Re: Japanese Majors in America/Japan

[Hiroshi66]

Looking at the Psat's today, I saw a section where it said to pick a potential major. I chose Japanese. I really love Japan, as well as general world history. I know that if I study in the United States, chances are that majoring in Japanese would be better because Japanese history classes will probably be within the Japanese major, mainly because in America, in most universities, the only major for Japanese is Japanese itself, which includes classes on history. But if I study in Japan, there will not be just one Japanese major but probably a seperate one for Language and a seperate one for History, in which case I will take a Japanese History major. Is this about correct?

[Harvey]

My University, Indiana University Bloomington had an East Asian Language and Cultures Major, which I did, and focused on Japanese. There were of course history and literature classes avaliable.

They also have a History department, in which you can focus on Asia...

I went to Nanzan University in Nagoya for a year, and there they have a Japanese Language program for foreignres, but is completely seperate from the Japanese students ciriculum. When foreigners major in "Japanese" and Japanese major in "Japanese" it is a totally different can of worms.

I currently work in Japan in IT, and can say that no one has ever asked me anything about my Japanese major, they just care whether or not I can keep up in a meeting or not.

My recommendation is to major in History, and take Japanese language classes, and Japanese history classes as electives if you have to every semester. And study abroad!

[Hiroshi66]

Thanks for the reply Harvey!

Obviously, if you go to Japan and want to major in a Japanese class which is actually in Japanese, I am sure they will allow - especially if you have had prior knowledge of the Japanese language.

Thanks for your reply! :)

[m477]

Well, as far as studying in Japan goes, there are exchange programs geared toward foreign exchange students, and then there are "normal" college classes which Japanese students enroll in.

Most large universities in the US have exchange programs that allow you to study in Japan, generally ranging from one semester to one year. The cirriculum usually consists of language study and history (taught in English), and sometimes other stuff like calligraphy as well. Usually you don't have to be a Japanese major to take advantage of them.

In order to take college classes taught in Japanese, most schools will require JLPT 1-kyu or equivalent.

Also, what do you plan to do after college? With a degree in Japanese it might not be easy to find a job, and you don't necessarily have to major in it to take language classes or study in japan.

[Hiroshi66]

Well, if I study in Japan - I will major in Japanese History, not Japanese. Therefore, I can become a historian, a proffesor, or a writer on books of Japanese History. if i major here, I will major in Japanese, but take Japanese history and culture classes and do the same thing.

[m477]

Well, if you want to be a professor, you're going to be in school for awhile! (4 years undergrad + 4-5 years for PhD) The good part of that is you'll have more chances for studying abroad.

Undergraduate exchange programs usually have a set schedule which focuses mainly on language study. It's not like being at your home university where you have a large catalog of courses from which to choose. At the graduate level there is more flexibility, like when you are doing research for your PhD.

If you intend to be a history professor, then it might be best to get a degree in history, most schools have Asian History programs. Then, work on your Japanese as a minor or second major in order to get to 1-kyu so you can enroll in classes taught in japanese when you are a grad student.

[Hiroshi66]

Well see - in America at least - most of the Japanese history only as well as culture classes are within the Japanese major only - in history it is ambiguolsly titled Asian History. In Japan - I think Japanese History is a seperate major. Is that true?

[m477]

Well see - in America at least - most of the Japanese history only as well as culture classes are within the Japanese major only - in history it is ambiguolsly titled Asian History.
That's not necessarily true, it varies with each school. For example, the university I went to only had one type of Bachelors degree in history (ie no Asian History degree or anything like that). However, within that there are many Japanese history classes that a history major could take. You might want to check the course catalog for your school and see what's available.

I would be suprised if any American university offered an undergraduate degree for Japanese History -- undergraduate study in any field is usually more generalized, covering a broad range of topics; grad school is where you would specialize in something that specific.

[Hiroshi66]

Yes, I know. That's why I said that for American universities, I would major in Japanese and take a Japanese civilisation class (again, as you said, it depends on the school), but that would happen as I said at most schools in Japan. Thanks for your input on this topic, I really appreciate it! :)