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 universities 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 as a major 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.
Students in this major are encouraged to spend time studying at one of the twenty-plus tertiary institutions in Japan with which the ANU has ties. This can be done either through intensive in-country study in the summer break, through the Semester in Japan program, or through a year of study in Japan on the Year in Asia program. Competitive scholarships are available to qualified students
Learning Outcomes
- Express themselves confidently both verbally and in writing in modern Japanese in a variety of settings.
- Demonstrate independent reading and listening skills to engage with real-world materials and infer authors' meaning in newspapers, magazines, and literary texts in Japanese.
- Demonstrate the appropriate linguistic skills to respond spontaneously in both speaking and writing to contemporary issues, to state opinions, compose formal essays, and make presentations at a sophisticated level.
- Engage with authentic media such as television news broadcasts, movies, literature, academic essays, and critical discourse by summarising, analysing, evaluating and criticising their content, individually and in groups.
- Confidently use polite, neutral or informal registers, appropriate to the genre and the audience.
- Apply critical thinking skills to a range of socio-cultural issues in past and present Japanese society, including such topics as gender issues, social structures, consumer societies, traditional arts and crafts, and Japan's position in the world.
Other Information
Students with previous “language experience or exposure” are required to take a language proficiency assessment to ensure enrolment at the most appropriate level. This major cannot be taken by students who have pre-existing language competence at or above JPNS3202
Relevant past experience includes:
- Previous study of the language (both formal and informal, for example, but not limited to, at school, or, home, or through online activities, etc.)
- Being exposed to the language in childhood via a family member or friend
- Travel or living in a country where the language is spoken
- The language being spoken in your home (even if you do not speak it yourself)
Students who are not sure if they need to take a proficiency assessment should seek advice from the course or language convenor.
Students who intentionally misrepresent their language proficiency level may be investigated under the Academic Misconduct Rule 2021 as having failed to comply with assessment directions and having sought unfair advantage. This may result in a penalty such as reduced grades or failure of the course.
Students are not permitted to enrol in a language course below one that they have already successfully completed, except with permission of the language and/or course convenor.
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:
48 units from the completion of the following list of compulsory language courses:
JPNS1012 Japanese 1: Spoken
JPNS1014 Japanese 1: Written
JPNS2003 Japanese 2: Spoken
JPNS2005 Japanese 2: Written
JPNS3201 Japanese 3
JPNS3202 Japanese 4
JPNS3203 Japanese 5
JPNS3204 Japanese 6
Students who receive an exemption through a Language Placement Assessment (LPA) may choose from the following list of courses to complete their major. Students cannot receive an exemption through a LPA for JPNS3202, JPNS3203, JPNS3204
ASIA2100 Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific (L)
ASIA2103 Language in Asia and the Pacific (L)
ASIA3525 Learning Language Locally (6-12units)
JPNS2024 Japanese Grammar and Expressions
JPNS3005 Advanced Japanese: Issues in Contemporary Japan
JPNS3006 Advanced Japanese: Language in Context
JPNS3007 Advanced Japanese: Readings in Culture and Society
JPNS3008 Advanced Japanese: Readings in Literature
JPNS3012 Teaching Japanese: Content
JPNS3013 Japanese - English Translation
JPNS3014 Teaching Japanese: Method
JPNS3023 Research Topics in Japanese: History & Society
JPNS3024 Research Topics in Japanese: International Relations & Politics
JPNS3102 Debating Japan: Contemporary Intellectual Debates
12 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| JPNS2013 | Japanese 4 | 6 |
| JPNS 2015: Written Japanese D |
36 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ASIA2103 | Language in Asia and the Pacific (L) | 6 |
| ASIA 3006: Prac Assign in Asia Pacific | ||
| JPNS1012 | Japanese 1: Spoken | 6 |
| JPNS 1013: Spoken Japanese 2 | ||
| JPNS1014 | Japanese 1: Written | 6 |
| JPNS 1015: Written Japanese B | ||
| JPNS 2009: Japanese Lexicon | ||
| JPNS 2012: Japanese 3 | ||
| JPNS 2014: Written Japanese C | ||
| JPNS2024 | Japanese Grammar and Expressions | 6 |
| JPNS 2525: Learn Lang Locally: Japan | ||
| JPNS3005 | Advanced Japanese: Issues in Contemporary Japan | 6 |
| JPNS3006 | Advanced Japanese: Language in Context | 6 |
| JPNS3007 | Advanced Japanese: Readings in Culture and Society | 6 |
| JPNS3008 | Advanced Japanese: Readings in Literature | 6 |
| JPNS3012 | Teaching Japanese: Content | 6 |
| JPNS3013 | Japanese - English Translation | 6 |
| JPNS3014 | Teaching Japanese: Method | 6 |
| JPNS 3018: Readings in Japanese A | ||
| JPNS 3019: Readings in Japanese B | ||
| JPNS 3020: Readings in Japanese C | ||
| JPNS 3021: Readings in Japanese D | ||
| JPNS3023 | Research Topics in Japanese: History & Society | 6 |
| JPNS 3024: Research Topics JPNS: IR Pols | ||
| JPNS 3025: Adv Reading: Science & Tech | ||
| JPNS 3026: Adv Rdgs Japanese:IR & Pols | ||
| JPNS 3027: AR in J Economy | ||
| JPNS3102 | Debating Japan: Contemporary Intellectual Debates | 6 |
| JPNS 3103: Japanese Seminar B |
