This program consists of two parts: the language courses and the social and cultural studies content modules.

(Info about Japanese courses)
Our language education program spans five semesters and teaches beginner and intermediate level learning materials. Especially in the first two semesters, the proportion of language courses in the Japanese Studies program is quite large, with a total of 8 SWS – “Grammar” (4 SWS), “Reading and Writing” (2 SWS), and “Language Activation” (2 SWS).

Through the Japanese courses, students should not only learn to communicate orally and in writing in everyday life, but also acquire the competence to independently comprehend complex facts, e.g. in a newspaper article, using various aids. Our goal is to provide well-founded, broad-based and expandable language skills.

(Info on content modules)
This course teaches the fundamentals of Japanese studies in the first year of study through history classes, a propaedeutic course, and a methods seminar. Beginning in the second year, students are taught the skills necessary to engage with the research literature, analyze a variety of sources (primary and secondary), and present their findings orally and in writing.

Our content modules focus on the following: social change with a focus on the use of social media (e.g., by radical right-wing activists or the post-Fukushima social movements with left-leaning approaches), energy policy, demographic change, gender roles (equality and misogyny), and ethnic minorities in Japan (e.g., the Korean minority). In addition, we provide students with basic knowledge of the media system, political institutions, and the labor market in Japan.

Patience in learning a new language, the ability to handle data accurately, and an interest in current social issues, journalism, and politics are desired. Students with an interest in anime and Japanese subcultures are taught the basics of Japanese history and society in our program, which often enables a deeper understanding of the background of Japanese popular culture. Equipped with this knowledge, students can then write academic papers, for example on the analysis of anime.

Very good Japanese language courses with the goal of independent research using Japanese sources, careful support during the semester abroad, teaching the skills of critical observation of society, knowledge transfer of methods and current research, and careful supervision of theses.

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).

We strongly recommend that students take a year in Japan between their fourth and fifth semesters. FAU’s Department of Japanese Studies maintains partnerships with numerous institutions in Japan (as of 2023: twelve locations) and can send its students there within the framework of these cooperation agreements, who thus benefit from special conditions – waiver of tuition fees, arrangement of dormitory accommodations, scholarships, etc. The secondment for two semesters takes place annually in the fall; for the preceding selection procedure, students of Japanese Studies in particular can apply as the first subject.