Digital Japanese Studies
Digital Japanese Studies (M.A.)
If you are interested not only in the transformation of Japanese society with a focus on politics and media, but also in various specific aspects of digitalization in Japan, then this is the course for you!
- Degree
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 4
- Start of degree program
- Summer semester, Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 1-50
- Subject group
- Economic Sciences, Law, Language and Cultural Studies
- Special ways to study
- Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- Qualification assessment
What is the degree program about?
This course aims for students to acquire basic knowledge of Japan’s digital transformation, qualitative and quantitative methods, and skills to conduct data analysis independently. We train students through various exercises so that they can confidently use the professional literature and digital primary and secondary sources.
The goal of this course is for students to conduct original research and make progress in the acquisition of scientific facts. To this end, we provide careful supervision by helping students appropriately narrow down their research objects and select appropriate theories and methods. In supervising the thesis, we make every effort to encourage students to contribute something new to the state of research.
Social science research on Japan has become increasingly important in German-speaking countries in recent years. Moreover, digital transformation is currently one of the most important research objects worldwide. Against this background, this course of study was established with the expectation that students will acquire a high level of competence in critically analyzing the phenomenon of digital transformation and efficiently dealing with digital sources such as social media posts and electronic newspaper articles.
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Students begin in the 2nd semester by acquiring basic knowledge about politics and media in Japan. In the 3rd semester, they deal intensively with qualitative and quantitative methods in order to be able to conduct independent data analyses later on. In the process, students are provided with various digital materials (ranging from social media posts to YouTube videos) by the instructors for practice in applying the methods. From the 4th semester, students participate in seminars on current issues related to Japan’s digitalization (telecommunication policy, labor, etc.). Careful supervision of final theses is provided through an upper-level seminar on scientific presentation.
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Very intensive supervision, a good atmosphere for discussions and presentations, and the teaching of the current state of research are central features of this course.
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Possible career paths after graduation include academia, journalism, diplomacy (e.g. at the German Foreign Office, the Japanese Embassy, or the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and the private sector (e.g. German companies in Japan, Japanese companies in Germany and Japan).
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Selected applicants can participate in the exchange program with partner universities in Japan. We recommend that students apply for a DAAD-PROMOS scholarship if they wish to participate in the exchange program at FAU.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- Qualification assessment
- Application deadline winter semester
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15.07.
- Application deadline summer semester
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15.01.
- Content-related admission requirements
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- For the Master’s degree program, a completed first university degree (e.g. Bachelor’s degree) with a subject-specific, subject-related or equivalent degree is required.
- A subject-specific degree is a one- or two-subject Bachelor’s degree in Japanese Studies. Other bachelor’s degrees are admitted as subject-related degrees, provided they include a Japan-related degree of at least 70 ECTS credits.
- Applicants with an overall grade of up to 2.50 will be admitted directly to the Master’s program. Applicants with an overall grade of 2.51 to 3.50 may be admitted after a successful selection interview.
- Detailed information on admission requirements can be found in the Subject Study and Examination Regulations M.A. Digital Japanese Studies and in the General Study and Examination Regulations for the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs of the Faculty of Humanities and Department of Theology.
- Good knowledge of Japanese must be proven; proof can be provided by a one- or two-subject bachelor’s degree in Japanese Studies or by passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at the N2 level or another Japanese language exam equivalent to this level (e.g. UNIcert II or level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference). If no German degree or German university entrance qualification is available, German language proficiency at the DSH2 level must be proven.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 or equivalent
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.