Japanese - Undergraduate Study

Japanese is taught in the School of Arts and consists of language acquisition papers in Japanese and papers on Japanese history, culture and society. The language acquisition papers are designed for learners of Japanese as a foreign or second language. The papers on Japanese history, culture and society are taught in English and are also available to non-language students.

Japanese is available as a supporting subject. Within the International Languages and Culture major a pathway in Japanese is also available. Within the BA, BBA(Fin), BCS, BECom, BMS, BSocSc and BTour a Japanese Language specialisation is available, within the BSc and BSc(Tech) a specialisation in Science International in Japanese is available, and within the BMS International Management major a specialisation in Japanese is also available. Details of the specialisation requirements can be obtained from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering or the Waikato Management School.

The point of entry into the Japanese programme depends on previous experience. The language acquisition stream for beginners is based on the core papers JAPA131 (this may be waived for students with some knowledge of Japanese) and JAPA132; JAPA231 and JAPA232; JAPA201 and JAPA202; and JAPA301 and JAPA302. The language acquisition stream for students with at least 14 credits at Level 3 in NCEA Japanese, or equivalent, is based on the core papers JAPA101 and JAPA102; JAPA201 and JAPA202; and JAPA301 and JAPA302. Students with good results at Level 2 in NCEA Japanese, or equivalent, may, at the discretion of the Convenor of Japanese, be admitted to this stream.

Note: Candidates must gain at least 60 points at 100 level in any subject(s) before enrolling in Japanese papers above 100 level, and at least 90 points at 100 and 200 level before enrolling in Japanese papers above 200 level. There will be no new intake into the Japanese major from 2011. However, papers in Japanese are offered up to advanced level as part of the new International Languages and Culture major or as part of a language specialisation as indicated above. The International Languages and Culture major is offered subject to approval by the Universities New Zealand Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP).

Undergraduate Japanese Papers (Catalogue of Papers)