The Major in
Japanese Studies provides a solid grounding in Japanese language,
culture, literature, and linguistics, with 32-36 credits of core courses
covering each of these areas and 4-8 credits of elective courses in Japanese
history, religion, philosophy, economics, politics, art, and business.
The Major curriculum incorporates advanced Japanese instructional
software developed at USF that is capable of analyzing and correcting
student-composed sentences. Students have the option to pursue
immersion study in Tokyo through our ongoing exchange program with
Sophia University. The program affords opportunities for research and
professional internships that are unique to the Bay Area.
Requirements for the Major
Core Courses
The program requires completion of forty (40) credits in
Japanese. The three semesters of lower-division Japanese language courses
(Japanese 101, 102, and 201) serve as a prerequisite but do not count toward
the credits necessary for the major.
Required Courses (20 credits)
Students take the following four Japanese language courses
and one Japanese linguistics course:
- JAPN - 202 Fourth Semester Japanese
- JAPN - 301 Intermediate Japanese
- JAPN - 302 Advanced Japanese
- JAPN - 401: Edo Culture (Fourth Year Japanese)
- JAPN - 410 Introduction to Japanese Linguistics
Choose five from the following (20 credits):
- JAPN - 195 Reading Osaka from San Francisco
- JAPN - 310 Zen and the Art of Japanese Calligraphy
- JAPN - 350 Japanese Culture
- JAPN - 351 Contemporary Japanese Culture
- JAPN - 355 Japanese Literature in Translation
- JAPN - 357 Naturalism in Japanese Literature
- JAPN - 360 Japanese Calligraphy and Ink Painting
Up to two courses among the following can be
counted toward the 20 credits of electives:
- HIST - 383 Modern Japan Since Perry
- HIST - 387 History of U.S.-Japan Relations
- HIST - 390 Special Undergraduate Studies in History: Traditional Japan to 1868
- THRS - 368 Japanese Religion and Society
- THRS - 370 Zen Buddhism
- THRS - 379 Buddhist Paths
- BUS - 397 Japanese Study Tour
Learning Goals/Outcomes for the B.A. in Japanese
Studies
- Students will acquire Japanese skills that will
enable them to converse at an intermediate level of proficiency (according to the ACTFL, national standard OPI guidelines),
to read newspaper clips, short literary works and various Internet materials with the aid of a dictionary, to comprehend the major themes of television programs and films on general-interest topics, and to write essays, speeches and short research papers.
- Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of
the historical development and contemporary state of the Japanese
language, literature, and selected aspects of culture, and also the
competency to employ the analytical and conceptual tools relevant to
their study.
