English Page

College of Japanese Language and Culture

A Message from the Chair

In modern Japanese society, where multicultural coexistence is progressing, we must analyze the phenomena at hand to resolve various issues related to science, education, life and culture. Without limiting ourselves to these topics alone, there is a demand for comprehensive knowledge that is transparent to the essence of these issues. We aim to nurture students’ ability to tackle the problems of modern society by positioning and exploring these problems as issues of Japanese culture, with education related to the Japanese language as a foundation.

By offering a variety of lessons by lecturers from multiple fields, we provide multi-dimensional perspectives of events and issues. This is especially important in international and collaborative subjects; we are working to develop a variety of concrete measures to address these everyday issues of modern life. For example, by looking to recent historical events closely related to Japan, we are able to shake off our unconscious stereotypes. While it is not possible to suddenly take on a global perspective, we can do so by first experiencing plenty of different cultures familiar to us, so that the mosaics we create ourselves start to change.

These days, society is compelled to incorporate various cultures into many aspects of life. We must transform the “I” that we thought existed. If we do not possess this sort of awareness and instead wander about aimlessly or turn away from reality, society becomes more difficult to live in. In order for us to live better, perhaps it is necessary for us to learn the skill of coexisting with multiple cultures.

Outline

The College of Japanese Language and Culture offers four types of courses specialized for international students: two four-year degree courses and two short-term courses (one semester to one year).

(1) Japanese Language and Culture Studies Course (4-year Bachelor Degree)
This is a four-year course for international full-time students at the University of Tsukuba. In this course, students study the Japanese Language and Culture Major curriculum alongside Japanese students. The special entrance examination for privately-funded international students is held in February. The information of the exam is released in January.

(2) Japanese Language Teacher Training Course (Japan-Expert Program, 4-year Bachelor Degree)　
This is a four-year course for international full-time students at the University of Tsukuba. In this course, students study the Japanese Language Teacher Training Major curriculum as part of the Japan-Expert (bachelor’s degree) Program. The entrance examination for the Japan-Expert (bachelor’s degree) Program is scheduled in May, and the information is released in March. Our goal is to equip future Japanese-language teachers with an understanding of Japanese culture and specialized skills for Japanese-language education so that they can teach Japanese to people in their home countries who would like to work in Japan or at Japanese companies.

(3) MEXT Japanese Studies Students (1 year)
This one-year course is offered exclusively to the international students who have received a scholarship from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). In this course, you develop your Japanese language proficiency and improve your understanding of Japanese culture and society. The course targets international students who major in Japanese language and culture at their home universities.

(4) Short-term International Students (1 semester - 1 year)
This course is for international students who are sent to the University of Tsukuba under student exchange agreements while remaining registered at their home universities. The length of study ranges from one semester to one year. Those who are interested in this course should apply via the student exchange office of your home university.

Type of Degree

(1) Japanese Language and Culture Studies Course:
Bachelor of Arts

• Japanese Language and Culture Studies Course (Link available in Japanese only)

(2) Japanese Language Teacher Training Course (Japan-Expert Program):
Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Language Education

• Japan-Expert(Bachelor Degree) Program

Educational Policy

The College of Japanese Language and Culture fosters the ability to grasp linguistic and cultural phenomena in Japan comprehensively and understand them from a global perspective. Our goal is to train creative individuals who can collaborate with people from other linguistic and cultural backgrounds and to future generations in the forthcoming multicultural society.

Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of Japanese language and culture and develop the ability to appreciate these things from a global perspective. We aim to train students to be cultural creators. With an eye to creating a multicultural society, want them to address and solve problems together with people who speak different languages, are from different cultures, or are of the next generation.

Looking at Japan from various perspectives

The curriculum is composed of a single major system that allows all students to acquire a broad range of knowledge in linguistics, Japanese language education, cultural anthropology, history and literature. Furthermore, from the third year onward, students have the opportunity to cultivate their abilities further by studying a single matter or issue from a variety of perspectives through seminars taught by multiple faculty members.

Combining skills to identify and solve problems

We offer a curriculum that places an emphasis on practicality, not just the acquisition of knowledge. This includes training here in Japan, where students can learn about real issues through fieldwork, and Japanese language education training that allows students to experience an internship in the field. Students will be able to convert the knowledge they acquire in their daily classes into practical skills for identifying and solving problems. Additionally, the school offers a Japanese language teacher training certificate program. The certificate can be obtained by taking the required credits.

Working together to create a multicultural society

We offer overseas training and many opportunities to study abroad. Through day-to-day collaboration, such as classes where students study and research together with exchange students from all over the world and a tutoring system designed to support exchange students, students will gain an understanding of multiculturalism, discuss issues with people from diverse backgrounds and develop the ability to solve these issues together.

