Major and Minor Requirements

REQUIREMENTS

Core courses: Students choosing a Plan B major in language and culture studies may elect Japanese as either their primary or secondary language.

Students who choose Japanese as the primary language are required to take seven courses, including at least one course from offerings in Japanese literature and culture (JAPN 234, JAPN 236, and JAPN 238), and JAPN 401 (Senior Seminar: Special Topics in Japanese). Two courses in a cognate field or fields (such as Japanese history, religion, art history) are also required, but when they are not available, students can take JAPN 234, JAPN 236, and/or JAPN 238 to fulfill this requirement. As the last step, a thesis linking some aspect(s) of the two languages and the cognates; this paper must be completed in JAPN 401.

Students who choose Japanese as the secondary language are required to take five courses, including at least one course from offerings in Japanese literature and culture (JAPN 234, JAPN 236, and JAPN 238). No more than two transfer credits may be applied to the major.

Capstone/senior project: The Writing Intensive Part II requirement for a Japanese Plan B major is fulfilled by JAPN 401 (Senior Seminar: Special Topics in Japanese).

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Study away: Students in the Japanese program are urged to spend a semester or a year studying in Japan. Trinity exchanges one to two students annually with Rikkyo University in Tokyo. IES Japan programs are also approved for credit transfer. Visit Trinity’s Office of Study Away website for more information.

Honors: Departmental honors are awarded to seniors who have maintained an A- average in all courses to be counted toward their major (including cognate courses). A minimum grade of A- is furthermore required in JAPN 401.

The minor in Japanese—for students who wish to minor in Japanese, this is a sequence of six courses designed to develop linguistic skills as well as a basic understanding of Japanese culture and society. The six courses should be chosen from JAPN 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 311, 312, 411, 412, and JAPN 234, JAPN 236, or JAPN 238. To be clear, a maximum of one course in English, such as JAPN 234, JAPN 236, or 238, can count towards the six required courses. No more than one transfer credit may be applied to the minor.

To declare a major or minor in Japanese, contact Lecturer Katsuya Izumi. Students interested in cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of Asian cultures are referred to the Asian studies interdisciplinary minor.