Japanese Language and Contemporary Society

BSc (Hons) / BA (Hons) - combined honours

This four-year course gives the opportunity to explore in depth the distinctive features of contemporary Japanese society. Students will study the Japanese language and key aspects of its society and culture, and the third year will be spent studying at a university in Japan.

As part of a combined honours degree this course can be successfully paired with any one of a wide range of subjects, such as: Anthropology; Business; Computing; Economics; Geography; History of Art; Film Studies; Politics; Tourism Management; and Hospitality Management Studies.

The course

The course combines Japanese language modules with the study of specific aspects of Japanese society taught by specialists in the field.

In Year 1, students will study Japanese language from scratch, GCSE or post-GCSE level. They will also take the compulsory module, Introduction to Japanese Society, which provides the essential background knowledge of Japanese society, geography and history. They may choose optional introductory modules in Business, Economics and Social Anthropology as preparation for advanced work relating to Japan.

In Year 2, further language practice is combined with modules that place Japan in a broader international context.

The language modules taken in Year 4 will build on the greater fluency and range of expression acquired during the year abroad, and will allow the development of a high level of written and spoken proficiency. At the same time, students can select from a range of modules focusing on specific aspects of Japanese life, institutions and culture.

Year abroad

Year 3 will be spent entirely in Japan , studying at one of the universities with which we have exchange arrangements. Students attend intensive language courses and lectures which complement their programme of studies at Oxford Brookes. By carrying out an independent research project on contemporary Japan and immersing themselves in Japanese life and social activities with fellow students, they will acquire a high level of linguistic and cultural competence. The Japanese Department provides extensive pastoral care throughout the year abroad.

For further information please visit:
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying/courses/undergraduate
/2008/japanese

Duration

4 year course

Ratio of language modules to non-language modules?

50 / 50

Non-language modules

Introduction to Japanese Society and Culture
Introduction to Social Anthropology
Japan at Play
Work and the Japanese
Minorities and Marginality, Class and Conflict in Japan
International Relations of East Asia: Japan , China & the US
Japanese in a Business Context
Understanding Manga
Contemporary Japanese Cinema
Japan : Myth and Reality
Japan through Contemporary Texts
Academic Studies in Japan
Autonomous Learning in Japan

Study Period Abroad
Yes, compulsory on 4-year BA Combined
Hons Japanese Language & Contemporary Society course

Person Responsible
Year Abroad Tutor

Links with Universities in Japan

Languages: Minor Field in French/Japanese/Spanish

BSc (Hons) / BA (Hons) - combined honours

Graduates with a good knowledge of languages are increasingly valued by employers and have a higher than average employment rate. At Oxford Brookes you can take a minor field in French, Japanese or Spanish, either as a complete beginner or in order to build on prior knowledge, as part of a combined honours degree (see specific entry requirements below).

Your major field of study can be chosen from a wide variety of subjects which might include Business, Publishing, Film Studies, International Relations, Computing, Hospitality Management and History of Art to name but a few.

Course content

Modules are available in French, Japanese and Spanish, at a range of levels. We will test you to determine which is the appropriate level for you. You will learn practical skills in understanding, speaking, reading and writing in contexts applicable to both professional and social life. You will also acquire knowledge of your chosen country and its culture, and develop a number of transferable skills including oral and written communication, managing your own learning and working with others.

Oxford Brookes has many study abroad exchanges with institutions of higher education abroad (see page 40) and offers opportunities for students to undertake placements in other countries providing that the exchange or placement is related to your major field of study. If you plan to do such a placement in a French-speaking country, or in Japan or Spain, a minor field in that language will help you to get the most out of a placement not just linguistically but also culturally.

For further information, please visit:

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying/courses/undergraduate
/2008/uglangs

Postgraduate

Global Japan: Culture, Business and International Relations
MA / PGDip / PGCert
The course is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council

This course aims to foster a deep knowledge of Japan, to place it within the context of global change in the international political economy, and broadly to examine the interactions of Japanese people and institutions with the wider world.

Its core focus is on the study of Japan in a comparative perspective, and different disciplinary pathways are offered to suit your interests and ambitions. The major ones are currently social anthropology, business, and international relations. However, we also have scholars working in Japanese arts, film and manga studies, and they contribute to the teaching and supervision available. Students will be guided to build up the skills required to write a dissertation, including research training appropriate to their speciality. Japanese language, at a level suitable to the individual students, may be taken alongside the MA, and advanced global communication and translation skills are offered as an important feature of the course.

The University has a thriving Japan Interest Group with regular activities related to Japan, a Europe Japan Research Centre, and a small, purpose-built Japanese room.

The course provides a suitable qualification for students who wish to carry out further research, and who are seeking to work for a foreign company doing business in Japan, a Japanese company abroad, or anywhere they can use the disciplined knowledge they will acquire about Japan and its place in the world.

Course content

The course is offered as a master's degree (MA), which would involve a compulsory module on Japan in the World and a choice of four or five others, as well as the writing of a dissertation. A postgraduate diploma (PGDip) can be awarded if students choose not to write a dissertation and, if they are working - perhaps in a Japanese company, or waiting to go to Japan - they can choose three relevant modules - with nothing compulsory - to make up a postgraduate certificate (PGCert), as part of building up a Japan-related CV.

The overall focus is to understand Japan and Japanese people, and the role they play in the contemporary world. The course will start with a discussion of the context of Japan's geographical and historical relations with the outside world, and examine the means by which present residents of Japan have come to see themselves and their identity in comparison with other peoples and other nations. It will encourage students to acquire a collective knowledge of the vast range of participation Japan plays on the global scene. Students will be invited to develop their individual interests in one or more of the particular roles Japan occupies on the world stage. The main disciplinary approaches are social anthropology and international relations, but contributions offered also include arts, history, law, linguistics, and film studies. The first semester of the core course allows students to experience these different approaches and to taste further application to help with decisions about the choices for coursework in the second semester, and dissertation.

The course has a core component taken by all, which introduces the study of Japan in a global context from several different perspectives. During both semesters there are also alternative modules to suit individual interests. One module of Research Training is compulsory, and the study of Japanese language is also strongly encouraged.

For further information, please visit:

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying/courses/postgraduate
/2008/japan

Are there any Japan-related PhDs currently in progress?
Yes