Japanese Degree Requirements

As with all language majors at Carthage, the Japanese major is structured around a requisite study abroad experience. Students spend a semester abroad immersing themselves in real communicative situations to become culturally aware and linguistically proficient professionals in an interdependent world.

Required Courses (39-45 credits)

• JPN 2010 Elementary Japanese I (4 credits)
• JPN 2011 Elementary Oral Japanese I (1 credit)
• JPN 2020 Elementary Japanese II (4 credits)
• JPN 2021 Elementary Oral Japanese II (1 credit)
• JPN 3010 Intermediate Japanese I (4 credits)
• JPN 3011 Intermediate Oral Japanese I (1 credit)
• JPN 3020 Intermediate Japanese II (4 credits)
• JPN 3021 Intermediate Oral Japanese II (1 credit)
• JPN 4010 Senior Seminar (4 credits)
• JPN 4070 Advanced Japanese (4 credits)
• GNR 3510 Immersion Abroad (12-16 credits)
• MLA 2200 Cultural Awareness (1 credit) *

* Students are required to take MLA 2200 the semester before studying abroad.

Choose One (4 credits)

• JPN 2070 Calligraphy and Japanese Language (4 credits)
• JPN 3070 Japanese Culture and Language (4 credits)
• JPN 3080 Japanese Literature and Culture (4 credits)

Choose One (4 credits)

• ECN 3100 Political Economy of East Asia (4 credits)
• HIS 1200 Issues in Asian History (4 credits)
• HIS 3400 Modern China (4 credits)
• HIS 3450 Modern Japan (4 credits)
• MLA 2450 A Social History of 20th Century Japan Through Film (4 credits)
• POL 3400 Chinese Politics (4 credits)
• REL 3130 Buddhism (4 credits)
• REL 3140 East Asian Religions (4 credits)

About the Immersion Abroad Experience

Japanese major students are required to study abroad over one term in an academic setting in a country where Japanese is spoken. Classroom instruction for all courses, regardless of discipline, will be in Japanese. Courses taken at foreign institutions are usually recorded on the student’s Carthage transcript as GNR 3510. This is a global designation for experiential learning and courses may be in history, economics, political science, linguistics, art history, or a number of other fields supporting the Japanese major. When faculty of any department agree, a specific course taken abroad may be accepted in lieu of a course in that department and be so noted on the student’s transcript. Students are strongly urged to get such courses approved by Carthage faculty before taking them.

Prerequisites to apply for study abroad in the Japanese major: MLA 2200 and JPN 2020 or approval by the department.

Required Courses (20 credits)

• JPN 2010 Elementary Japanese I (4 credits)
• JPN 2011 Elementary Oral Japanese I (1 credit)
• JPN 2020 Elementary Japanese II (4 credits)
• JPN 2021 Elementary Oral Japanese II (1 credit)
• JPN 3010 Intermediate Japanese I (4 credits)
• JPN 3011 Intermediate Oral Japanese I (1 credit)
• JPN 3020 Intermediate Japanese II (4 credits)
• JPN 3021 Intermediate Oral Japanese II (1 credit)

Choose One (4 credits)

• JPN 2070 Calligraphy and Japanese Language (4 credits)
• JPN 3070 Japanese Culture and Language (4 credits)
• JPN 3080 Japanese Literature and Culture (4 credits)
• JPN 4070 Advanced Japanese (4 credits)

Please see the Modern Languages Department chair for details. Basic requirements for honors in a major include an overall GPA of 3.5 at graduation, completion of all requirements for the major, a formal recommendation by Modern Languages Department faculty, a rating of “excellent” on the senior thesis by department faculty, and presentation of the senior thesis to an audience beyond the department.