Curriculum

Based on the curriculum targets of the undergraduate courses at the University of Tsukuba, and the student development goals of the school/college programs, the bachelor’s degree (in literature) is awarded to students who have demonstrated that they have achieved the following study objectives.

The student has acquired the specialized knowledge needed to grasp Japanese linguistic/cultural phenomena from a global perspective (linguistics, Japanese language education, cultural anthropology, history, literature and more) and the student has acquired investigative abilities/research skills.

The student has acquired the language proficiency, information processing ability and intercultural communication abilities needed to communicate and solve issues with people of a variety of ages and different languages and backgrounds.

The student has practical experience dealing with many specific measures related to real-world challenges, as presented in international cooperation courses. In addition to international training and overseas internships and fieldwork, we offer information literacy classes in Japan that are designed for students to acquire practical communication skills and problem-solving abilities.

Foundation Subjects (Survey, Practice, Interdisciplinary)

Introduction to Study of Japanese Language
Introduction to Intercultural Education
Introduction to Study of Japanese Language
Introduction to Linguistics
Introduction to Japanese Language Education
Introduction to Japanese Literature
Introduction to Contemporary Japanese Society
Special Seminar in Japanese Language Education
Language Studies Abroad
Sociolinguistics and Diversity
Japanese Language Education and Diversity
Anthropology and Diversity
History and Diversity
Science of Language

Major Subjects (Japanese Language)

Japanese Phonetics and Phonology
Japanese Grammar
Japanese Lexicon
Analysis of Japanese Corpus
Japanese Discourse
Japanese Pragmatics
History of Japanese Phonology
History of Japanese Grammar
Japanese Dialects
The Dynamics of Japanese
World Languages and Japanese
Linguistic Research Methodology
Language and Culture
Language and Logic
Corpus Linguistics

Major Subjects (Diversity, Japanese Education)

Pedagogical Grammar of Japanese
Skill Development in Japanese Language Education
Second Language Acquisition
Education for International Students
Cross‐cultural Psychology
Japanese Language Education Psychology
Japanese Language Education Overseas and Japanese Studies
Introduction to Japanese Culture
Multicultural Japan
ICT and Language Teaching

Major Subjects (Japanese Culture) 

Politics and Society in Japan
Oriental History and Culture
Cultural Exchange in Modern Japan
Religion and Folkart in Japan
History of Japanese Literature
Japanese Literature and Nature
Japanese Language Teaching and Japanese Literature
Chinese Literature and Japanese Literature
Basic Layers of Japanese Culture
Japanese Culture Research Practicum
Practicum on Transmission of Cultures and Complexity
Economy and Culture in Japan
Regional Geography and Human Life in Japan

Major Subjects (International, Co-operation) 

Joint Research on Japanese Language and Culture
Language Education Practicum through Dialogue
Fieldwork Practicum in Japanese Culture

Year 1

Students take common courses and a wide range of specialized basic-level subjects from other colleges. By doing this, students can discover and identify their own areas of specialization from a wide perspective.

Year 2

Through specialized coursework, students aim to acquire a balanced knowledge of linguistics, Japanese language education, cultural anthropology, history and literature. Students engage in fieldwork, joint classes with international students and practical courses such as international training. These studies expose students to different languages and cultures, which helps to develop their problem recognition skills related to the Japanese language and Japanese culture. Specialized English courses train students to acquire language skills (especially English) that facilitate research and communication.

Year 3

Practical courses, such as fieldwork, deepen students’ problem recognition skills. Their application and practical implementation skills are improved. Students take more specialized courses, such as seminars, and acquire more comprehensive and advanced knowledge/research methods. This helps them to identify a topic for their graduation research. There is a general seminar that bridges the studies of specialized courses for writing the graduation thesis. In this course, the instructors’ areas of specialization are used to provide group instruction, and multiple instructors work with the students. This experience trains students to analyze a single phenomenon or challenge from many angles and perspectives.

Year 4

Students write a graduation thesis to advance their holistic/comprehensive analysis abilities, aiming to merge their problem recognition and problem-solving skills.

Admissions Policies

Ideal Candidates

An ideal student has a vibrant sense of intellectual curiosity, solid problem recognition skills and must know how to deal with them in terms of the Japanese language, culture and a multicultural society.

How Students Should Prepare before Entering the University

It is expected that students have sufficient reading comprehension skills in Japanese and foreign languages and will work to improve their abilities to express their opinions clearly.

Admissions Selection Methods and Policies

Admission period/subjects/number of students admitted

Contact Us

College of Japanese Language and Culture　University of Tsukuba 
1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577 Japan
TEL: 029-853-6764 / FAX: 029-853-6839

• ACCESS