Japanese Program
East Asian Languages & Cultures does not permit auditing of language courses.
Major in Japanese
The Major in Japanese requires 30 hours distributed as follows:
1. Language Requirements for Major in Japanese:
Completion of two semesters of Advanced Japanese or their equivalent at a minimum.
If students take their entire language sequence at Notre Dame, this will result in 22 hours beyond the first year. Students who place out of a level at any point in their careers may be encouraged by their advisors to complete more advanced courses beyond the third year.
10000 level languages do not count toward a major, supplementary major, or minor.
Students with grades lower than B- are not well-advised to proceed to the next level.
2. Literature Requirements For the Japanese Major:
One three credit course in Japanese literature taught by a member of the Department. University Seminars do not satisfy this requirement.
3. Asian Studies Courses For the Japanese Major:
The remaining credit hours may be fulfilled by other East Asia-related courses, which are offered by faculty members in the Department, cross-listed by the Department, or are approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Supplementary Major in Japanese
The Supplementary Major in Japanese requires 24 hours distributed as follows:
1. Language Requirements for the Supplementary Major in Japanese:
Completion of third year Japanese or its equivalent at a minimum.
If students take their entire language sequence at Notre Dame, this will result in 16 hours beyond first year. Students who place out of a level at any point in their careers may be encouraged by their advisors to complete more advanced courses beyond the third year.
10000 level languages do not count toward a major, supplementary major, or minor.
Students with grades lower than B- are not well-advised to proceed to the next level.
2. Literature Requirements for the Supplementary Major in Japanese:
One three credit course in Japanese literature taught by a member of the Department. University Seminars do not satisfy this requirement.
3. Asian Studies Courses for the Supplementary Major in Japanese:
The remaining credit hours may be fulfilled by other East Asia-related courses, which are offered by faculty members in the Department, cross-listed by the Department, or are approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
The Minor In Japanese:
The Minor in Japanese requires 15 credit hours, distributed as follows.
1. Language Requirements for the Minor in Japanese:
Students must complete 15 credit hours, including at least two semesters of the language or their equivalent, beyond the first year.
10000 level languages do not count toward a major, supplementary major, or minor.
Students with grades lower than B- are not well-advised to proceed to the next level.
2. Literature Requirements for the Minor in Japanese:
One three credit course in Japanese literature taught by a member of the Department. University Seminars do not satisfy this requirement.
3. Asian Studies Courses for the Minor in Japanese:
The remaining credit hours may be fulfilled by other East Asia-related courses, which are offered by faculty members in the Department, cross-listed by the Department, or are approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
The Honors Track in Japanese:
Majors in Japanese are strongly encouraged to pursue the honors track. Those who are interested must meet the following criteria:
(1) Fulfillment of all the requirements for a first major of 30 credit hours in either Chinese or Japanese;
(2) A cumulative GPA of at least 3.6 or permission from the Department Chair.
Program Requirements: In addition to the 30 hours required for a major, the honors track requires the completion of a senior honors thesis of at least 30 pages that demonstrates the student’s originality and ability to do research in the target field. For this endeavor the student will receive 3 hours of graded credit. This means that to graduate with departmental honors, the student must earn 33 hours of credit in the major.
Based on past experience, it is our expectation that honors projects will emerge from previous course work where close interaction between faculty and students has planted the seeds for a larger project; from the student's leadership role in the cultural and intellectual life of the department; or as a follow up to experiences begun during his/her study abroad program.
