Program: Japanese Studies, BA - Binghamton University

Apr 02, 2025

2024-2025 Binghamton University Academic Guide

The Japanese Studies program fosters detailed, nuanced knowledge and understanding of various aspects of premodern, modern, and contemporary Japanese culture and society, including history, language, literature, visual culture, society, politics, and economics. It also provides a solid foundation of Japanese language skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension.

The courses offered are ideal for students wishing to gain practical communicative skills, those planning to further specialize in Japanese Studies, and those pursuing careers in areas such as education, business, government, and NGOs.

Program Requirements

University General Education Requirements

All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the General Education page for more information.

Harpur College Requirements

All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Students majoring in Japanese Studies must successfully complete 11 courses as follows:

A. Language Sequence Courses

Students are required to successfully complete the following four language courses:

Note on Language Requirements

Depending on prior exposure to the language, JPN 101 and JPN 102 may be required prerequisites for the major. JPN 101 - Elementary Japanese I and JPN 102 - Elementary Japanese II provide the basic linguistic knowledge and skills required to begin the major but do not count towards the major.

For students with significant prior exposure: after consultation and proficiency test assessment administered by Japanese Program faculty, students who already demonstrate competence at any of the required levels of the Japanese language may waive part or all of the language requirements. Waived Japanese language courses will not count toward the major and must be replaced with other Japanese studies courses so that the student completes a total of 11 courses for the major.

JPN 305 and JPN 306 will count as two of the six upper-level course requirements for the major.

B. Elective Courses

Students should complete six courses from the list below and/or from other approved Japanese Studies courses as they become available.

JPN 180 - Elementary Japanese Conversation
JPN 380 - Business Japanese
JPN 407 - Fourth Year Japanese I
AAAS 250 - Japanese Cinema
AAAS 252 - Mediev/Early Mod JPN Lit/Cult
AAAS 350 - Modern Japanese Lit. in Trans
AAAS 452 - Natsume Sōseki and the Modernization of Japan
AAAS 453 - Trauma in JPN Lit & Film
AAAS 454 - Unresolved Issues:Wars in Asia
AAAS 455 - Japanese Asia Pacific War Exp.

C. Core Course in Asian American and Diaspora Studies

Students are required to take one core course in Asian American and Diaspora Studies. Students can choose from the courses listed below and/or other approved Asian American and Diaspora courses as they become available.

AAAS 200 - Intro to Asian American Studies
AAAS 275 - History of Asian America
Courses taught by Professors Ramaesh Bhagirat-Rivera, John Cheng, Robert Ku, Cynthia Marasigan, and Lisa Yun.

D. Upper Level Requirement

Of the 11 required courses, six courses must be at the 300 or 400 level. These six upper-level courses must include:

Two 400-level AAAS seminars, at least 1 of which must be in Japanese Studies. The two seminars must: 1) be taught by AAAS faculty members; 2) be non-language courses; and 3) be chosen in consultation with the major advisor and/or the Undergraduate Director
Four other 300 or 400-level courses, including JPN 305 and JPN 306.
Note: If a student takes AAAS 491 (Practicum in Teaching), it can count as one of the six upper-level requirements. However, it will not count as one of the two required 400-level AAAS seminars.

Additional Information About the Program

Students must earn a C or better for a course to count toward the major and courses must be three or more credits course to count toward the major.
Language courses cannot be taken Pass/Fail and no more than one non-language course can be taken Pass/Fail.
No more than one course may be an independent study.
Residency Requirement: At least six courses must be taken at Binghamton University.

For more information on the Japanese Studies program, visit the AAAS website. To apply to the Japanese Studies program, please visit the University Admissions website.

Japanese Studies, BA

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