Japanese Studies
The Japanese Studies major enables students to delve into the study of Japanese culture through the lens of language, literature, and other disciplinary offerings on campus.
Major
Language Component
Five courses total.
| JAPN 202 | Intermediate Japanese II | 5 units |
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And four from:
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| JAPN 301 | Advanced Japanese I | 4 units |
| JAPN 302 | Advanced Japanese II | 4 units |
| JAPN 303 | Advanced Japanese Readings | 4 units |
| JAPN 340 | Language in News Media and Advertising | 4 units |
| JAPN 350 | Tales of the Supernatural | 4 units |
| JAPN 460 | Translating Texts | 4 units |
Literature in Translation
Select one course from:
| JAPN 271 | Fiction in Japanese Literature and Film | 4 units |
| JAPN 273 | Popular Culture and Literary Traditions of Tokugawa Japan | 4 units |
Methods or Theory
| CSLC 200 | Literature, Culture, Self: Being in the Wor(l)d | 4 units |
| CSLC 201 | Forms of Feeling, and a Feeling for Form: Literature and Its Lifeworlds | 4 units |
| ENGL 290 | Introduction to Literary Methods | 4 units |
| ENGL 370 | Literary Criticism | 4 units |
| JAPN 271 | Fiction in Japanese Literature and Film | 4 units |
| JAPN 273 | Popular Culture and Literary Traditions of Tokugawa Japan | 4 units |
| JAPN 460 | Translating Texts | 4 units |
| LING 301 | Introduction to Linguistics | 4 units |
Electives
Three additional Japan-related courses selected from below:
| AMST 270 | Asian American Literature | 4 units |
| AMST 272/ASN 272 | Asian Immigrants in American Society | 4 units |
| AMST 280/DWA 246 | The United States and East Asia | 4 units |
| ARTH 160 | Introduction to East Asian Art | 4 units |
| HIST 141 | East Asian Survey | 4 units |
| HIST 248 | Modern Japan | 4 units |
| POLS 227 | East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan | 4 units |
| RELS 160 | How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions | 4 units |
| RELS 215 | Shamans, Sages, and Spirits in East Asia | 4 units |
| RELS 266 | Sexuality and Gender in Buddhism | 4 units |
| RELS 276 | Empire and Religion in Asia and the Pacific | 4 units |
Honors in the Major
Students with an overall GPA of 3.25 and a major GPA of 3.50 may submit an honors research proposal at the end of the fall semester of the senior year. If the proposal is supported by two faculty advisors, the student will enroll in a 2-unit Independent Study (JAPN 499) in the spring to expand the fall semester senior comprehensive paper into a 40-page paper that will be evaluated to determine whether the student has achieved Honors.
Minor
Five courses (20 units) numbered JAPN 202 and above. LING 301 may fulfill one of these course requirements. Three of the five courses must be completed as Occidental courses (one of the three MUST be taken at the Eagle Rock campus. The other two may be taken at an Occidental-in-Japan campus).