Bachelor of Arts Degree-Asian Studies

Japan Concentration

Program Description

The undergraduate program in Asian Studies (Japan concentration) is an interdisciplinary program that provides concentrated Japanese language and area training. The core curriculum is offered through the Jackson School of International Studies and is supplemented by numerous classes on Japan in political science, history, literature, linguistics, art and art history, architecture, and business. The BA degree gives students in-depth knowledge of many facets of Japan and familiarity with Japanese society and culture. The program helps prepare students for careers in business, government, journalism, secondary-school teaching, and other professional fields.

Variety and depth are added to regular coursework by Japan Colloquia and by occasional special symposia, where recent research findings and discussions of significant contemporary topics are presented by specialists from the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The program strives to offer students the opportunity to study all aspects of Japan - through the number and range of courses offered, the research activities of its faculty members, Japan Colloquia, and in the fact that the most important academic journal in the Japan field, The Journal of Japanese Studies, is published at this University.

The University of Washington has a long-standing commitment to the study of Japan, with Japan-related curricula in many of its departments and professional schools. Similarly active programs focusing on other world regions make the UW a rich environment for study and enable students to gain a comparative international perspective.
Marie Anchordoguy, Chair, Japan Studies

Admission to Major

Any undergraduate in good standing may declare Asian Studies (Japan concentration) as a major.

Degree Requirements (Autumn 2012)

[Conversion table: JSIS course numbers in effect through Sum 2012]

Language

Although only two years of language are required, it is suggested that students take as much as they can because two years of Japanese do not give proficiency. Students who transfer in from other programs should contact the Department of Asian Languages and Literature as soon as possible for information on placement tests. The language requirement is two years of Japanese at the University of Washington or the equivalent; often students studying in less intensive programs find they must take more Japanese here even though they have studied elsewhere.

Coursework

• Introductory courses: JSIS 203, The Rise of Asia, or JSIS A 207, Asian Civilizations: Traditions (5); JSIS 201, The Making of the 21st Century (5); JSIS A/HSTAS 241, Japanese Civilization (5), or JSIS A 242 (5), Introduction to Contemporary Japan
   
• Concentration courses: A second Asian civilization course chosen from
  JSIS A/HSTAS 212 (Korea), HSTAS 201 (India), 202 (India), 211 (China), JSIS A 206 (South Asia), or JSIS A/HSTAS 221 (Southeast Asia) (5); and
   
• A minimum of 30 credits in approved upper-division courses on Japan including JSIS A/HSTAS 423, History of Modern Japan (5). In addition, an approved research or analytical paper (15 pages) is required in an upper-division course on Japan.

A minimum grade of 2.0 in all courses counted toward the major is required, except for first- and second-year Japanese language courses, where grades must average at least 2.00. The "paper course" and 30 the 35 credits required for the Japan concentration courses, including JSIS A/HSTAS 423, must be taken in residence at the University of Washington.

Overlapping credits: A maximum of 15 credits that are used to fulfill minimum requirements of any other UW major can be counted in this major.

*A list of courses approved for the Japan concentration is available in the Jackson School Office of Student Services in Thomson 111 and by following this link.

For a list of current quarter course offerings click below.
Current Course Offerings

Minor Requirements

30 credits, to include the following:

1. JSIS A/HSTAS 241 or JSIS A 242 (5 credits).

2. One additional introductory Asian civilization course from JSIS A 207 (premodern Asia), JSIS 203 (modern Asia), JSIS A/HSTAS 212 (Korea), JSIS A/HSTAS 221 (Southeast Asia), HSTAS 201 (India), 202 (India), 211 (China), 5 credits

3. 10 credits of electives taken at the UW, chosen from the Japan history/social science electives list

4. 5 credits of electives taken at the UW, chosen from the Japan history/social science list or the Japan arts/literature electives list

5. 5 additional credits in Japanese language beyond second-year level, or in upper-division transfer courses on Japan, or in additional electives chosen from the Japan history/social science electives list

6. Minimum grade of 2.0 required in each course applied toward the minor.

Library Facilities

The University of Washington's Japan collection is one of the most important of its kind in the nation. The East Asia Library and the Law Library together house over 140,000 volumes of Japanese-language materials. The libraries on campus maintain an up-to-date collection of English- and European-language works in the humanities, social sciences, and art and a good collection of prewar and nineteenth-century books and periodicals.
Visit the main Library gateway for Japan Studies
Visit the East Asia Library - Japan Studies section
Link to the Japan Studies Program page