Japanese Studies and History BA

Program Overview

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This four-year Japanese Studies and History BA program offers a comprehensive exploration of Japanese language, culture, history, and politics. Through intensive language training and a year-long immersion in Japan, students develop fluency in Japanese and gain an in-depth understanding of the country's history, society, and current affairs. The program also emphasizes critical thinking, research skills, and effective communication. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in diverse fields, including international relations, business, journalism, and academia.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

The Japanese Studies and History BA is a four-year, full-time program designed to develop students' Japanese language skills and historical knowledge. The program aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of Japanese culture, history, politics, and society. Students will also have the opportunity to spend a year studying at a Japanese university, immersing themselves in Japanese society.

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Objectives:

• Master the skills of historical research.
• Combine intensive language training with an in-depth study of Japanese culture.
• Study past societies from 1000 BCE to the modern day, exploring political, social, economic, and cultural themes.
• Develop the skills to exercise independent judgment, be critical of accepted opinions, and construct effective arguments.
• Gain lived-experience in Japan.
• Become highly-skilled in research, critical thinking, written and verbal communication, presentation, and digital media creation.

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Outline:

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Year 1:

• Japanese Language:
• Japanese Language 1A (20 credits): Focuses on receptive activities and written productive activities in Japanese language, including grammar, reading, writing, and translation.
• Japanese Language 2A (20 credits): Builds on Japanese Language 1A and introduces further grammatical structures, developing reading, writing, and translation skills.
• Japanese Language 1B (10 credits): Focuses on interactive activities in Japanese, developing speaking and listening skills.
• Japanese Language 2B (10 credits): Builds on Japanese Language 1B and develops speaking and listening skills further.
• History:
• History Workshop (20 credits): Introduces students to the process of historical research, learning discipline-specific methods and essential study and writing skills.
• Option Modules (40 credits): Students can choose from a variety of modules covering topics such as Empire, The Transformation of the United Kingdom, Paths from Antiquity to Modernity, The 'Disenchantment' of Early Modern Europe, The Making of the Twentieth Century, and The Long View: an introduction to archaeology.

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Year 2:

• Japanese Language:
• Japanese Language 3A (20 credits): Focuses on receptive activities and written productive activities in Japanese language at a lower intermediate level.
• Japanese Language 4A (20 credits): Continues to develop receptive and written productive activities in Japanese language at a mid-intermediate level.
• Japanese Language 3B (10 credits): Focuses on interactive activities in Japanese language at a lower intermediate level.
• Japanese Language 4B (10 credits): Focuses on oral and aural activities in Japanese language at an intermediate level.
• Modern Japanese History (20 credits): Explores key themes in the modern history of Japan from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century.
• History:
• Core Modules (40 credits): Students choose from Historians and History and The Uses of History.
• Option Modules (40 credits): Students can choose from a variety of modules covering topics such as A Protestant Nation?, Asian Britain, Culture in Early Modern Europe, Decolonisation, Disease, Medicine and Health Care in Early Modern Europe, Empire, Sexuality and the Family in Modern Europe, Fascism 1918-1945, From the Pharaohs to Alexander the Great, From World War to Cold War, Gender, Culture and Society in Britain 1650-1850, Gender and Sexuality in Modern Britain, Gender and the Georgians, Holy Russia, Soviet Empire, Imperial Germany, Intoxicants in Early Modern England, Life Worth Living, Media and Popular Culture in Twentieth-Century Britain, Religion in an Age of Terror, Revolution, Reform and Crusade in 11th-c. Europe, Rome and its Empire, Shell-Shock to Prozac, Slavery and Abolition in the United States, Social Crisis and Political Change in England, Spain, The Archaeology of the Later Medieval Church in England, The Battle for China's Future, The Export of England, The Fall of the Roman Empire in the West, The Family in Late Antiquity, The French Third Republic, The History of American Foreign Relations, The History of Terrorism, The Making of Modern India, The Northern Ireland 'Troubles' and Peace Process, The Rise of Rome and its Empire, The Welfare State in Britain, Tolerance and Dissent in Europe, Trumpism, Two Germanys, 'One People'?, Understanding the Aztecs, and many more.
• Document Option Modules (20 credits): Students can choose from a variety of modules covering topics such as 1066 and all that, 1968 in Western Europe, Appeasement, the Munich Crisis and the British People, Barcelona and the 'Tragic Week', Coercion and Consent in the Third Reich, From Democratic Marxism to Dictatorship, Global Lives, Guilty Men?, Jane Groom's 'Extraordinary Scheme', Match of the Day, Murder in the cathedral, Russian Revolution 1917-18, Tenochtitlan, City of Blood and Flowers, The Easter Rising, The Gunpowder Plot, The Irish Republican Brotherhood, The Medieval Inquisition, The Myth of Venice, The Putney Debates, Welfare children, and many more.

