Overview and entry requirements

The BA Japanese programme provides students with the highest level of competence in all aspects of the written and spoken language, as well as an introduction to both classical and modern Japanese culture. From the study of contemporary Japanese society, film and popular culture, to pre-modern literature and history, the BA Japanese is suitable for both absolute beginners as well as those with some knowledge of the Japanese language.

Students will spend the third year of study in Japan furthering language proficiency and understanding of Japanese society and culture.

See Japan and Korea Department

Why study Japanese at SOAS

• SOAS is ranked 1oth in the UK in the 2022 QS World University Rankings for Modern Languages
• we are home to the largest concentration of Japan specialists outside of Japan
• you will not only learn the essential language skills but also an in depth understanding of the region’s culture covering subjects from literature, history, cinema, and politics
• you will spend your third year in Japan furthering language and cultural proficiency
• you will be able to flexibly structure your programme using our central options modules to take advantage of the expertise of our other departments
• Your command of a language will set you apart from graduates of other universities

Explore

• Upcoming Open Day
• Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Japan Research Centre (JRC)
• Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions (CSJR)
• Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures

Programme Code: T210 BA/J

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Email: eastasia@soas.ac.uk

Structure

Students take 120 credits per year composed of core and guided modules.

• Year 1: students will Japanese language intensely and take history/culture modules and 15 credits of academic writing.
• Year 2: students will take modules of Japanese language and history/culture. 
• Year 3: students will spend the year aborad at one of the Japanese Univerisites with which we have a exchange partnership. 

In the final year students will continue their study of Japanese language, write an Independent Study Project and study further modules on history/culture. 

Programme

Programme Specification

• BA Japanese Programme Specification 2019/20 (pdf; 246kb)

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

Most modules are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorial delivered across the week. Lectures are led by an academic while tutorials are sessions in which students are expected to present reports and take a lead in discussions.

Depending on the size of the class, some intermediate and advanced level modules are less strictly divided between a formal lecture and a tutorial discussion, and instead, the topic is briefly introduced by the lecturer, followed by a seminar discussion. Advanced level modules, which are usually taught in one two-hour bloc, often take this format.

The assessment procedures involve coursework assignments, tests and unseen examinations. They provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the content and systems taught in lectures, tutorials and the literature.

Contact hours

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, in modules of 60, 30 or 15 credits. They are taught over 10 or 20 weeks. The programme structure shows which modules are taught over one term or the full year. It also shows which modules are compulsory and which are optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study (see Approaches to teaching and learning at SOAS). It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others.

More information is on the page for each module.

Year abroad

All students spend their third year in Japan at one of the Japanese universities listed below, following successful completion of their second year. Students will study a combination of language and non-language modules, and must pass 75% of them in order to proceed to Year 4.  Please note that not all universities will have places available every year, and that each university has a limited number of places. Students indicate preferences, but final allocation will be determined by the department.

Tokyo

• Hitotsubashi University
• International Christian University
• Keio University
• Meiji University
• Ochanomizu University (women only)
• Sophia University
• Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Waseda University

Nagoya

• Nagoya University
• Nanzan University

Kyoto

• Doshisha University
• Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
• Ritsumeikan University

Osaka

• Kansai University
• Osaka University, School of Economics
• Osaka University, School of Foreign Studies

Kobe

• Kobe University
• Kwansei Gakuin University

Fukuoka

• Kyushu University

Hokkaido

• Hokkaido University of Education

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Pre-entry reading

• B. Frellesvig, A History of the Japanese Language (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
• K. Friday, Japan Emerging: Premodern History to 1850 (Westview Press, 2012)
• C. Gerteis and T.S. George, Japan Since 1945: From Postwar to Post-bubble (Bloomsbury, 2013)
• C. Goto-Jones, Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2009)
• J. Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society (Routledge, 2012)
• M.B. Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000)
• H. Shirane, T. Suzuki, and D. Lurie (eds.), The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature (Cambridge University Press, 2015)
• P. Varley, Japanese Culture (University of Hawai’i Press, 2000)

Tuition fees

Fees for 2022/23 entrants per academic year

Please note that fees go up each year. 

For full details of undergraduate tuition fees, see our Registry's undergraduate tuition fees page.

Scholarships

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section

Employment

Graduates from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures develop competencies in intercultural awareness, analysis and communication. Demand for specialists with advanced proficiency in the languages of China, Japan and Korea has significantly increased in recent years, and graduates with these skills are highly sought after by employers.

Recent Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures graduates have been hired by organisations including:

• Accenture
• Amazon
• Bloomberg LP
• Department for Work and Pensions
• European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea
• European Commission
• Google
• ITN
• Japanese Government
• Korea Trade Centre (KOTRA)
• KPMG
• Mizuho Bank
• Nagahama Board of Education
• Nanjing Museum
• Pinsent Masons LLP
• PwC
• Seoul Metropolitan Government
• Shelterbox
• UNDP

Find out about our Careers Service.

• How to Apply
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