Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Japanese is offered by the College of Liberal Arts' Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the Temple University, Japan Campus only.

The Japanese major is a unique undergraduate degree program designed to offer a comprehensive four-year Japanese language curriculum in a Japanese as a Second Language (JSL) setting. It aims to achieve advanced and well-balanced proficiency in Japanese so that students will, by using the Japanese language as a communication tool, be well-equipped and fully prepared to examine socio-cultural aspects of Japan and Japanese literature, and be active social agents to make contributions in the world of globalization.

The Bachelor of Arts in Japanese will be conferred upon the student after the completion of 123 credits across the following requirements:

• 35-36 credit hours of General Education coursework;
• 43 credit hours (14 courses) required for major; major courses must be passed with at least a C-; and
• 44-45 elective credit hours.

Campus Location: Japan

Program Code: LA-JPNS-BA

A Japanese minor and certificate are also offered at both Main Campus and Temple Japan.

Contact Information

Temple Japan Campus

Kazuyo Kubo, PhD, Chair of the Division of Liberal Arts
kazuyo.kubo@tuj.temple.edu

Yuka Matsuhashi, MA, Faculty Advisor for the Japanese Major
yuka.matsuhashi@tuj.temple.edu

Main Campus

Department Office
332 Mazur Hall
215-204-8268

Barbara Thornbury, Chair
336 Mazur Hall
215-204-4492
bthor@temple.edu

Michelle Xu, Administrator
429 Mazur Hall
215-204-5628
xu.michelle@temple.edu

Stephen Walton, Academic Coordinator
330 Mazur Hall
215-204-8267
stephen.walton0002@temple.edu

These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2024-2025. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2024 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University requirements
   • All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major.
   • Students must complete the General Education curriculum.
2. General electives vary according to a student's individual program of study. Consult your academic advisor for more information.
3. Prerequisites: JPNS 1001, JPNS 1002, and JPNS 2701/JPNS 2001 with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent placement. Course levels are incremental in skills and content. Courses must be taken sequentially or in some instances may be taken concurrently. Students who are exempted from JPNS 2701/JPNS 2001 may begin with JPNS 2702 or higher level, in accordance to the placement assessment.
4. Major requirements (minimum 43 credits)

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credit Hours
   Language Requirements
   JPNS 2702	TUJ - Japanese Intermediate II	4
   JPNS 3001	Advanced Japanese I	3
   JPNS 3002	Advanced Japanese II	3
   JPNS 4001	Japanese Advanced III	3
   JPNS 4002	Japanese Advanced IV	3
   Language Skills 1
   Select at least four of the following:		12
   Note: Students who have placed out of JPNS 2702 must take ONE additional Language Skills course. Those who have placed out of JPNS 3001 must take TWO additional Language Skills courses. Those who have placed out of JPNS 3001 must take THREE additional Language Skills courses.
   JPNS 2003	Oral Intensive Japanese II
   JPNS 2301	Kanji II
   JPNS 2631	Structure of Japanese Language I
   JPNS 3000	Special Topics in Japanese I (Introduction to Consecutive Translation for Non-Native Speakers of Japanese I)
   JPNS 3003	Advanced Japanese Writing
   JPNS 3010	Special Topics in Japanese II (Introduction to Consecutive Translation for Non-Native Speakers of Japanese II)
   JPNS 3096	Intermediate Writing in Japanese
   JPNS 3631	Structure of Japanese Language II
   JPNS 4003	Advanced Oral Japanese
   Area Studies Electives 1
   Select 3 courses from the pre-approved courses list:		9
   ANTH 2238	Visual Anthropology of Modern Japan
   or ASST 2238	Visual Anthropology of Modern Japan
   ANTH 2373	Japanese Culture
   or ASST 2373	Japanese Culture
   ASST 2351	Japan in a Changing World
   or POLS 2351	Japan and the Changing World Order
   ASST 2502	Introduction to East Asia: Japan
   or HIST 2502	Introduction to East Asia: Japan
   ASST 2815	Japanese Art
   or ARTH 2815	Pre-Modern Japanese Art up to the Edo Period
   ASST 3247	Ideology and Social Change in Japan
   or SOC 3247	Ideology and Social Change in Japan
   ASST 3541	Japan Today
   or HIST 3541	Japan Today
   ASST 3542	Women and Society in Japan
   or HIST 3542	Women and Society in Japan
   or GSWS 3542	Women and Society in Japan
   GUS 3076	Metropolitan Tokyo
   JPNS 2011	Survey of Japanese Literature: Pre-Modern
   or ASST 2011	Survey of Japanese Literature Before 1868
   JPNS 2012	Modern and Contemporary Japanese Literature in Translation
   or ASST 2012	Modern and Contemporary Japanese Literature in Translation
   JPNS 2015	Tokyo in Literature and Film
   or ASST 2015	Tokyo in Literature and Film
   JPNS 2016	Mystery and Crime Fiction in Japan
   or ASST 2016	Mystery and Crime Fiction in Japan
   JPNS 2021	Japanese Literature in Film
   or ASST 2021	Japanese Literature in Film
   JPNS 3000	Special Topics in Japanese I (Japanese Communication and Culture I)
   JPNS 3010	Special Topics in Japanese II (Japanese Communication and Culture II)
   REL 3301	Japanese Religions
   REL 3302	Japanese Buddhism
   Japan Area Studies Writing Intensive (WI)
   Select one of the following:		3
   This course must be taught in English.
   JPNS 2096
   or ASST 2098	Japanese Popular Culture and its Literature
   ASST 4096	Seminar in Asian Studies (The course topic must focus on Japan exclusively.)
   ASST 4696	Modern Japan: Empire, War, Society
   or HIST 4697	Modern Japan: Empire, War, Society
   Capstone
   Select one of the following:		3
   JPNS 4196	Seminar in Japanese and Japan: Japanese Society and Culture through Newspaper
   JPNS 4296	Seminar in Japanese and Japan: Business
   JPNS 4396
   Total Credit Hours		43

   ¹

   For a comprehensive list of courses that fulfill the Language Skills and Area Studies requirements, please refer to https://www.tuj.ac.jp/sites/japan/files/pre-approved-courses-for-japanese-major-area-studies-electives.pdf.

Proficiency Assessment: Students who are placed in JPNS 3001 or higher must consult with the academic advisor and the major coordinator to develop a plan to complete a sufficient number of courses and credits within the major.

Suggested Academic Plan

Please note that this is a suggested academic plan. Depending on your situation, your academic plan may look different.

Bachelor of Arts in Japanese

Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2024-2025 Academic Year