Japanese Studies subjects, taught in English and Japanese, and take part in a range of structured and informal learning experiences to develop their familiarity with the Japanese social, cultural and physical environments.

120 credits

Core modules:

East Asian Dissertation

The East Asian dissertation requires that students produce an extended and focused study of a subject of their own choice, within the scope of their degree programme, and allows students to refine and extend their independent research, analytical and writing skills. The unit is delivered through a combination of group meetings in lecture or seminar format and through individual supervision.

40 credits

Japanese Language 5

This module builds on skills acquired at Levels 1 and 2 and during the year in Japan at upper intermediate to lower advanced level. It is divided into four sections, each one focussing on a key linguistic skill which is demanded of adult foreign users of the language. These skills are: translation in English; reading comprehension of sophisticated non-literary texts; writing in Japanese ¿ with a focus on formal correspondence; and speaking, with a focus on job interviews and presentations. Group work, with students selecting their own materials for study, is a key element of the module, enabling students to develop as independent learners.

20 credits

Japanese Language 6

This module builds on skills acquired at Levels 1 and 2 and during the year in Japan at upper intermediate to lower advanced level. It is divided into four sections, each one focussing on a key linguistic skill which is demanded of adult foreign users of the language. These skills are: translation in English; reading comprehension of sophisticated non-literary texts; writing in Japanese with a focus on formal correspondence; and speaking, with a focus on job interviews and presentations. Group work, with students selecting their own materials for study, is a key element of the module, enabling students to develop as independent learners.

20 credits

Optional module:
In your final year you will bring together the knowledge you've gained throughout your studies modules in a research project based on a humanities or social sciences based topic. You will take one Researching Japan module and it’s complimentary research project module.

The content of these modules change regularly to ensure they are topical and make the best use of our staff expertise

you can take up to 20 credits in guided modules from across the University.

Researching Japan 1

This unit explores some of the key debates and latest empirical developments in a specific field of research currently undertaken by a member of SEAS staff in Japanese Studies. It enables students to understand how research questions are formulated and answered by exploring the member of staff's disciplinary focus, the range of theoretical approaches employed, and the various methodologies available in researching this field.

20 credits

Researching Japan 2

This unit explores some of the key debates and latest empirical developments in a specific field of research currently undertaken by a member of SEAS staff in Japanese Studies. It enables students to understand how research questions are formulated and answered by exploring the member of staff's disciplinary focus, the range of theoretical approaches employed, and the various methodologies available in researching this field.

20 credits

Japan Research Project 1

In this module, you will work as part of a small team within a scenario set by a SEAS staff member that relates to his/her field of research as explored in EAS3033. You will answer a research question by choosing an appropriate methodology, allocating specific tasks within your team, organising your time and reflecting on the research process both individually and collectively. Specific projects will include appropriate research training provided by the module organiser and/or 301. At the end of the module you will produce a research output and display it as part of a programme-wide and School-wide event to specialised/non-specialised audiences.

20 credits

Japan Research Project 2

In this module, you will work as part of a small team within a scenario set by a SEAS staff member that relates to his/her field of research as explored in EAS3033. You will answer a research question by choosing an appropriate methodology, allocating specific tasks within your team, organising your time and reflecting on the research process both individually and collectively. Specific projects will include appropriate research training provided by the module organiser and/or 301. At the end of the module you will produce a research output and display it as part of a programme-wide and School-wide event to specialised/non-specialised audiences.

20 credits