As a Letters & Science student, you will take a variety of courses across the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities to satisfy university-wide General Education Requirements plus additional classes in formal reasoning, international awareness, and research to satisfy Letters & Science degree requirements.
There are also quality requirements (minimum GPA) and residency requirements (number of classes taken at UWM).
Degree requirements may vary depending on when you first started college either at UWM or elsewhere.
The Japanese program at UWM is available under the Committee Interdisciplinary Major umbrella. It aims to provide students with the linguistic and cultural fluency required to live and work in a Japanese environment. This involves rigorous study of the Japanese language as well as training in a wide array of topics in Japanese culture. As a testament to the efficacy of our program, many of our graduates currently live in Japan, and others live in the United States pursuing careers utilizing their Japanese skills. This page is under revision. For up to date information about major requirements, please contact the department directly or your academic advisor.
Major Requirements
The Japanese Language and Culture program requires completion of 30 credits in approved Japanese and related courses. Students in the major must complete the fifth- through eighth-semester Japanese courses as the core of the program. In addition, culture-related courses that are taught using the target language are required. Students must complete 30 credits to graduate, at least 15 of them at the advanced (300 and above) level taken in residence at UWM. The major requires a minimum of 18 credits at the 300 level or above taught in Japanese. The College requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 1 | ||
| JAPAN 301 | Fifth Semester Japanese | 4 |
| JAPAN 302 | Sixth Semester Japanese | 4 |
| JAPAN 401 | Seventh Semester Japanese | 4 |
| JAPAN 402 | Eighth Semester Japanese | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | ||
| Reading Japanese Short Stories | ||
| Seminar in Japanese Literature and Culture: | ||
| Translating Japanese Media | ||
| Business Japanese I | ||
| Research | ||
| Select one of the following courses to satisfy the research requirement of the L&S degree: | 3 | |
| Japanese Performance Traditions 2 | ||
| Seminar in Japanese Literature and Culture: 2 | ||
| Translating Japanese Media 2 | ||
| Research and Research Writing in Japanese | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 8 credits (see below) 3 | 8 | |
| Study Abroad | ||
| Study Abroad is strongly encouraged 4 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
Students whose language skills allow them to begin their study of Japanese beyond the fifth semester course must discuss with the advisor appropriate substitute courses in order to complete the required 30 credits.
- 2
Japanese majors wishing to use this course for the research requirement must notify the instructor that they will complete an independent research project.
- 3
At least one course must be taken outside the Japan curricular area.
- 4
Up to 12 credits from study abroad programs will be accepted for the major. Any language credits acquired from study abroad must not duplicate language credits acquired from classes taken at UWM.
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JAPAN 100 | Introduction to Japanese Literature | 3 |
| JAPAN 110 | Japanese Popular Culture | 3 |
| JAPAN 221 | Japanese Film: Themes and Methods | 3 |
| JAPAN 297 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| JAPAN 310 | Enhanced Knowledge & Skills for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test 1 | 3 |
| JAPAN 312 | Japanese Conversation II | 3 |
| JAPAN 331 | Reading Japanese Short Stories (if not selected above) | 3 |
| JAPAN 332 | Extensive Reading in Japanese | 1 |
| JAPAN 345 | Japanese News Media | 3 |
| JAPAN 351 | Japanese Performance Traditions | 3 |
| JAPAN 352 | Japanese Performance Traditions: Readings | 1 |
| JAPAN 355 | Seminar in Japanese Literature and Culture: | 3 |
| JAPAN 361 | Translating Japanese Media (if not selected above) | 3 |
| JAPAN 370 | Fun Kanji | 2 |
| JAPAN 397 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| JAPAN 416 | Introduction to Translation: Japanese to English | 3 |
| JAPAN 441 | Business Japanese I (if not selected above) | 3 |
| JAPAN 489 | Internship in Japanese, Upper Division | 1-6 |
| JAPAN 497 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| JAPAN 699 | Advanced Independent Study | 1-3 |
| ANTHRO 325 | Japanese Culture and Society | 3 |
| ARTHIST 383 | Japanese Art and Architecture | 3 |
| HIST 284 | Buddhism Across Asia | 3 |
- 1
No more than 3 credits of JAPAN 310 may count towards the total elective credits.