Skip to main content

Japanese Studies

[ courses | faculty ]

Ridge Walk Academic Complex, Arts and Humanities Building, Room 660
http://japan.ucsd.edu

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Program in Japanese Studies coordinates a variety of campus offerings dealing with the language, history, culture, and political economy of Japan. The program is especially strong in the area of modern and contemporary Japan. In addition to courses available in the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, History, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Political Science, and Sociology, qualified undergraduates also may enroll in Japan-related courses in the School of Global Policy and Strategy with consent of instructors.

The Major

A. Lower-Division Requirement
(nine courses)

  1. Japanese language: two years of lower-division courses or the transferred equivalent from
    JAPN 10A-B-C
    JAPN 20A-B-C
  2. East Asian History:
    HILD 10-11-12
  3. The language requirement may be waived by demonstrating the equivalent proficiency through exam.

B. Upper-Division Requirement
(twelve courses)

  1. Japanese language: six upper-division language courses or the transferred equivalent from
    JAPN 100A-B-C
    JAPN 130A-B-C
    JAPN 135A-B-C
    JAPN 140A-B-C
    JAPN 150A-B-C
    Students may petition to include upper-division language courses taken abroad under the Education Abroad Program (EAP) or Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP).
  2. JAPN 190: Japanese Studies Research Seminar. This is a seminar-style course focusing on selected topics in contemporary interdisciplinary studies of Japan. Prerequisites: upper-division standing; student must complete a minimum of one upper-division Japanese studies approved course, or consent of instructor.
  3. The remaining five courses must be taken from two or more different disciplines.
    1. Students may petition to include nonlanguage upper-division courses taken abroad under EAP or OAP.
    2. Students may include one 199 (Special Studies) course.
  4. All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade, with the exception of JAPN 199. Students who declare for the Japanese studies major and minor will be allowed no more than one course with a D grade to count toward the program requirements.
  5. The language requirement can be waived by demonstrating the equivalent proficiency through exam. The required number of courses must be fulfilled by taking other nonlanguage upper-division courses.

C. Honors Program

  1. Junior standing or higher.
  2. A GPA of 3.5 or better in the major.
  3. Overall GPA of 3.2 or better.
  4. Completion of at least four upper-division nonlanguage courses approved by the Program in Japanese Studies.
  5. Recommendation of a faculty sponsor familiar with the student’s work.

Students who qualify for honors take a two-quarter sequence JAPN 196A-B (fall and winter quarters preferred) of directed study during which they define a research project, carry out the research, and complete an honors thesis.

The completed honors thesis will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the student’s thesis adviser and one other faculty member appointed by the Program in Japanese Studies director.

The Minor

A minor in Japanese studies consists of at least twelve units of Japanese language (lower or upper division) and at least sixteen units of upper-division nonlanguage course work taken from two or more departments. Students may use nonlanguage courses taken abroad. All courses to be used for the minor must be approved by the Program in Japanese Studies and must be taken for a letter grade. Beginning in fall 2010, students who declare for the Japanese studies major and minor will be allowed no more than one course with a D grade to count toward the program requirement. This new requirement will not apply to students who declared their major or minor prior to fall 2010. Students who are already beyond first- and second-year language levels will be placed in one of our upper-division Japanese language courses, Written Japanese (100A-B-C), Third-Year Japanese (130A-B-C), Fourth-Year Japanese (140A-B-C), or Advanced Japanese (150A-B-C) and will be required to take four upper-division language courses and three upper-division nonlanguage courses. The language requirement can be waived by demonstrating the equivalent proficiency through exam. The required number of courses must be fulfilled by taking other nonlanguage, upper-division courses. As a rule for all scenarios, all courses must be taken for a letter grade to earn a minor in Japanese studies.

Upper-Division Courses Applicable for the Japanese Studies Major and/or Minor Offered by Various Departments

For a description of the courses listed below, see the appropriate departmental listing. All graduate-level courses require consent of the instructor/department for undergraduate students. Some departmental offerings have content that varies from year to year. In those cases, the Japanese Studies Program approval via student petition is given only when content relates primarily to Japan.

