Masters degrees in Japanese Language & Literature equip postgraduates with the skills to critically analyse and understand the history, development and usage of Japanese languages, as well as their representation and interpretation in Japanese literature.
Related postgraduate specialisms include Japanese Language Teaching and Asian Studies. Entry requirements normally include an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as History, Cultural Studies or Languages and Literature.
The last 20 years have been a period of transition for Japan.
The abrupt end in the early 1990s of Japan’s seemingly unstoppable economic growth plunged the nation into two decades of recession, which has in turn brought to the fore a range of social and political issues accumulated since the Second World War.
The end of Japanese economic superiority also coincided with the end of the Cold War, an event that brought about new regional and global dynamics, and with them new security challenges.
Meanwhile, Japanese culture has experienced a renaissance, with Japan recognised worldwide as a centre of global ‘cool’, and Japanese cultural products continuing to find new markets and influence new demographics worldwide.
The overall picture is of a rapidly changing nation in the vanguard of post-industrial societies — fascinating not only for its rich traditional heritage and diversity, but also for what its recent experience can tell us about world trends.
Understanding such complexity requires an interdisciplinary approach, and we offer you the opportunity to explore Japanese history, international relations, politics, religion, and arts, and help you see the connections between them.
Using Japanese source materials in tandem with the extensive English language literature on Japan, we will help you build upon and develop your own interests, focus on the aspects of Japan that fascinate you, and support you as you carry out your own original research project.
By the end of the programme you will have acquired specialist skills and knowledge that mark you out as an expert on Japan, and the confidence to apply those skills in industry, academia or beyond.
The programme is taught through a combination of seminars and tutorials. You will take one compulsory and four option courses, as well as a compulsory research skills and methods course. After two semesters of taught courses you will conduct your own research for your dissertation.
Compulsory courses:
Option courses may include:
Students who follow the programme will:
Those with previous experience in Japanese language learning will have the opportunity to develop the necessary linguistic skills to conduct research in defined areas within Japanese Studies by retrieving, selecting, translating and assimilating information from Japanese sources.
The flexibility of focus this programme offers makes it an ideal foundation for advanced study, potentially leading to an academic career. Teaching or curatorship roles in cultural institutions are alternative career pathways
The transferable skills you gain in communication, project management and presentation will prove a valuable asset to employers in any field.
This programme is aimed at students who see China’s role as a rising economic super power as both an opportunity and a challenge, and who want to ensure they are ‘China ready’.
Taught by the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies and Leeds University Business School, you’ll gain intensive research training and study modules in business and management studies.
You’ll also take Chinese language classes at a level appropriate for you and choose from a range of optional modules to develop your knowledge of China, the wider East Asian region and the international business world. You could study Chinese politics, human resource management, Japanese business and much more.
This programme will suit both UK and non-UK students wanting to engage with the growing markets in which Chinese interests are present, as well as Chinese students seeking practical and strategic management expertise alongside an insight into how China is perceived by the outside world.
Leeds University Business School and East Asian Studies are leading centres for research, offering complementary expertise in the region. East Asian Studies has enjoyed over 50 years of history at Leeds. In addition to the academic strengths that have accrued over this time, we have developed an extensive and active international network of alumni. Leeds is also home to very substantial and world-renowned specialist library collections.
A core module will provide you with intensive research training, developing your understanding of research methods and building the skills to complete your dissertation. You’ll work with your supervisor(s) – specialists member of our teaching staff – to complete this independent research project which focuses on a topic of your choice.
You’ll also take intensive language classes at the right level for you in Chinese, Japanese or Thai – we teach all three languages from beginner level, but if you already have some knowledge of the language you’ll be able to study at a more advanced level. If you’re a native Chinese speaker, you’ll be exempt from this requirement and choose extra modules in East Asian Studies instead.
To complete the programme, you’ll select from a wide range of optional modules to explore topics that suit your interests or career plans. You’ll maintain some variety with modules in business and management studies as well as Chinese culture, politics or history – you could study topics as diverse as cross-cultural management, Japanese politics, China’s relationship with the developing world and gender and equality.
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Please see the website for a list of the optional modules available on this course
We use a range of teaching and learning methods to help you benefit from the expertise of our tutors, including lectures, seminars, online learning, tutorials and workshops. Language classes may also include practicals and computer classes to develop your skills.
However, independent study remains an important element of this degree as a chance for you to develop your skills and explore topics that interest you.