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Year 3:

• Japan Year Abroad (120 credits): Students take intensive Japanese language classes provided by partner universities in Japan and undertake project-based work on an aspect of Japanese society, culture, politics, or economy.

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Year 4:

• Japanese Language:
• Japanese Language 5 (20 credits): Builds on skills acquired at Levels 1 and 2 and during the year in Japan at an upper intermediate to lower advanced level.
• Japanese Language 6 (20 credits): Builds on skills acquired at Levels 1 and 2 and during the year in Japan at an upper intermediate to lower advanced level.
• History:
• Special Subject (40 credits): Students can choose from a variety of modules covering topics such as Anarchy in the UK?, Art, Power and History, Breaking up (in) the Carolingian Empire, Britain's Social Revolution, Cannibals and Christians, Capitalism and Identity in 19th-century Britain, Contested Visions, Eating, Meeting and Greeting in the Medieval West, Emotions and identity in Britain, Empire of Faith, Ending the Cold War, Fascism and Anti-Fascism in Britain, Forced into Being, From Julius Caesar to Augustus, Half Slave and Half Free, Humanitarianism, Internationalism and the British Empire, Humour and Laughter in Eighteenth-Century Britain, Italy in the Age of Dante, Makers of a New World, Mao and the Making of Twentieth-Century China, Merchants, Mariners and Migrants, Permissive Britain?, Popes, Caliphs, Emperors, Renaissance and Popular Culture in Early Modern England, Resistance & Liberation in South Africa, Slavery in the American South, Solidarity, Sabotage, Students, South Asian Muslims in the Age of Empire, Stalinism and De-Stalinisation, The American War in Vietnam, The English People and the English Revolution, The Holocaust, The Irish Revolution, The Phoenix City, The Road to Civil War, The Spanish Civil War, The United States and the Cold War, The Weimar Republic, The World of Intoxicants in Early Modern England, Tools of Empire?, and many more.
• Dissertation (40 credits): Students can choose from a 20-credit short dissertation or a 40-credit dissertation.
• Thematic Modules (20 credits): Students can choose from a variety of modules covering topics such as A Comparative History of Revolution, Cities, Decolonising History, Money, Power and Society, The Family, and many more.
• Making History Public (20 credits): Equips students with the skills required to effectively communicate their scholarly research to a non-academic audience.

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Assessment:

• Japanese Language: Regular homework assignments and exams at the end of each semester.
Students are assessed on the core skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
• History: A variety of assessment methods are used, including essays, exams, presentations, and research projects.

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Teaching:

• Japanese Language: Intensive language training in small group classes with native speaking tutors, using specially designed learning materials.
• History: A mix of lectures and discussion-based seminars, with modules directly informed by the latest research of internationally renowned tutors.

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Careers:

• School of East Asian Studies: Graduates work in government and diplomacy, media and the arts, non-government organisations, and international business.
• Department of History: Graduates have gone on to become successful lawyers, marketing executives, civil servants, accountants, management consultants, university lecturers, archivists, librarians, and workers in museums, tourism, and the heritage industry.

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Other:

• The program is designed to immerse students in the languages and cultures of East Asian countries.
• Students are taught by native speakers in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean in regular small group classes using custom-made course material.
• The program is based on world-leading research and taught by experts whose work influences policy and informs public debate.
• Students will spend a year studying in Japan at one of the program's partner institutions.
• The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of Japanese culture, history, politics, and society.
• Students will develop the skills to exercise independent judgment, be critical of accepted opinions, and construct effective arguments.
• Students will become highly-skilled in research, critical thinking, written and verbal communication, presentation, and digital media creation.
• The program is designed to prepare students for a career in the world's most dynamic region.
• The program is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a variety of careers.

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Note:

The program's curriculum is reviewed annually to ensure it is up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules may be updated or withdrawn.

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Please use2024-25 information as a guide. £9,250Home students2024 annual tuition fee £22,680Overseas students2024 annual tuition fee