The ability to communicate with Japanese speakers and appreciate Japanese culture gives you a huge advantage in a wide range of careers. Whether on the job or in your community, your Japanese language competency and cultural understanding can help you establish valuable connections in the inter-dependent global community.
The B.A. in Japanese Language and Culture prepares students to be active participants in an ever-shrinking and increasingly interdependent world society by developing students’ literacy in global matters, multiculturalism and cultural diversity, as well as guiding students to achieve an impressive level of language proficiency (intermediate-high level according to the ACTFL guidelines in Japanese) to be able to communicate effectively in Japanese with well-rounded Japanese cultural knowledge in such areas as history, literature and social sciences.
The program prepares graduates for successful careers as professionals in teaching, business, technology, travel, tourism, governmental and nongovernmental agencies, and for graduate study in Japanese studies, linguistics, Asian studies, translation and interpretation, TESOL, or focused international disciplines such as policy, management, environmental sciences, business management, and business administration.
In order to graduate, you will also need to complete your general education and university requirements.
Complete ALL of the following pre-requisite courses:
Complete ALL of the following courses:
Complete TWO of the following courses
Complete TWO of the following courses:
Complete FOUR of the following courses (only one 200-level course):
Complete ONE of the following courses:
Compete ALL of the following courses:
Take JAPN 420: Maximizing Study Abroad Experiences (1-2 units) and then select ONE of the following pathways to complete the requirement:
1.1 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.
1.2 Students gain competency in the Japanese language and linguistics including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and discourse. Students compare, contrast, and analyze the structural differences between Japanese and English.
2.1 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).
2.2 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.
3.1 Students describe concepts of culture and use that understanding in their comparison of the Japanese culture with a second culture other than Japan.
3.2 Students will analyze and make connections between the perspectives, ways of thinking, behavioral practices, and cultural products of a second culture other than Japanese.
4.1 Students gain knowledge of appropriate research methodologies and are able to apply them in their studies.
4.2 Students use appropriate technologies in research and studies relative to Japanese language and culture.
4.3 Students collect, manage, and analyze current and emerging technology-based resources to develop and produce their scholarly work.
5.1 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.
NOTE: Students develop intercultural communication skills and strategies, and learn to adapt and respond in effective ways. This MLO may be fulfilled by a study abroad or equivalent experience.
WLC's Japanese program has exchange agreements with:
* Study abroad at these Universities is conducted through CSU International Programs.
These pathways are examples of how you might complete all the requirements for your degree in an order that makes sense given prerequisites. They are meant to give you a general sense of what your education will look like.
Your own unique situation and a number of other factors may mean your actual pathway is different. Perhaps you'll need an extra math or language class, or one of the courses we've listed isn't offered in a particular semester. Don't worry — there is flexibility built into the curriculum. You'll want to work closely with an advisor and use the academic advisement report to take all that into account and develop a pathway that's customized for you.
In the meantime, use this example as a starting point for choosing classes or discussing your plans with an advisor. Your advisor is your best resource when it comes to figuring out how to fit all the courses you need, in the right sequence, into your personal academic plan.
* This FYS class is just an example. The FYS class you choose might meet a different GE area, so you would have to adjust your actual pathway accordingly.
If students participate in a study abroad program during this, or any, semester(s) to meet MLO 5, courses studied at the Japanese university will be counted toward the degree. For detailed information, please see MLO 5.
If students participate in a study abroad program during this, or any, semester(s) to meet MLO 5, courses studied at the Japanese university will be counted toward the degree. For detailed information, please see MLO 5.