Course Requirements
- Three quarters of college-level Japanese language study (at any level).
- Five additional courses from at least two different disciplines, chosen in consultation with an advisor or faculty member, from the current approved Japanese Studies Allied Course List.
Japanese Studies Allied Course List
Art and Architecture, History of
Geography
International Studies
Masters of Liberal Studies
Political Science
Religious Studies
HAA 216
JAPANESE ART (FORMERLY ART 343)
This is a chronological survey of premodern Japanese art, from the prehistoric era to the Meiji period (1868-1911). Topics covered include painting, sculpture, and architecture, as well as decorative arts, prints, and garden design. Special attention is given to Buddhist and Shinto religious arts, along with screen painting and woodblock prints. Formerly ART 343.
HAA 397
SPECIAL TOPICS/HISTORY OF ART & ARCHITECTURE
Focused study on a specific topic from the history of World art. Formerly ART 397.
GEO 315
ASIA'S PACIFIC RIM
A survey course focused upon key geographical factors contributing to the emergence of Japan as an international economic leader, and the rapid development of the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea, among others, as global economic players.
INT 330
EAST ASIAN AREA STUDIES I
A general interdisciplinary survey of the social, political, and economic institutions, and the cultural history of selected regions within East Asia and the Pacific.
INT 331
EAST ASIAN AREA STUDIES II
A continuation of the survey of institutions and cultural history described in 330.
MLS 407
SELF,CULTURE AND SOCIETY IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN
Interdisciplinary examination of the political, economic and social order of contemporary Japan. Relationship of individuals and groups to the social order, as they create the reality of diversity and possibilities for change.
PSC 253
ASIAN POLITICS
An introduction to contemporary government and politics in Asia, focusing on China and Japan, with comparative reference to other Asian and non-Asian political systems. Special attention will be made to the emerging political and economic role of the Pacific Rim.
PSC 339
ADVANCED TOPICS IN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Advanced topics in political thought.
PSC 359
ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Advanced topics in comparative politics.
REL 245
RELIGION IN JAPANESE HISTORY, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE
Explores the specific interplay between religion and culture in Japan. Taking historical and cultural factors into account, it considers prehistoric Japanese religion, ancient imperial myths, the assimilation of Buddhism, Confucianism, and continental (Chinese/Korean) culture, the religious and aesthetic worlds of the court nobility and the warrior class, popular mountain cults, the revival and systematization of Shinto, the impact of western culture, Japanese ultranationalism, and the religious situation in the post-war period.
REL 247
LITERATURE AND RELIGION IN JAPAN
Focuses on the pervasive influence of religious thought and sentiment on Japanese literature from ancient to modern times and explores the intricate relationship between religion, aesthetics, and the arts in Japanese culture. Considers original works including ancient Japanese mythology and poetry, the memoirs of court ladies and Buddhist hermits, romance, epics, folktales and social satire, with attention to their historical, social, religious and social dimensions, as well as to the individual experience expressed in them.
REL 342
ZEN MIND
A study of the thought and practice of Zen Buddhism, focusing on the role of Zen in shaping ideas, ethics and the arts in Japan and America.