Anthropology

ANSC 166. Film and Culture in Asia

Communication

COMM 106C. History through Comics—Japan
COMM 113. Intermediate Topics in Communication*

History

HIEA 111. Japan: Twelfth through Mid-Nineteenth Century
HIEA 112. Japan: From Mid-Nineteenth Century through US Occupation
HIEA 113. The Fifteen-Year War in Asia and the Pacific
HIEA 114. Postwar Japan
HIEA 115. Social and Cultural History of Twentieth-Century Japan
HIEA 116. Japan-U.S. Relations
HIEA 117. Ghosts in Japan
HIEA 119. Religion and Pop Culture in East Asia (Same as SOCI 162R)
HIEA 125. Women and Gender in East Asia
HIEA 144. Topics in East Asian History*
HIEA 150. Modern Korea, 1800–1945*
HIEA 160. Colloquium on Modern Japanese History
HIEA 180. Topics in Modern Korean History*

Japanese Studies

JAPN 135A. Japanese for Professional Purposes I
JAPN 135B. Japanese for Professional Purposes II
JAPN 135C. Japanese for Professional Purposes III
JAPN 180. Special Topics in Japanese Studies
JAPN 190. Japanese Studies Research Seminar

Economics

ECON 163. Japanese Economy

Literature

LTEA 130. Earlier Japanese Literature in Translation
(Quarter offerings will vary among A. General Literature; B. Poetry; C. Prose Fiction; D. Drama; and E. Essays, Travelogues, Diaries, etc.)

LTEA 132. Later Japanese Literature in Translation
(Quarter offerings will vary among A. General Literature; B. Poetry; C. Prose Fiction; D. Drama and Film; and E. Essays, Criticism, etc.)

LTEA 134. A Single Japanese Author (in translation)
LTEA 136. Special Topics in Japanese Literature
LTEA 138. Japanese Films
LTWL 155. Gender Studies*
LTCS 110. Popular Culture*
LTCS 115. Performance Culture*
LTCS 118. Comedy*
LTCS 120. Historical Perspectives on Culture*
LTCS 125. Cultural Perspectives on Immigration and Citizenship*
LTCS 130. Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Class, and Culture*
LTCS 131. Topics in Queer Cultures/Queer Subcultures*
LTCS 132. Special Topics in Social Identities and the Media*
LTCS 133. Globalization and Culture*
LTCS 135. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies*
LTCS 141. Special Topics in Race and Empire*
LTCS 145. National Cultures in Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts*
LTCS 150. Topics in Cultural Studies*
LTCS 160. Cultural Studies Approaches to Popular Music*
LTCS 170. Visual Culture*

Music

Check with the program’s office as to whether these courses may be used toward a Japanese studies minor.

MUS 111. World Music*
MUS 116. Popular Music Studies Seminar*

Political Science

POLI 113B. Chinese and Japanese Political Thought I
POLI 113BR. Chinese and Japanese Political Thought I
POLI 113C. Chinese and Japanese Political Thought II
POLI 132B. Modernity and Identity in East Asia
POLI 133A. Japanese Politics: A Developmental Perspective
POLI 133D. Japanese Foreign Policy
POLI 133DD. Comparative Analysis of East Asian Institutions
POLI 133G. Postwar U.S.-Japan Relations

Sociology

SOCI 123. Japanese Culture Inside/Out
SOCI 162R. Religion and Popular Culture in East Asia (same as HIEA 119)

Theatre and Dance

TDGE 126. Storytelling and Design in Animation*

Visual Arts

VIS 127N. Twentieth-Century Art in China and Japan
VIS 127P. Arts of Japan
VIS 128E. Topics in Art History of Asia*

School of Global Policy and Strategy

GPPS 400. International Relations of Asia—Pacific
GPIM 411. Business and Management in Japan
GPPS 416. Postwar Politics in Japan
GPPS 460. The Politics of U.S.-Japan Economic Relations
GPEC 471. Japanese Economy
GPPS 478. Japanese Foreign Policy

Courses marked with an asterisk (*) may require departmental approval via student petition.