Disciplines and areas of study
Japanese
Program Coordinator: Dr Lidia Tanaka
The Japanese Program offers undergraduate studies from beginner to honours level and postgraduate studies. Two entry-level subjects are available to cater for students with differing levels of language proficiency: the beginners’ stream and post-VCE stream. A placement test and interview may be used to determine a student’s suitability for entry into one of these streams.
The primary aim of the program is to enable students to gain a high level of language competence in modern Japanese and to develop an interest in a specific area of Japanese studies. La Trobe University has staff who specialise in Japanese sociolinguistics, sociology and anthropology and cinema studies. Students are encouraged to take Japan-related subjects offered by these experts as elective subjects to complement their Japanese major.
Students who wish to prepare for honours and/or postgraduate studies are strongly encouraged to complete some subjects in another discipline (e.g., literature or sociology) as well as their language studies.
Students can participate in an in-country study program (six or eleven months) as part of their degree through La Trobe’s exchange agreements with the following institutions: Kyoto Tachibana University, Hiroshima University, Kumamoto Gakuen University, Saga University, Soka University, Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University, Akita International University and Momoyama University. Students who have studied Japanese at La Trobe for at least one year and have obtained at least a B average in their Japanese subjects are eligible to apply to participate in these programs.
Students should apply to the Japanese Coordinator and La Trobe International if they wish to be considered for an exchange program.
Programs of study
To qualify for a degree with a major in Japanese, a student must pass a minimum of 130 credit points of Japanese subjects, including the core subjects outlined below. Depending on a student’s prior knowledge of and/or qualifications in the Japanese language when they commence their degree, there are two different major streams: beginners and advanced. Students who have successfully completed VCE Japanese must enrol in the advanced stream.
Students wishing to qualify as language teachers in schools are required to complete the third year advanced level of the language, in order to be able to take Indonesian as a teaching method towards the Diploma of Education.
The major requirements for these streams are as follows.
Japanese Major
To complete a major in Japanese students must complete:
- the Japanese core subjects for their language stream at each year level of their degree.
- 30 credit points at first year level,
- At least 40 credit points at second-year level and
- at least 60 credit points at third year level.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Japanese Beginners 1A | JPN1BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Beginners 1B | JPN1BEB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Japanese Beginners 2A | JPN2BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Beginners 2B | JPN2BEB |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Japanese Beginners 3A | JPN3BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Beginners 3B | JPN3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Japanese Advanced 1A | JPN1ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Advanced 1B | JPN1ADB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Japanese Advanced 2A | JPN2ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Advanced 2B | JPN2ADB |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Japanese Advanced 3A | JPN3ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Advanced 3B | JPN3ADB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Society and State in Japan and China | AST2EAS/AST3EAS |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Anime and Manga | JPN2JAM/JPN3JAM |
| TE-SEM-2 | Translation and Discussion B | JPN3TDB |
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | |
| Intercultural Communication | LIN2CCC/LIN3CCC |
| Childhood, Youth and Culture | ANT2CAC/ANT3CAC |
| Intercultural Performance | DRA2IPF/DRA3IPF |
| Language in Asia | LIN2LIA/LIN3LIA |
Honours
Students wishing to undertake an honours year in Japanese should normally have completed a 130-credit point Japanese major, including 60 credit points at third year level, of which 20 credit points must be JPN3TDB Translation and Discussion B. Students are expected to attain at least a B average in the subjects that make up their Japanese major in the second and third years if they wish to qualify for entry to honours. Students wishing to do honours must consult with the Honours Coordinator at the end of their second year. The honours course has two components:
- (a) coursework: students complete 60 credit points of coursework in their honours year,
- (b) thesis: a 12,000 to 15,000 word minor thesis, in English, which must be written on a topic agreed upon between the student and their supervisor. The thesis must be based on original research which extensively uses materials “ primary and secondary texts and/or other forms of data” in the Japanese language.