Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Language and Literature
A rigorous education in Japanese language and culture.
The UMass BA in Japanese language and literature boasts rigorous language courses led by experienced instructors. By graduation, majors should be able to communicate in Japanese comfortably in a socially appropriate manner. The program also offers a variety of courses with topics ranging from literature and linguistics to history, film, religion, women’s studies, theater, diplomacy, and gay/queer studies. Through these courses, our students learn how to think and write critically, how to present and discuss Japan intelligibly to others, and how to apply what they have learned here to their jobs after they graduate.
UMass also offers a joint major with linguistics, providing students an opportunity to study Japanese while exploring its position in the linguistic world.
Many of our majors spend at least a semester in Japan during their undergraduate careers to improve their language skills and to learn how to be sensitive to the cultural differences between Asian and American cultures.
A major in Japanese can lead to exciting career prospects in teaching in the United States and Asia, international banking, travel, and a wide range of options in business and government services.
Benefits list
Broaden Your Perspective
Our students learn how to think and write critically, how to present and discuss Asia intelligibly to others, and how to apply what they have learned here to their jobs after they graduate.
In the spotlight
Andrew is the author of Buddhist Healing in Medieval China and Japan. He shares reflections on his time as a Japanese major at UMass Amherst.
East Asian Languages and Cultures
As the only program at the university that focuses solely on East Asia, we provide insight into one of the most rapidly developing areas in the world.