Major Requirements

Credits Required: 

Total credits: 120

Credits in the major: 46

You officially begin the major by enrolling in the WLC 300: WLC Major ProSeminar where you work with the instructor to create your Individual Learning Plan. That ILP maps out how you will achieve each of the Major Learning Outcomes and core courses designated below by successfully completing the listed courses or alternative assessment options. You conclude the major during WLC 400: WLC Major Capstone by completing your Capstone, a publicly presented project that displays your cumulative learning in the major. [Learn more at CSUMB.EDU/capstone].

Core Courses

  • WLC 300: WLC Major ProSeminar (2 units)
  • JAPN 301S: Advanced Japanese SL (2 to 6 units)
  • WLC 400: WLC Major Capstone (4 units)

MLO 1: Language and Communication

  1. Students are able to communicate effectively in Japanese in three modes: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational; and in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social and professional settings and circumstances at the Intermediate-High level of language proficiency, according to the ACTFL Guidelines.
  2. Students gain competency in the Japanese language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse, and compare and analyze the structural differences between Japanese and English.

Required Courses

  • Language and Culture Courses taught in Japanese (Select two)
  • JAPN 300: Intro to Adv Communication (4 units)
  • JAPN 302: History of Japan (4 to 6 units)
  • JAPN 380: Japan: Land & People (4 units)
  • JAPN 402: Japanese Literature (4 units)
  • Upper Division Language and Communication related courses taught in Japanese (Select two)
  • JAPN 301: Adv Japanese Lang Cult & Com (4 to 6 units)
  • JAPN 303: Business Japanese (4 units)
  • JAPN 312: Japanese for the Professions (4 units)
  • JAPN 304: Intro Translate & Interpret (4 units)
  • JAPN 401: Structure of Japanese Lang (4 units)

MLO 2: Culture

  1. Students develop a comprehensive understanding, appreciation and knowledge of Japanese culture: perspectives (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), practices (patterns of social interactions) and products (both tangible and intangible, for example, art, history, literature, music).
  2. Students develop analytical and critical thinking in areas such as how Japan’s cultural background influences modern Japanese life, how to compare their own culture with the Japanese culture, or how Japanese culture relates to other world cultures in an age of global inter-relatedness.

Required Courses

  • Select 2 upper division culture related courses taught in Japanese:
  • JAPN 302: History of Japan (4 to 6 units)
  • JAPN 380: Japan: Land & People (4 units)
  • JAPN 402: Japanese Literature (4 units)
  • AND
  • Select 4 upper division culture related courses taught in English:
  • JAPN 205: Intro Japanese Culture & Civ (4 units)
  • JAPN 305: Intro Japanese Clture/Civ (4 units)
  • JAPN 215: Cool Japan Today (4 units)
  • JAPN 306: The Japanese Mind (4 units)
  • JAPN 307: Japan-American Exper (4 units)
  • JAPN 308: Japanese Pop-Culture (4 units)
  • JAPN 309: Japanese Lit in Translation (4 units)
  • JAPN 310: Japanese Cinema (4 units)
  • JAPN 311: Social Issues In Japan (4 units)
  • JAPN 213: Manga, Anime & Modern Japan (4 units)
  • JAPN 313: Manga, Anime & Modern Japan (4 units)
  • JAPN 314: JPN Visual Culture & Media (4 units)
  • JAPN 405: Econ History Of Japan (4 units)
  • JAPN 407: Japan in Asia (4 units)
  • JAPN 408: Business In Japan (4 units)

MLO 3: Secondary Culture

  1. Students describe concepts of culture and use that understanding in their comparison of the target culture with the second culture.
  2. Students will analyze and make connections among the ways of thinking and perspectives, behavioral practices and cultural products of a second culture.

Required Courses

  • Any approved Non-Japanese Culture Courses such as
  • SPAN 307: History&Politics Of Mex (4 units)
  • SPAN 308: Hist/Cultr Aztlan:SW US (4 units)
  • SPAN 309: Hist & Polit Of Latn Amer (4 units)
  • SPAN 311: US Foreign Policy Pac Rim (4 units)
  • SPAN 365: The Chicano Novel (4 units)
  • SPAN 370: The Chicano Community (4 units)
  • HCOM 322: Asian American Literature (4 units)
  • and other non-Japanese culture courses taught in English.

MLO 4: Research and Technology

  1. Students become familiar with appropriate research methodologies and are able to apply such in their studies.
  2. Students will use appropriate technologies in research and studies relative to Japanese language and culture.
  3. Students will collect, manage and analyze current and emerging technology-based resources to develop and produce their scholarly work.

Required Courses

  • Select one (1) from the following.
  • Only one course is required, however students are recommended to take two courses from this list over the Fall and Spring semesters of the year the student takes the Capstone course.
  • JAPN 400: Adv Interpersonal Com (2 units)
  • JAPN 403: Adv Interpretive Com (2 units)
  • JAPN 404: Adv Presentational Com (2 units)

MLO 5: Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion

Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community.

WLC's Japanese program has exchange agreements with Dokkyo University, J.F. Oberlin University, Chuo University, Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, Toyo University, and Okayama University. In addition, through CSU International Programs, you can study at Waseda University and Tsukuba University.

Required Course

  • There is no required course for this MLO. This MLO may be fulfilled by a study abroad experience or equivalent. Courses taken during study abroad may be counted toward another MLO. Students can also participate in additional service learning experiences

Concentrations