Related Activities

In 2006, we implemented a "Japanese Visiting Professor" Scheme: Leading scholars in Japanese Cultural Studies are invited for short-term visits of 2-4 weeks to the Japanese Dept. at Birkbeck, to give seminars and lectures on our postgraduate programmes.

In 2004 and 2005, we organised, in cooperation with the Japan Research Centre at SOAS, workshops for research students in Japanese Humanities.

We regularly organise guest lectures and international conferences (see our website for details).

Japan Societies/Club Activities

Together with our current and former postgraduate students in the U.K. and Japan , we run a mailing list "nihon-suki-kai" with information on research and events related to Japanese (popular) culture.

Our language students run a Birkbeck Japan Society, which organizes summer workshop for preparation for the JLPT and other social events.

Future Developments

After the successful start of a Japanese language course for beginners in 2001, the College decided to expand its Japanese Studies provision and created a full-time lectureship (Dr Nicola Liscutin) in 2002. Since then, Dr Liscutin developed and established the new, and in the U.K. unique MA programme in Japanese Cultural Studies for part- and full-time students. The MA degree is now in its fourth year, and to-date 15 part- and full-time, home and overseas students have successfully graduated.

In view of the recruitment figures for our MA, the College created a second full-time lectureship in Japanese Studies in autumn 2005 (Dr Darren Aoki).

We hope to expand our postgraduate programme provisions to include, from 2008-2009, cultural/creative industries and/or cultural policy studies.

An MPhil/PhD programme in Japanese Studies was established in 2006; our first MPhil/PhD student received a College Research Studentship Award.

In cooperation with the Alpha Japanese Language Institute, Dr Liscutin developed a 4-level Japanese Language Programme that now consists of Beginners, Intermediate I and II, and Advanced courses.

Problems

A recurring and serious problem for our postgraduate programmes is the scarcity of MA and PhD studentships, especially for overseas students but also for U.K/EU students.