Bachelor of Arts (Honours) major in Japanese

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Are you interested in Japanese anime, kimono and cosplay, or the history of samurai or Zen Buddhism? Studying Japanese at the University of Auckland will allow you to combine language learning with courses in Japanese culture and society, history, and religion.
Passionate teachers will help you learn one of the world’s most challenging languages in a well-structured, interactive, and enjoyable way. At the same time, you will develop cultural knowledge that will open your mind to new ways of thinking and allow you to interact with Japanese people comfortably both here in Auckland and beyond. There are courses for total beginners of Japanese as well as those who have studied Japanese before.

Postgraduate study in Japanese
You can take advanced courses and undertake your own research in areas such as:
- Japanese language
- Linguistics
- Literature
- History
- Religion and society
- Cultural and identity studies
- Teaching Japanese as a foreign language

New Zealand and Japan enjoy significant trade and cultural ties. Japan has the world’s third-largest economy and continues to be an important trading partner for New Zealand. With a major in Japanese, you can develop the in-depth skills and knowledge needed to bridge cultural gaps and work in social and business environments. Many of our top graduates choose to expand the possibilities of their Japanese major with a conjoint degree.

Graduates in Japanese move into a wide range of careers in international organisations, NGOs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other areas of government. You might also work for a multinational or New Zealand company in Asia or within New Zealand’s Asian communities. Teaching is another popular option, with many of our graduates choosing to complete a period of OE teaching English in Japan.

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Japanese
A BA or Bachelor of Global Studies with a major in Japanese or Head of School or nominee approval.

Complete 120 points comprising:

90 points from Electives Courses, and
One of the following:
30 points for all Research Project - 1 Semester, or
30 points for all Research Project - 2 Semesters, or
30 points for all Research Essay - 1 Semester, or
30 points for all Research Essay - 2 Semesters

Electives Courses

Complete exactly 90 points from the following:

ASIAN 702 - Approaches to Research in Asian Studies (30 points)

ASIAN 752 - A Course-linked Research Topic (15 points)

ASIAN 754 - Special Topic (30 points)

ASIAN 755 - Directed Study (15 points)

ASIAN 756 - Directed Study (30 points)

ASIAN 757 - Research Essay (15 points)

ASIAN 758 - Research Essay (30 points)

ASIAN 758A - Research Essay (15 points)

ASIAN 758B - Research Essay (15 points)

ASIAN 759 - Research Essay (45 points)

JAPANESE 702 - Topics in Japanese Culture and Society (30 points)

JAPANESE 703 - Topics in Japanese Language and Linguistics (30 points)

JAPANESE 706 - Advanced Japanese Language Acquisition 1 (15 points)

JAPANESE 707 - Advanced Japanese Language Acquisition 2 (30 points)

JAPANESE 745 - Directed Study (15 points)

JAPANESE 745A - Directed Study (7.5 points)

JAPANESE 745B - Directed Study (7.5 points)

JAPANESE 746A - Research Essay (22.5 points)

JAPANESE 746B - Research Essay (22.5 points)

JAPANESE 747 - Directed Study (30 points)

JAPANESE 747A - Directed Study (15 points)

JAPANESE 747B - Directed Study (15 points)

JAPANESE 748 - Research Essay (15 points)

TRANSLAT 718 - Japanese Specialised Translation (30 points)

Up to 60 points may be substituted from postgraduate level study from an approved exchange with an overseas institution.

Research Project - 1 Semester

Complete 30 points for ALL of the following:

JAPANESE 780 - Research Project (30 points)

Research Project - 2 Semesters

Complete 30 points for ALL of the following:

JAPANESE 780A - Research Project (15 points)

JAPANESE 780B - Research Project (15 points)

Research Essay - 1 Semester

Complete 30 points for ALL of the following:

JAPANESE 782 - Research Essay (30 points)

Research Essay - 2 Semesters

Complete 30 points for ALL of the following:

JAPANESE 782A - Research Essay (15 points)

JAPANESE 782B - Research Essay (15 points)