Handbook

This specialisation is for students commencing from 2023.

The Japanese Studies major specialisation at UNSW provides you with the opportunity to develop as a competent user of the Japanese language with explicit knowledge of Japanese society and culture. Through provisions of Australia-Japan contact situations, you will gain intercultural awareness and understanding, while developing your knowledge of the language, cultures, societies and communities in Japan.

The Japanese language plays a key role in expressing the cultures and identities of Japan. Japan is of increasing fundamental importance to Australia for political, strategic and economic reasons in realisation of Australia in the Asian Century. Thus, learning Japanese and developing competence in Japanese will provide you with a privileged form of access to the cultural resources and complex patterns of life in Japan and beyond, enabling you to take an important role in promoting relationships and mutual understanding between countries and peoples.

There are two main components of Japanese Studies. The first is a focus on the acquisition of competence in the target language. Acquiring target language competence involves a wide range of knowledge and understanding of sociocultural conventions as well as skills in self-expression, both oral and written, and skills in comprehending other's expression, both oral and written. The second component is the study of aspects of the cultures and societies associated with the Japanese language. We draw upon other disciplines in order to inform understanding of Japanese culture. These disciplines include linguistic, literary, cultural, historical and social studies.

This specialisation is available to students commencing at Introductory and Intermediate entry levels.