You’ll also experience a range of assessment methods, depending on the modules you choose. These may include exams and essays as well as presentations, literature reviews, project work and in-course assessment among others. Language modules may also include different forms of assessment such as translation tests.
Whether you’re already an established professional or just launching your career, the programme will give you valuable knowledge and skills to develop an international career.
You’ll have advanced skills in research, analysis and written and oral communication, as well as a greatly expanded cultural awareness. All of these are valuable in a wide range of careers – and your language skills will make you even more attractive to employers worldwide – in business, public and third sectors.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
This programme allows you to explore the cultures of the variety of language-speaking areas in which we specialise - French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Brazilian Studies and Spanish and Latin American Studies - and it also gives you a thorough grounding in comparative literature and cultural studies in the context of modern languages. You can choose whether you want your focus to be broadly comparative or whether you wish to engage with one or more specific language-speaking areas.
The programme brings together the specialisms of our teaching team who are experts in a variety of different areas: cultural studies, visual studies, linguistics, comparative literature and cultures, history and thought. We will help you steer a pathway through the programme that reflects your specific interests and knowledge of the languages of those areas on which we focus. You will be able to choose whether you study texts in the original language(s) or in English translation; if you work in the original language(s) this will be reflected in the final degree title.
First taught at Edinburgh in 1976, Japanese has developed to encompass a thriving postgraduate research programme. Covering a wide spectrum of interests, it also allows for joint supervision, should your research goals be interdisciplinary.
Postgraduate researchers can choose from array of topics covering Japanese history, politics and the performing and literary arts. These include:
Throughout your studies, you will have the opportunity to liaise closely with the Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh, the Japan Society and the Japan Foundation, each of which can offer a variety of events and resources.
As well as the comprehensive collections of the University, we can offer a specialised collection of journals and reference works. Additional research resources are available at the nearby Edinburgh Central Library and National Library of Scotland. You will also be involved in a programme of regular seminars and workshops, as well as tuition in subject-appropriate skills where necessary.
This course offers comprehensive training addressing both international political issues and media trends in East Asia.
You will learn about major international and domestic political trends in the region, while developing a comprehensive knowledge about the role media plays in these developments.
Our graduates hold influential positions in business, government, the arts and academia. Some of them are journalists, television producers, interpreters and translators. Others are city brokers and analysts. They work for organisations such as the BBC World Service, BNP Paribas, British Council, British Museum, Deloitte, HarperCollins, Jaguar Land Rover, Lloyds Banking Group, Nintendo, Siemens, Sony, Toyota and the World Food Programme.
We are one of Europe’s leading centres for the study of China, Japan and Korea. We have links with partner universities in East Asia that support our dynamic research culture. Our academics bring theories, methods and findings from their research to their teaching.
All three of our interdisciplinary research clusters inform what we teach. They are: East Asian Text and Culture; Movements, Economy and Development in East Asia; Power, Cooperation and Competition in East Asia.
The Sheffield Confucius Institute, which was named Global Confucius Institute of the year in 2015, explores Chinese language and culture. The Institute offers many opportunities for students to get involved in its activities which will help enhance their learning and deepen their cultural understanding of China.
You’ll learn how to research and analyse, manage projects, write reports and give effective presentations. You will also have the opportunity to take language modules in Chinese, Japanese or Korean if you wish. Your in-depth knowledge of East Asian countries and your understanding of the region will give you an edge in the careers market.
Our postgrads have their own study space and IT facilities at the Sir Sze-yuen Chung Resource Centre. The University’s libraries have an extensive selection of texts and online resources in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
You can study a shorter course for a Postgraduate Certificate (four months, 60 credits) or Postgraduate Diploma (nine months, 120 credits). You’ll need 180 credits to get a Masters degree, including 60 credits from your extended project.
Choose from a range of modules which may include:
There are lectures and small-group seminars. You’re assessed on your essays, exams, presentations and an extended project.
“Interest in studying Japanese continues to grow. It is no longer taught only at university and adult education institutes, but is increasingly finding its way into the school curriculum.”
- Embassy of Japan in the UK website
In the last decade, Japanese language and culture have undoubtedly increased in popularity, particularly amongst young people. However, the area of Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language (TJFL) is still relatively new outside Japan. TJFL has traditionally been the prerogative of ‘native’ Japanese teachers, adopting traditional Japanese language teaching methods.
