Japanese Language and Culture Specialisation

Total units 24 Units

Areas of interest Asian Languages, Asian Studies, Asia Pacific Studies, Language Studies, Asia-Pacific Studies
Specialisation code JPNS-SPEC

Academic career Postgraduate

Japanese is the national language of Japan, a nation that is not only one of Australia's major trading partners, but is also a country with which many young Australians have deep personal ties. Japanese is a popular foreign language in Australian schools and the depth of the ties between Australia and Japan mean that knowledge of the language will be a valuable asset for many years to come.

Studying Japanese has many linguistic and cultural benefits that reach well beyond the classroom. In today’s globalised world a strong understanding of Asia, and Japan as one of our most important bilateral partners is vital. Employers across business, government, the arts and various sectors actively recruit graduates who can demonstrate knowledge of and experience in Japan.

A student may not take a course if that course is a prerequisite for another course which they have already passed, or a course that is a lower level than a course they have already passed.
Students with prior knowledge of the language will be required to take a placement test.

Career opportunities

This specialisation will advance your career in language-related and cross-cultural work in government and non-government organisations, language technologies or as an independent language practitioner or researcher.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this specialisation, students will have the knowledge and skills at an Advanced Beginner level of Japanese to:
1. Use an active spoken vocabulary of around 600 items, and a passive vocabulary of around 1200 items;
2. Use an active written vocabulary of around 300 kanji and a passive vocabulary of around 500 kanji;
3. Use grammatical points and constructions necessary to produce and comprehend various basic sentences in both spoken and written Japanese;
4. Read and compose 1200 characters long passages on topics which including family, daily routines, interpersonal relationships, cultural traditions, and everyday life;
5. Communicate in both writing and speaking using strategies to produce natural colloquial Japanese;
6. Demonstrate an understanding of socio-cultural issues in past and present Japanese society, including such topics as social structures, traditional arts and crafts, and everyday life.

Other Information

A student may not take a course that is a prerequisite or a lower level than a course which they have already passed.

Students that are commencing language studies who have prior knowledge of the language will be required to take a placement test before enrolling for the first time. Students will not be permitted to enrol in a course at a lower than the level they achieve in the placement test, and may be exempted from compulsory courses.

For information on the Japanese language proficiency test please click here.

Relevant Degrees

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Requirements

This specialisation requires the completion of 24 units, which must consist of:

A minimum of 18 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:

Code	Title	Units
JPNS6112	Japanese 1: Spoken	6
JPNS6114	Japanese 1: Written	6
JPNS6113	Japanese 2: Spoken	6
JPNS6115	Japanese 2: Written	6
JPNS6012	Japanese 3	6
JPNS6013	Japanese 4	6
JPNS6014	Japanese 5	6
JPNS6015	Japanese 6	6
JPNS6024	Japanese Grammar	6
JPNS6525	Learning Language Locally: Japan	6
JPNS6505	Advanced Japanese: Issues in Contemporary Japan	6
JPNS6506	Advanced Japanese: Language in Context	6
JPNS6507	Advanced Japanese: Readings in Culture and Society	6
JPNS6508	Advanced Japanese: Readings in Literature	6
JPNS6512	Teaching Japanese: Content	6
JPNS6514	Teaching Japanese Method	6
JPNS6023	Research Topics in Japanese: History & Society	6
JPNS6025	Research Topics in Japanese: International Relations & Politics	6
JPNS6513	Japanese - English Translation	6
JPNS6102	Debating Japan: Contemporary Intellectual Debate	6

A maximum of 6 units may come from completion of courses from the following list:

Code	Title	Units
LANG6001	Translation across Languages: The Translation of Literary Texts	6
LANG6002	Translation across Languages: Specialised Materials	6
LANG6016	Translation Project	6

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