Japanese Major
Major Requirements
The major in Japanese presents an opportunity for an in-depth and focused study of Japanese language and culture. The major places emphasis on the student's acquisition of oral and written language proficiency as well as on the development of cultural awareness and competency.
The major consists of a minimum of 12 courses that must include the following:
Language
Complete seven courses from the Japanese language sequence:
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| JPN 101 | Beginning Japanese I |
| JPN 102 | Beginning Japanese II |
| JPN 201 | Intermediate Japanese I |
| JPN 202 | Intermediate Japanese II |
| JPN 305 | Upper Intermediate Japanese |
| JPN 350 | Topics in Advanced Japanese |
JPN 350 is a topics course and may be repeated to reach the seven-course requirement.
Literature
Complete the following course:
Cultural Electives
Complete at least two courses from the following:
- Any JPN courses, excluding JPN 101, 102, 201, 202, and 305
- Any courses designated with the (JPN: Cultural) attribute
Students may apply JPN 350 to the Cultural Electives only when taken after the Language requirement is complete.
Advanced Seminar
Complete the following course:
- ASIA 320 Advanced Seminar: Current Research on Asia
Senior Thesis
Complete at least one course from the following:
Students are expected to utilize some source materials in Japanese when conducting research for the thesis. Qualified students may elect to write the thesis in Japanese.
Courses Taken Outside of Bates
Students may petition the program to have courses taken in their study-abroad program (including the Bates Fall Semester Abroad) applied toward the fulfillment of requirements. Students are typically able to petition for two language credits and one or two literature and culture credits per semester from an approved junior semester/year program in Japan to apply towards the fulfillment of requirements. Which courses these off-campus courses replace depends on the actual off-campus courses; students should discuss their plans with their major advisor before they depart.
Students may receive credit for JPN 102 Beginning Japanese II with a score of four on the Japanese Advanced Placement examination and JPN 201 Intermediate Japanese I with a score of five.
Pass/Fail
Pass/Fail grading may not be elected for courses applied toward the Japanese major.
Restricted Declarations
Students who have declared the Japanese major may not declare the following:
- Japanese minor
- Asian Studies major with Japanese track
- Asian Modernity (C053) GEC
- Asian Narrative Traditions (C052) GEC
- Japanese Language (C043) GEC
- Japanese Society and Culture (C046) GEC
Other Considerations
Up to two Short Term courses may count toward the major.
The program strongly recommends that majors spend their junior year at the Associated Kyoto Program or another approved year-long study-abroad program in Japan.
Majors in Japanese may count no more than one course toward both the Asian Studies minor and their major.