JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL STUDIES MINOR

Japanese Language and Cultural Studies will navigate you through an exploration of Japanese society and culture towards becoming a global citizen.

The current communication landscape is radically reshaping how we interact with the world. A literate person in the 21st century is expected to have diverse abilities and competencies. Because of this, the world needs people who have global competencies. These include intercultural competency, interdisciplinary knowledge, diverse perspectives, capacity to adapt to complex social interactions and the ability to communicate in more than one language. Japan leads the world in many diverse fields, even as global appreciation for traditional culture deepens. Japanese is a great language to develop skillset and competency to create local opportunities and become an active participant in the global community.

WHY MINOR IN JAPANESE?

Cultural experiences

By studying Japanese, you can deepen your knowledge and develop a solid cultural foundation through the exposure to the fine arts (kabuki, tea ceremony), traditional and contemporary literature (haiku, novels), sports and martial arts (sumo, judo), entertainment (film, anime, games, manga), life (food, fashion), not to mention the economy and sciences.

Preparation for any career

There is a need for people with a deep understanding of the language and culture of Japan—in both the private and public sectors—because even in the digital age, communication skills are critical. People with multilingual skills have a strong advantage in the diverse and dynamic Global Community.

Range of courses

Japanese Language and Cultural Studies offers a range of language and culture courses that can fulfill your language requirement and diversity requirement, as well as contributing to a Japanese Minor or Asian Studies Major/Minor.

EXPLORE THE MINOR

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Freeman Scholarship

The Freeman Foundation International Internship in Asia Scholarship is awarded annually to students who plan to complete an internship in Asia. It is made possible through the generous support of The Freeman Foundation.

Student Organizations

Villanova Japanese Club
Anime Club
Asian Student Organization

Student Projects

Our students complete a variety of projects completed in our courses, which deepen their cultural competency and language literacy. Just a few examples include:

Japanese essay: 2021 Japanese Intermediate II
Digital storytelling: 2020 fall Japanese Introductory I
Digital storytelling: 2023 Japanese Introductory II

NEWS & EVENTS

Japanese Honor Society Graduates

We had 9 students who graduated with honor in Japanese this May 2023. They were nominated by Dr. Kayo Shintaku and have been inducted into the Japanese National Honor Society (College Chapter). The society is administered by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ), and membership is recognized as a national achievement. To be nominated, students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 in 5 semesters in Japanese language and must have an overall GPA of 3.0 at time of nomination. These outstanding students of the Japanese language should be commended for their motivation and perseverance, not to mention their determination in studying Japanese. They received Certificates of Excellence and red-and-white cords to wear at graduation, and are recognized on the AATJ website and in its newsletter (https://www.aatj.org/students/japanese-national-honor-society/).

COLLABORATING WITH JAPANESE UNIVERSITY

Since spring 2020, Japanese Language and Cultural Studies has been collaborating with Tamagawa University in Tokyo to create a virtual forum called Global Café for students to communicate in Japanese and English. The Villanova students enjoy using their language skills to share their everyday lives with Tamagawa students.

PUBLISHED STUDENT WORK

Students from Japanese language courses have been sharing their Haiku works and complementary illustrations in “Writing in Tongues: A Global Interdisciplinary Journal.” In the latest edition, the works of 10 students from Japanese language courses are featured (Issue #4, Spring 2021, ISSN: 2577-1698).