Facts & figures
Modern Languages
- #1 in Sydney
- #26 in the world
- 2019 QS World University Rankings
Faculties and schools_
Department of Japanese Studies
Where tradition and modernity coalesce
Founded in 1917, our department is one of the oldest Asian language and culture centres in Australia.
We conduct teaching and research in Japanese modern and pre-modern history, language, society and literature. Our students acquire a combination of language proficiency and an in-depth understanding of cultural difference, enabling professional opportunities in a number of areas ranging from international business to government and non-government organisations.
The University’s East Asian Collection includes over 120,000 titles consisting of primary and secondary sources from China, Japan and Korea. The library also boasts a rich collection of books on Japanese art and art history.
Our study offering
One of the oldest subject areas of its kind in the English-speaking world, Japanese Studies offers consideration of a rich history and culture, as well as a rewarding language experience. Undertake an in-country exchange with our large network of partner universities in Japan and prepare for employment in education, government, media, international relations and the private sector.
Undergraduate
- Japanese studies major*
- Japanese studies minor*
- Japanese studies (Honours)
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Dalyell Scholars including Languages)
- Diploma of Language Studies
*Available to all students studying the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Visual Arts, as well as all combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees.
Research
Our research
Our strengths in research cover the following areas:
- the interconnections of modern Japanese social, cultural, and political history
- Japanese pre-modern intellectual history and political philosophy
- pop and media culture and the literature-anime nexus
- modern Japanese poetry, comparative literature, and Australian literature
- modern and contemporary Japanese fiction and literary theory
- Japanese cinema and mass culture
- Japanese and East Asian media, the government, media industry, and audience nexus
- Japanese sociolinguistics and linguistics
- Japanese language and pedagogy
- Chinese communities in Australia and Japan
- pre-modern Japanese urban history
- early temple and residential architecture
- spatial theory: spatial-structural history
- Japan-Korea relations, historical and contemporary
- postcolonial studies and cross-cultural representations.
Exchange
Our advanced exchange programs provide life-changing experiences in Japan where students exercise their language skills and develop an understanding of cultural intricacies first hand.
- University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki-Ken
- Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto
- Nagoya University, Nagoya
- Rikkyo University, Tokyo
- Hosei University, Tokyo
Learn more: Study abroad and student exchange
Our people
- Dr Olivier Ansart
- Dr Lionel Babicz
- Dr Nerida Jarkey
- Dr Mats Karlsson
- Dr Chun-Fen Shao
- Dr Masaki Shibata
- Dr Matthew Stavros (on leave until 2021)
- Associate Professor Rebecca Suter
- Dr Seiko Yasumoto
- Dr Tamaki Mihic
- Undergraduate Coordinators: Dr Nerida Jarkey
- Honours Coordinator: Dr Tamaki Mihic
- Postgraduate Research Coordinator: Dr Nerida Jarkey
- Exchange Coordinator: Dr Olivier Ansart
- Emeritus Professor Hugh Clarke
- Dr Yasuko Claremont
- Ian McArthur
- Roman Rosenbaum
- Masafumi Monden
Events
Visit the School's Events calendar to see our full listing of upcoming events.
Department Chair
Associate Professor Rebecca Suter
View Associate Professor Rebecca Suter's academic profile
School of Languages and Cultures
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