MA Japanese Studies (Dual Degree Programme)

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or part-time

Sophia University's Graduate Programme in Global Studies (GPGS) and the Department of Japan and Korea at SOAS University of London have launched a Dual Degree Program (DDP) which allows students to benefit from the combined resources of two of the world's leading institutions in Japanese Studies, located in two major global cities – Tokyo and London. Students making use of this possibility widen their intellectual horizons by taking classes at two of the world’s leading institutions in Japanese Studies. Supervision of student theses or graduation projects by prominent scholars at both institutions encourages multiple perspectives on Japanese Studies.

The Dual MA is based at Sophia University, as Japanese Master’s programmes are typically two years long, and SOAS contributes to it by offering its MA in Japanese Studies as an option for students originally enrolled at Sophia University. For SOAS students there is the opportunity to continue studying in Japan for a further year after first completing the MA in Japanese Studies at SOAS. Students proceeding to Sophia University can add any one degree within the GPGS at Sophia University, while students coming from Sophia must choose the MA Japanese Studies from SOAS.

Students will study for one year at GPGS and one year at SOAS. Only upon successful completion of both the MA Japanese Studies at SOAS and the corresponding one-year element at Sophia will students receive two MA degrees, one from each institution.

Structure

Students must fulfil all the requirements for the MA Japanese Studies at SOAS. They can choose a module as ‘major’ – which means that they are expected to write their dissertation within this field. Please note that only modules which are not labelled as ‘minor only’ can be taken as a major and that certain pre-requisites may apply. A choice of major is also at the discretion of the module convenor.

Compulsory Dissertation

• Dissertation in Japanese Studies

Core Module

• Connections and Intersections: Core Aspects of East Asian Studies

Taught Component Options

Students choose modules to the value of 105 credits from the options below.

Culture and Society of Japan

Art

• Shogunal Iconography in the Edo Period
• Popular Practice in the Edo Period Arts

Economics

Available as a major only

• Economic Development of Japan

History

• Modernity and Identity in Modern Japanese History 1868-1912
• Nation and Empire in Modern Japanese History 1868-1945
• Modern and Contemporary Japan

Language

Available as a minor only

• Japanese 1 A (PG)
• Japanese 1 B (PG)
• Japanese 2 (PG)
• Japanese 3 (PG)
• Japanese 4 (PG)
• Japanese 5 (PG)
• Japanese-English Translation (PG)
• Korean 1 A (PG)
• Korean 1 B (PG)
• Korean 2 (PG)
• Korean 3 (PG)
• Chinese 1 A (PG)
• Chinese 1 B (PG)
• Chinese 2 (PG)
• Chinese 3 (PG)

Language and Culture Studies

• Fieldwork methods in language and culture (PG)
• Identity and social relations in Japanese (PG)

Linguistics

Literature and Culture

• Modern Japanese Literature (PG)
• Japanese Traditional Drama (PG)
• Modernity and Identity in Modern Japanese History 1868-1912
• Nation and Empire in Modern Japanese History 1868-1945
• Reading Pre-modern Japanese Texts 1 (PG)
• Self, City and Sexuality in Modern Japanese Literature 1868 to present-day (PG)
• Writing from the Margins: Minority Voices in Modern Japanese Literature, 1945 to the Present (PG)
• Censoring Japan: A Socio-Cultural History of Japanese Television

The modules below can be taken individually as a minor, however, should a student wish to take one of them as a major, both half modules have to be taken.

• Gender and Society in Contemporary Japan (PG)
• Nation and Identity in Contemporary Japan (PG)

Management

• Management in Japan I
• Management in Japan II

Media

• Japanese Transnational Cinema: From Kurosawa to Asia Extreme and Studio Ghibli
• Japanese Post-War Film Genres and the Avant-Garde
• Censoring Japan: A Socio-Cultural History of Japanese Television

Music

Available as a minor only

• Musical Traditions of East Asia (Masters)

Politics

• International politics of East Asia
• Northeast Asian politics: Japan, Korea and Taiwan
• Japan Unravelled

Religion

• Religious Practice in Japan: Texts, Rituals and Believers

Available as a minor only

• East Asian Buddhist Thought

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.