SOAS University of London

Japan & Korea Section, Department of East Asian Languages & Culture

BA Japanese and... (2021 entry)

Select year of entry: 2022 2021

  • Combinations
  • Structure
  • Teaching and Learning
  • Employment

Overview

Overview and entry requirements

The BA Japanese (Combined Honours) degree 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 pre-modern Japanese literature and history, to contemporary cinema and TV. SOAS is the home to the largest concentration of Japanese specialists in Europe and our 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 the local business practices and culture.

See Japan and Korea Department

Combine Japanese with other subjects

The nature of the Combined Honours degree will allow you to create a specialist niche for yourself by studying another subject, such as Development Studies, Economics, History, History of Art and Archaeology, International Relations, Linguistics, Music, Politics, Social Anthropology, or World Philosophies.

Why study Japanese Combined Honours at SOAS

  • UK Top 10 in the 2021 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
  • we are specialists in the delivery of more that forty African and Asian languages. Your command of a language will set you apart from graduates of other universities
  • choosing to study a Combined Honours programme will allow you take advantage of the expertise of one of our other departments allowing you create a specialist niche for yourself

Explore

Programme Code: T210

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Email: eastasia@soas.ac.uk

Entry requirements

  • No preliminary knowledge of the language is required but a foreign language at A-level or equivalent is preferred.
  • Subjects Preferred: A foreign language at GCSE or A-level, or equivalent, is preferred
  • Interview Policy: Mature students, candidates with non-standard qualifications, Japanese nationals, and heritage speakers (ie, Japanese raised abroad) who meet the academic requirements may be invited for interview.
A Levels:
AAB - ABB
A Level language preferred
IB:
35 (6/6/5)

View alternative entry requirements

BTEC: DDM

Access to HE: Minimum of 30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction

Scottish Highers: AAABB

Scottish Advanced Highers: AAB

Irish LC: 340 points from 5 Higher level subjects at grade C1 or above

Advanced Placement: 4 4 5 (Two semesters - UCAS Group A) plus US HSGD with GPA 3.0

Euro Bacc: 80%

French Bacc: 14/20

German Abitur: 2.0

Italy DES: 80/100

Austria Mat: 2.0

Polish Mat: Overall 75% including 3 extended level subjects

Featured events

duration:
4 years

Convenors


Please see the Unistats data for the various combinations of this programme under the Combinations tab.

Combinations

May be combined with:

Key Information Set data

Click on a combined programme to load KIS data

BA History of Art and Japanese (Year Abroad)

BA International Relations and Japanese (Year Abroad)

BA Japanese and Development Studies

BA Japanese and Economics (Year Abroad)

BA Japanese and History (Year Abroad)

BA Japanese and Linguistics (Year Abroad)

BA Japanese and World Philosophies (Year Abroad)

BA Music and Japanese (Year Abroad)

BA Politics and Japanese (Year Abroad)

BA Social Anthropology and Japanese (Year Abroad)

Structure

Structure

  • Year 1: students normally take 60 credits of language and 60 credits from their second subject.
  • Year 2: student continue with language learning and choose modules on culture, history, literature within the Japanese syllabus to the value of 60 credits. The remaining 60 credits will be taken from the second subject.
  • Year 3: students will spend this year abroad at one of the many Japanese Universities where the focus is on further language training.
  • Year 4: student continue with higher level language learning and choose modules on culture, history/literature/ISP within the Japanese syllabus to the value of 60 credits. The remaining 60 credits will be taken from the second subject. 

Programme

Year 1
Core Module

This module must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study.

Module Code Credits Term
J100: Elementary Japanese 155901195 60 Full Year
Second Subject

60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.

Year 2
Core Module

This module must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study.

Module Code Credits Term
J200: Intermediate Japanese (30Cr) 155901491 30 Full Year
Compulsory Modules

Students will take the modules below

Module Code Credits Term
East Asian Imperialisms 155901481 15 Term 2
Contemporary Japanese Society 155901479 15 Term 1
Second Subject

60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.

Year 3 (Year Abroad)

Please see more information on the year abroad in Japan under the Teaching & Learning tab.

Year 4
Compulsory Modules

Students must take the modules below.

Module Code Credits Term
History and Memory in East Asian Cultures 155903015 15 Term 2
J400: Advanced Japanese 155901470 15 Term 1

AND

Choose modules from List A/List B or Central Options (at the relevant FHEQ level for your academic year of study) to the value of 30 credits

Second Subject

60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.

Year 4 - List A Guided Option Modules

FHEQ Level 5/6

Module Code Credits Term
Independent Study Project in East Asian Studies 155901483 30 Full Year
J401: Japanese-English Translation 155901471 15 Term 2
Japanese Cinema (UG) 155901476 15 Term 2
Modernity, Nation and Identity in Japanese History (1853-1945) 155900882 15 Term 2
Writing from the Margins: Voices of change in Modern Japanese Literature 155901427 15 Term 2
List B: Language Option Modules

FHEQ Level 5/6

Module Code Credits Term
Chinese 1 A 155906022 15 Term 1
Chinese 1 B 155906023 15 Term 2
Chinese 2 155900829 30 Full Year
Chinese 3 155901097 30 Full Year
Chinese 4 155901144 30 Full Year
Chinese 5 155901409 15 Term 1
Chinese for Business 155903010 15 Term 2
Korean 1 A 155906028 15 Term 1
Korean 1 B 155906029 15 Term 2
Korean 2 155901404 30 Full Year
Korean 3 155900843 30 Full Year
Korean 4 155901486 30 Full Year

Programme Specification

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning

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.

Contact hours

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. Please note that not all universities will have places available every year.

Tokyo
Nagoya
Kyoto
Osaka
Kobe
Hokkaido

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)

Employment

Employment

Studying this programme will provide students with competency Japanese language skills as well as intercultural awareness and understanding. Choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge, and will develop additional skills with which to further your studies of Japan, or to make comparative study with other areas. 

Skills gained

  • familiarity with the region through a combination of the study of language, literature, history, cinema, politics, economics or law
  • communication and presentation skills
  • analytical skills
  • ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources

Careers

Graduates from the Japanese Department leave SOAS not only with language and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers, both in business and in the public sector.

Employers

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

  • Bloomberg L.P
  • British High Commission
  • British Council Tokyo
  • Deloitte Management Consulting Ltd.
  • Foreign & Commonwealth Office
  • Mitsubishi UFJ Securities International
  • NHK-Japan Broadcasting Corporation
  • Oxford University
  • The British Embassy
  • The British Museum
  • Wall Street Associates

Roles

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

  • Financial Analyst
  • Head of Production
  • US Marketing Executive
  • Senior Research Executive
  • Director of Development and Alumni Relations
  • Project Leader, Strategic Planning
  • Solicitor
  • Architect
  • Interactive Designer
  • HM Ambassador to Japan
  • Freelance Japanese Translator

Find out more about Japan and Korea graduate destinations

A Student's Perspective

My advice would be: go for it! Especially if you are thinking about studying at SOAS because it is a great experience, not only for your CV but for yourself as well because [the] SOAS environment is really as great as the leaflets or the website tell you.

Sara Iannone, Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”

Find out more