Home

Japanese: Language, Literature, Culture (including courses in English)

View courses in

  • CAS LJ 111: First-Semester Japanese
    Introduction to spoken and written Japanese and to fundamentals of Japanese grammar with oral drills and written exercises. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LJ 112: Second-Semester Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 111.
    Introduction to spoken and written Japanese and to fundamentals of Japanese grammar with oral drills and written exercises. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LJ 211: Third-Semester Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 112; or equivalent.
    Elaboration and refinement of the fundamental skills introduced in CAS LJ 111, 112 with an introduction to reading and composition. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LJ 212: Fourth-Semester Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 211; or equivalent.
    Elaboration and refinement of the fundamental skills introduced in CAS LJ 111, 112 with an introduction to reading and composition. Satisfactory completion of CAS LJ 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 250: Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English translation)
    An introduction to Japanese literary history. Topics include mythic beginnings, conceptions of nature and death, flowering of a court aesthetic, the writer as hermit-sage, the Tokugawa stage and its love suicides. Use of literary and visual materials. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 251: Modern Japanese Literature (in English translation)
    Introduction to modern Japanese literature. Naturalism and its critics, rise of the I-novel, Taisho aestheticism, proletarian literature, postwar and post- recession crises of cultural identity. Works by Natsume Soseki, Hayashi Fumiko, Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, Oe Kenzaburo, and Tsushima Yuko. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures
    Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 283: Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)
    Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Also Offered as CAS CI 260. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 303: Third-Year Modern Japanese I
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212.
    Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics. Prepares for working with authentic Japanese materials. Opportunity for engagement with Japanese speakers. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 304: Third-Year Modern Japanese II
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 303.
    Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • CAS LJ 316: Classical Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212; or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
    Introduction to Classical Japanese, Japan's written language from the seventh until the twentieth century. A systematic study of grammar and lexicon enriched by original readings from major works of Japanese literature such as Man'yōshū, Pillow Book, Genji, and Heike monogatari, Hōjōki. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 320: Conversational Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 211; or consent of instructor.
    Advanced training to increase fluency in spoken Japanese with an emphasis on different levels of politeness in speech and cultural awareness. Role playing; vocabulary and expression building; and aural comprehension. Concurrent enrollment in a four-skills language course is encouraged. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS LJ 322: Japanese for the Professions
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 303; or equivalent.
    Advanced Japanese language course to prepare students to use workplace Japanese and to understand Japanese business culture and the economic landscape. Discussions and assignments facilitate communication, presentation, reading/writing, cross-cultural understanding, and collaboration skills. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS LJ 350: Readings in Modern Japanese Fiction
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 303; or equivalent.
    Readings in modern fiction from Akutagawa to Murakami and beyond to deepen knowledge of Japanese language, learn about the development of Japanese literature from 1900 to the present, and to place it in contemporary context. Readings and discussions in Japanese. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • CAS LJ 385: Intensive Kanji
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 211.
    Intensive study of the 1006 Kanji to build additional proficiency in reading and writing for advanced Japanese language students. The course also explores the history and aesthetics of kanji characters. Intended for students without heritage knowledge of Chinese characters. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • CAS LJ 388: World Cities: Tokyo
    Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS LJ 410: The History of the Japanese Language
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212; or consent of instructor.
    Overview of major issues in the history of Japanese: genetic relationships, changes in sound system, word and sentence structures, and pragmatics. Special attention to the process leading to the current writing system. Representative texts used to demonstrate different literary languages. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LJ 441: Japanese through Media
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 303.
    Analysis and discussion of authentic print, digital, visual, and social media while developing a high level of Japanese proficiency, and gaining knowledge of current issues and media literacy. Develops critical reading/viewing skills as well as communicative and intercultural proficiency. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • CAS LJ 450: Topics in Advanced Japanese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LJ 303; or consent of instructor.
    Topic for Spring 2021: Mononoke: Supernatural Beings of Japan. Mononoke, "Supernatural Beings," have appeared in literature, historical records, traditions, and most recently, in anime and film. Through Mononoke students are able to learn about social issues, values, and ideas in different periods of Japanese history.
  • CAS LJ 451: Topics in Japanese Literature
    Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit if topic is different. Topic for Spring 2022: Kurosawa Akira. Attention to Kurosawa's film style, global reception, and his complex reflections on Japanese history and the nature of cinema and art. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles.

Related Bulletin Pages

Beyond the Bulletin