Our MA in Japanese Language Teaching draws from state-of-the-art teaching approaches derived from TESOL research and practice, an area of expertise at York St John University. This MA would be attractive to global teachers, aspiring teachers and researchers whose first language may be English, Japanese or other. For example, you might have spent time teaching English and learning Japanese in Japan, be a graduate of Japanese from any country, or a Japanese national interested in the application of TESOL principles to TJFL. In the UK, it is the only Masters of its kind outside London.
Although it does not lead to UK Qualified Teacher Status, this MA equips you with the skills and expertise to teach Japanese in a wide range of settings, for example independent schools, colleges, as freelance instructors, in companies and for private individuals. The MA also provides the research training and subject knowledge to enable you to continue your studies to doctoral level.
The programme is designed to be studied either full-time over 12 months or part-time over a maximum of five years. If you are unable to complete the full Master’s degree or are interested in certain modules, you may work for the intermediate awards of Postgraduate Certificate in Japanese Language Teaching or Diploma in Japanese Language Teaching.
The full Master’s programme comprises taught modules and a dissertation.
Japanese Language Teaching Methodology (A) (15 credits)
AND
Japanese Language Teaching Methodology (B) (15 credits)
These modules address contemporary issues in Japanese language teaching with an emphasis on spoken interaction (A) and reading, writing and grammar (B). There will be a combination of critical exploration of Japanese teaching methodologies and practical application of theory. You will also have opportunities for teaching observation and practice in real classroom settings.
Japanese Society and Culture (15 credits) - Delivered in Japanese, this module explores issues in contemporary Japanese society through reading and discussion of a range of materials. Your language skills, as well as knowledge and critical thinking, will be brought together in this module in the context of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL).
Themes in Japanese Linguistics (15 credits) - Through this module, you will develop a critical understanding of Japanese linguistics and how this affects second language learners. You will explore those aspects of Japanese grammar and phonology which are markedly different from English, as well as learning about varieties of Japanese.
Second Language Acquisition (30 credits) - This module aims to give you a critical appreciation of the theoretical background of, and issues in, second language acquisition, providing you with the necessary academic knowledge to underpin good practice.
Research in Applied Linguistics (30 credits) - This module explores the implications of research findings for future professional practice and aims to encourage you to exercise an enquiring approach in your future career. The module takes place in the Spring semester, before you start to collect data for the dissertation.
Dissertation (60 credits) -Your final module will be a dissertation on a topic that you will agree with your supervisor. It is an opportunity for you to explore in depth an area of interest or particular area of Japanese language teaching and learning. You will gain experience in formulating ideas and hypotheses, devising sound research methodology, collecting and evaluating data, and presenting your findings in a dissertation of 10,000 - 12,000 words in English.
Further information on this course is available in the programme specification. Please note that the programme specification relates to course content that is currently being studied by students at the University. For new programmes, the programme specification will be made available online prior to the start of the course.
York St John University works hard to create an inclusive environment for all our students. We offer a range of learning support services to assist students throughout their studies.
This Postgraduate course embeds the learning and teaching in a graduate introduction to social science philosophies and methods in the study of the Asia Pacific while also giving students the opportunity to study one of the region’s main languages at a relevant level at the same time.
The course introduces students to a wide range of materials on the society, economy, politics and international relations of the region. It is founded in the development of critical analysis of these materials. This course is taught by staff from across UCLan’s Asia Pacific Studies team, including from the International Institute of Korean Studies, which works within a global network of influential academics, diplomats, journalists and public policy officials who work on countries around the Asia Pacific.
The course will provide students with a comparative advantage in journalism, diplomacy, international organisations, NGOs, and global business of gaining knowledge and expertise, in the international relations of East Asia. As a dominate force within the world economy, it also contains some of the world’s most pressing security issues. This course is designed so that on completion, the student will have studied relevant subjects and have the necessary skills for the preparation of doctoral research.
Students will study using the latest industry-standard equipment in our professional interpreting suites and will have access to our state-of-the-art Learning Centre, where interactive video, satellite TV, computers, and other self-study audio and video materials are available on an open access basis. Our students can study additional languages using the digital technologies including Rosetta Stone.
Increasing interests of international society in the Asia Pacific region will be an asset for our students to look for their career paths. The strong support from policy makers in the UK for Asia Pacific Studies at UCLan will also provide positive networking opportunities to our students that will, in turn, facilitate prospects of employability.
At the same time, our activities and programmes, which are currently under development, such as internships at research institutions or international organisations, and exchange studentship will contribute to job seeking exercises of our students.
