Japanese

Curriculum

As a Japanese major, you will study the speaking, listening, and writing skills of the language, as well as gain a comprehensive understanding of Japanese culture and literature. You will also explore careers and professions available to students pursing a Japanese degree, and will spend a period of time living and learning in Japan, experiencing the culture first hand.

The Japanese major at the University of Mount Union focuses on several different aspects of Japanese culture. Japanese majors will gain speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills of the Japanese language. The living patterns, social structure, and value systems of Japanese culture will be discussed along with Japanese literature. Students will be able to understand the cultures and civilizations of Japanese speaking people along with an understanding of the careers and professions available to Japanese majors. Lastly, students will spend a period of time living and learning in Japan, experiencing the culture first hand. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

• Students will demonstrate the level of proficiency necessary to enable them to function in an environment where Japanese is used exclusively. Students will demonstrate speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Japanese at the ACTFL Intermediate-High Level. Additionally, Japanese majors will demonstrate the ability to read written passages and write compositions using Kanji Characters.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the cultures and civilizations of the principal groups of people who speak Japanese, from a variety of perspectives, including the historical, geographical, sociopolitical, literary, and artistic.
• Students will demonstrate an awareness of the relevance of foreign languages to professions and careers.

Experiential Learning

Students who choose to major in Japanese at the University of Mount Union have ample opportunities to get “real-world” experience outside of the classroom. By getting involved in extracurricular opportunities and student organizations, you can strengthen your proficiency in Japanese language and culture, both of which are critical to a successful career that utilizes your Japanese degree.

One of the ways Mount Union students get involved with Japanese culture is through the International Dinner. At the 2017 dinner, Japanese majors and international students came together for a performance of a modern version of "Soran bushi" (fishing song).

Other opportunities include:

• Study abroad experience
• International internship opportunities
• Teaching opportunities within local schools
• Research opportunities with faculty
• Faculty-led trips

Careers

Japanese is spoken by more than 115 million people worldwide. In our global society, the investment by Japanese companies in the United States continues to grow, and global demand for speakers of Japanese is increasing. In Ohio alone, more than 200 Japanese companies operate branch offices. Whether your interests lie in business, education, technology, or translation, our Japanese degree program will prepare you for career success.

Not only will our Japanese major prepare you to speak, write, read, and listen to the language, but you also will be versed in the culture, daily living patterns, social structure, and value system of Japan. Whether entering the workforce or pursuing graduate studies, a major in Japanese at the University of Mount Union can certainly give you an edge in numerous career fields.