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How to Declare

Fill out the major declaration form (you will need to be signed into your UMass account to access the form) and contact Professor Yuki Yoshimura (@email), Contact Professor Stephen Forrest (@email) or Professor Reiko Sono (@email).

Prerequisites (24 credits)

Japanese 126*: Intensive Elementary Japanese I (Fall) 6 credits

Japanese 246: Intensive Elementary Japanese II (Spring) 6 credits

Japanese 326: Intensive Intermediate Japanese I (Fall) 6 credits

Japanese 327: Intensive Intermediate Japanese II (Spring) 6 credits

*Japanese 126 can be replaced by a combination of Japanese 110 “Non Intensive Elementary Japanese I” and Japanese 120 “Non Intensive Elementary Japanese II.”

These prerequisites can be waived by placement test.


Required Courses (9 credits)

LINGUIST 201 How Language Works:  Introduction to Linguistic Theory  3 credits

LINGUIST 301 Introduction to Syntax  3 credits

LINGUIST 302 Fundamentals of Speech Sounds (formerly LINGUIST 390A)  3 credits


Linguistics Electives (9 credits)

Any LINGUIST 300+ courses


Japanese Electives (18 credits)

A. Select 3 courses from among the following (9 credits):

Japan 375: Introduction to Japanese Linguistics 3 credits

Japan 556: Introduction to Classical Japanese I 3 credits

Japan 557: Introduction to Classical Japanese II 3 credits

Japan 580: Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language 3 credits

B. Select 2 courses from among the following (6 credits):

Japanese 436: Contemporary Japanese I (Fall) 3 credits

Japanese 437: Contemporary Japanese II (Spring) 3 credits

Japanese 532: Media Japanese I (Fall) 3 credits

Japanese 536: Advanced Modern Japanese I (Fall) 3 credits

Japanese 537: Advanced Modern Japanese II (spring) 3 credits

Japanese 490STA: Problems and Methods of Translation 3 credits

Japanese 597F: Business Japanese 3 Credit

C. Select 1 course from among the following (3–4 credits):

Japanese 135: Japanese Art and Culture (Fall) 4 credits

Japanese 143: Literature: Classical and Medieval 4 credits

Japanese 144: Literature: Modern 4 credits

Japanese 145: Postwar Japanese Literature 3 credits 


Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience Requirements:

All majors must complete the Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience requirements in either department. The departmental website lists courses that satisfy the requirements. The courses need not be taken in the junior year.


Common requirements for all majors:

Students must have a minimum GPA in the major of 2.0 in order to satisfy the requirements in Linguistics and Japanese Major.


For more information, contact Professor Yuki Yoshimura.