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Master of Arts Program Requirements: Japanese Studies

The Master of Arts (MA) degree in East Asian Languages and Literatures with a specialization in Japanese studies requires successful completion of a minimum of twelve graduate-level courses. These courses must be chosen in consultation with the student’s adviser.

Twelve Courses related to the fields of Japanese Studies:

  1. Six courses in the Japanese Studies sector
  2. Two courses in methodology/theory
  3. Two East Asian related courses, which may be taught outside of the East Asian Languages and Literatures
  4. The first term of Classical Japanese (JPN537) or Advanced Readings in Japanese Literature (JPN534) or Structure of the Japanese Language (JPN541)
  5. One course in Global Scholars (for non-native speakers of Japanese; native speakers of Japanese alternate this requirement with a course in the Japanese Studies Sector)

In addition to completion of the required courses, students must pass a comprehensive examination at the end of study or complete a MA thesis. The examination and degree granting process differs for terminal MA students and for students who apply for continued study in the University’s PhD program (see below).

Terminal MA Students in Japanese Studies

Those students who are not planning to go on to the PhD must successfully pass a two-part written examination based on a reading list of:

  1. Japanese literature and/or Japanese film, which should provide comprehensive coverage of major periods, writers, and genres of Japanese literature and/or film. Approximately 20 works. The student’s advisor will provide a model reading list.
  2. General theory and criticism, based on student’s specialized area, which can be outside of the Japanese studies. Approximately 10 works.
  3. A specialized area of the student’s own choosing. Approximately 10 works

The first part of the exam shall include questions pertaining to broad issues in the field of Japanese literature and/or film deriving from section one of the students’s reading list. The second part of the exam, to be administered a week later, shall cover more specialized questions deriving from sections two and three of the student’s reading list. The student shall have forty-eight hours for each part to produce the final typed, double spaced exams of approximately 10-12 pages each.

MA Students Seeking Entry to the PhD Program in Japanese Studies

If the student also decides to seek admission into the PhD program, the MA exam administered shall include the oral component:

An oral examination shall take place no later than the seventh week of the term in which request for the degree has been made. It shall consist of a 1-2 hour interview with the faculty committee, which is required to be formed by the student and the advisor before the student takes the comprehensive exam, and shall include evaluation of the following: a) the student’s skill of critical thinking, reading, listening, and writing; b) the student’s ability to formulate a pedagogical approach to topics appropriate to the student’s career goals; c) a discussion of career options and prospects. The committee shall determine whether the candidate has successfully fulfilled the requirements for the MA degree, and shall confer one of the following grades: distinction, clear pass, marginal pass, or failure. This determination is independent of the student’s candidacy to the PhD program. As in the case of terminal MA students, should the committee determine that the candidate has not been successful, it may recommend that the students be given one additional opportunity to pass the exam during the next academic term.

*Consulting the advisor, the student (either Terminal MA or seeker to the PhD program) can complete a MA thesis instead of passing a comprehensive examination at the end of study. Students who elect to write a thesis are strongly recommended to register for 9 credits of Thesis (JPN503). As in the case of students who take comprehensive examinations, consulting the faculty committee, the advisor shall determine whether the student has successfully fulfilled the requirements of the MA degree, and shall confer one of the following grades: distinction, clear pass, marginal pass, or failure. Should the advisor determine that the candidate has not been successful, the advisor may recommend that the student be given additional time to revise the thesis or to pass the exam during the next academic term.

Master of Arts Program Requirements: Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy

The Master of Arts (MA) degree in East Asian Languages and Literatures with a specialization in Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy requires successful completion of a minimum of twelve graduate-level courses in three categories: (A) Required Core Courses, (B) East Asian Linguistics Electives and (C) Open Electives, as described below.  Students are also required to either pass an MA Comprehensive Exam or successfully complete an MA Project or MA Thesis. This program is part of East Asian Linguistics and Pedagogy Program. Summary of the M.A. requirements; Student advising form.

  • Prerequisite: Students with no linguistics background are required to take one JPN 315: Introduction to Japanese Linguistics, or LING 301: Introduction to Linguistic Analysis.
  • Course work:

A. ​Required Core East Asian Linguistics Courses (4 courses)

EALL 540  Japanese and Korean Phonetics
EALL 510  Japanese and Korean Syntax
EALL 543  Chinese, Japanese and Korean Pedagogy
JPN  554  Japanese Pedagogical Grammar

B. East Asian Linguistics Electives (at least 3 courses)

EALL 542 SLA of Chinese, Japanese and Korean
EALL 586 East Asian Sociopragmatics
TBA   East Asian Conversation Analysis
TBA   Chinese, Japanese and Korean Sociophonetics
TBA   Chinese, Japanese and Korean L2 Phonetics
TBA   East Asian Languages and Society
TBA   EALL Linguistics Bibliography and Research Methods

C. Open electives (5 courses)
5 advisor approved courses in EALL linguistics, Linguistics, Literature, and Languages.
(See PDF for a list of sample courses)

  • Language Requirement:
    Students are required to complete or test out of a course in the Japanese Global Scholars Program.
  • MA Comprehensive Exam, MA Project or MA Thesis (4-9 credit hours):
    Students are required to either pass an MA Comprehensive Exam or successfully complete an MA Project or MA Thesis.