BA Japanese and ...
SOAS University of London
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* full-time fees per academic year: UK £9,250; Overseas £20,350
Introduction
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
From the study of pre-modern Japanese literature and history to contemporary cinema and TV, we are the home to the largest concentration of Japanese specialists in Europe. The BA Japanese Combined Honours Degree provides students with the highest level of competence in all aspects of the written and spoken language, as well as an introduction to both classical and modern Japanese culture, and is suitable for both absolute beginners as well as those with some knowledge of the Japanese language.
Students will spend the third year of study in Japan furthering language proficiency and understanding of the local business practices and culture. Additionally, the nature of the Combined Honours Degree will allow you to create a specialist niche for yourself by studying another subject.
May be combined with:
- Development Studies
- Economics, LT12 BA/JEC
- English, QT32
- History, TV21
- History of Art/Archaeology, VT32 BA/HAAJ
- International Relations, (LTF2 BA/IRJ)
- Linguistics, QT12 BA/JKG
- Music, TW23 BA/MSJ
- Politics, LT22 BA/POLJ
- Social Anthropology, LT62 BA/SAJ
- Study of Religions, TV26 BA/SRJ
- World Philosophies, T202
Why study Japanese Combined Honours at SOAS?
- We are home to the largest concentration of Japan specialists outside of Japan.
- You will not only learn the essential language skills but also an in-depth understanding of the region’s culture covering subjects from literature, history, cinema, and politics.
- You will spend your third year in Japan furthering language and cultural proficiency.
- We are specialists in the delivery of more than forty African and Asian languages. Your command of a language will set you apart from graduates of other universities.
- Choosing to study a Combined Honours programme will allow you to take advantage of the expertise of one of our other departments allowing you to create a specialist niche for yourself.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Students take 120 credits per year composed of a core and optional modules, which allows students to design their own intellectual journey while maintaining a strong grasp of the fundamentals. Students take 60 credits of the Japanese language, and the remaining 60 credits from their other subject in each year apart from Year 3.
The third year is spent at one of the twenty-plus Japanese universities that we have exchange programmes with. During the year in Japan, you will study the Japanese language as well as modules of your choice in Japan, and be able to have an important adventure in your life.
In the final year, you have the opportunity to research a topic of your choice in an Independent Study Project.
Year 1
Core Module
Core modules must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study.
- J100: Elementary Japanese
Second Subject
Students choose 60 credits from the second subject.
Year 2
Core Module
This module must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study.
- J200: Intermediate Japanese
Second Subject
60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.
Year 3 Year Abroad
Year 4
List of modules (subject to availability)
- History and Memory in East Asian Cultures
and
Choose modules from List A/List B or Central Options (at the relevant FHEQ level for your academic year of study) to the value of 30 credits
Second Subject
60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.
Year 2/Year 4 - List A Guided Option Modules
FHEQ Level 5/6
- J400: Advanced Japanese
- Reading Pre-modern Japanese Texts 1
- Japanese Traditional Drama
- Identity and social relations in Japanese
- Japanese Cinema: a Critical Survey
- Japanese New Wave Cinema: Youth, Sex and Protest
- Independent Study Project in East Asian Studies
- Survey of Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
- Writing from the Margins: Minority Voices in Modern Japanese Literature, 1945 to the Present
Year 2/Year 3/Year 4 - List B Language Open Option Modules
FHEQ Level 5/6
- Chinese 1 A
- Chinese 1 B
- Chinese 2
- Korean 1 A
- Korean 1 B
- Korean 2
- Tibetan (Modern) 1 A
- Tibetan (Modern) 1 B
- Chinese 3
- Chinese 4
- Chinese 5
- Chinese for Business
- Ch 200 Intermediate Chinese
- K200 Intermediate Korean
- Korean 3
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.
Career Opportunities
Employment
Studying this programme will provide students with competency in Japanese language skills as well as intercultural awareness and understanding. Choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge, and will develop additional skills with which to further your studies of Japan, or to make a comparative study with other areas.
Skills gained include:
- familiarity with the region through a combination of the study of language, literature, history, cinema, politics, economics or law,
- communication and presentation skills,
- analytical skills,
- the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources.
Graduates from the Department leave SOAS not only with language and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers, both in business and in the public sector.
Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:
- Bloomberg L.P
- British High Commission
- British Council Tokyo
- Deloitte Management Consulting Ltd.
- Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- Mitsubishi UFJ Securities International
- NHK-Japan Broadcasting Corporation
- Oxford University
- The British Embassy
- The British Museum
- Wall Street Associates
Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:
- Financial Analyst
- Head of Production
- US Marketing Executive
- Senior Research Executive
- Director of Development and Alumni Relations
- Project Leader, Strategic Planning
- Solicitor
- Architect
- Interactive Designer
- HM Ambassador to Japan
- Freelance Japanese Translator
English Language Requirements
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