Japanese, BA

Introduction

Learn the language and culture of Japan and develop an awareness of the diversity of an increasingly interconnected world. Courses range from an introductory language class to modern Japanese literature.

Develop a high level of proficiency in comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. Take courses in all levels of Japanese as well as special-topics courses, including Business Japanese, Kanji, Anime/Manga and travel courses to Japan.

Spend at least one semester studying abroad at one of five universities in four cities — Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Saga — and practice language skills with a Japanese-speaking language assistant who lives on campus and connect with Japanese exchange students at Pacific.

The Japanese major is designed to be combined with any other major offered at Pacific University, where both majors can be completed in time for the anticipated graduation date.

Admissions  

Program Length

Four years for a complete BA degree.  Two years for students transferring in with an AAOT degree.  Program length may vary depending upon the student’s course load and academic progress. Note: If Study Abroad is for a year, only 12 credits are required, otherwise 16 are required. Students enter the sequence at a level appropriate to their previous preparation and may be exempt from up to 16 credits of lower division coursework in the major unless otherwise noted.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing the major in Japanese will:

• achieve linguistic proficiency in Japanese in listening, speaking, reading and writing equivalent to ACTFL Advanced Low (for a description of ACTFL proficiency levels, see https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/guidelines/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012.pdf),
• demonstrate a comparative understanding of cultural diversity,
• be able to analyze at least one aspect of major historical, social, intellectual, artistic and/or linguistic trends in Japan; andleverage disciplinary knowledge to create a capstone project that demonstrates an understanding of the language and cultures of Japan.