"Knowing another language enriches your personal life, expands the range of professional opportunities open to you, and increases your power to act as a citizen of the world." (MLA, 2006)
program in the Institute for Global Interdisciplinary Studies (IGIS) offers a variety of courses that cover everything from language study to all aspects of Japan — traditional and pop culture, society, history, literature, films, culinary culture and women's studies.
Students interested in Japan can take Japanese Studies as a minor and/or a concentration in East Asian Studies.
Majors can select courses on Japan from outside the department in fields including economics, art history, anthropology, history, and music.
Asian economies have been growing rapidly and are making huge contributions globally. With that comes the realization in the US that Americans should begin in earnest to study Asian languages and cultures, as well as the markets of these countries.
Another cultural wind has been blowing across the Pacific — that of Japanese pop culture! This popular culture includes manga, anime, DDR, Nintendo computer games, "Wii," etc. In the
Japanese Studies program at Villanova, you can not only study the Japanese language; you can also learn about Japanese culture (including pop culture), history, society, films, literature, culinary culture and women's studies.
It takes time to master Asian languages, but the intellectual and practical reward is worth the effort, and Villanova University is most likely the place where you can devote sufficient time to learning Asian languages.
Study of
Japan provides an understanding not only of Japan, but of Asia in general, with which Japan shares many of its religious beliefs, ethics and aesthetics. Serious studies of
Japanese culture, different from Euro-American culture, may help you to prepare to be a member of the global community in the 21st century while reexamining your own cultural values and assumptions from a different perspective.
Courses
JPN 1111 - Introductory Japanese I
Description: Functional use of Japanese for students with no prior knowledge of Japanese. Communication skills (speaking and listening), reading and writing skills. Supplementary practice with computer.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 6.0
Last Offered: Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009, Summer 2009
JPN 1112 - Introductory Japanese II
Description: Functional use of Japanese for students with no prior knowledge of Japanese. Communication skills (speaking and listening), reading and writing skills. Supplementary practice with computer.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 6.0
Last Offered: Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Summer 2009, Spring 2009
JPN 1121 - Intermediate Japanese I
Description: Further practice of communication skills (speaking and listening), reading and writing skills. Supplementary practice with computer.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 5.0
Last Offered: Fall 2009, Fall 2008, Fall 2007, Fall 2006
JPN 1122 - Intermediate Japanese II
Description: Further practice of communication skills (speaking and listening), reading and writing skills. Supplementary practice with computer.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 5.0
Last Offered: Spring 2010, Spring 2009, Spring 2008, Spring 2007
JPN 1131 - Advanced Japanese I
Description: Advanced practice of communication skills - oral, speech and discussion skills, reading and writing skills. Supplementary practice with computer.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Fall 2009, Fall 2008, Fall 2007, Fall 2006
JPN 1132 - Advanced Japanese II
Description: Advanced practice of communication skills - oral, speech and discussion skills, reading and writing skills. Supplementary practice with computer.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Spring 2010, Spring 2009, Spring 2008, Spring 2007
JPN 2100 - Japanese Lit Eng Trans
Description: The masterpieces of Japanese literature with a component on women writers. Fulfills cultural diversity requirement. Fulfills core requirements for advanced literature. Conducted in English, writing enriched.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Spring 2008, Spring 2007, Spring 2006, Spring 2005
JPN 2102 - Japanese Film
Description: Introduction to Japanese film to those who are interested in but not necessarily exposed to Asian culture and language. Fulfills requirements for writing enriched, Diversity 3, and minor in Japanese.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Spring 2010, Spring 2009
JPN 2143 - Japanese Animation
Description: Explores how anime is a refection of Japanese society, art & culture. Introduction to rich & varied world of Japanese animated films by considering anime as medium, art, culture, & industry. Introduction to history, theory, aesthetics & cultural aspects of anime, with emphasis on 'the art of communication' with the medium. Writing enriched. Fulfills requirement for Japanese minor.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Fall 2009, Fall 2008
JPN 2144 - Japanese Culinary Culture
Description: General introduction to Japanese culinary culture, relationship to Japanese society & culture in general, & historical & cultural reasons it has developed as it has. Familiarizes students with historical & modern Japanese cuisine. Discusses historical, geographical & religious background as well as foreign influences. Writing enriched. Fulfills requirement for Japanese minor.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Spring 2010, Spring 2009
JPN 2215 - Women in Asia
Description: Current interdisciplinary feminist scholarship on Asian women dealing with current status of Asian women and the various factors that shaped it. Fulfills requirements for writing enriched, Diversity 2, Women's Studies, and minor in Japanese.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Fall 2009, Fall 2008, Fall 2006, Fall 2005
JPN 3412 - Special Topics
Description: Advanced study of topics of special interest in Japanese literary and/or cultural studies. May be repeated for credit if topic changes. Fulfills core requirements for diversity 3 and Japanese minor and concentration in East Asian Studies. Taught in English.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Fall 2008, Spring 2008, Fall 2007, Spring 2007
JPN 5900 - JPN: Independent Study
Description: Supervised study, activity or research. May be taken more than once. Prior approval of chair and instructor.
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Credit Hours: 3.0
Last Offered: Spring 2010, Fall 2008, Spring 2005
