Japanese Studies (Taught)

Our Graduate Diploma in Japanese Studies is ideal if you have a passion for learning Japanese and exploring the culture of Japan but have a basic understanding of Japan already and have achieved beginners’ proficiency in the language. It gives you the chance to consolidate and expand your knowledge further.

Why choose this course?

• You will be taught by specialists in contemporary Japanese culture and veteran native Japanese teachers with many years of language teaching experience.

• It offers you a multidisciplinary approach to studying Japanese language and culture covering a range of skills and topics, including manga and anime, film, literature, history, linguistics, translation, visual arts and gender studies.

• This course is also ideal if you have substantial experience of Japan but are not qualified to undergraduate degree level in this subject.

What you will learn

You will take a language module to help boost your Japanese skills to intermediate-level proficiency. You will also take content modules that give you in-depth understanding of Japanese culture, society and linguistics.

Cross-cultural modules then give you the opportunity to learn from a team of specialists in different cultures and analyse comparative themes across a variety of linguistic, cultural and historical contexts.

You will also master transferable skills such as essay writing, oral presentations, video essays, written reports, critical and logical thinking, and translating.

How you will learn

Teaching is in small-group seminars. You will be taught in an interactive classroom setting by our team of native Japanese teachers.

This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has a mainly evening timetable with some Japanese classes taking place on Saturday during the daytime.

Highlights

• Our Japanese Studies team achieved first place in London for Teaching Satisfaction in the 2024 National Student Survey.

• Birkbeck is surrounded by cultural institutes, theatres, museums and galleries relevant to the study of Japanese language and culture, such as the Japan Society, Daiwa Foundation, Japan House London, Japan Foundation, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and British Film Institute.

• All teaching takes place in our central London location in Bloomsbury, a stone’s throw from research libraries. Our own library has thousands of books and resources on Japan and we are close to the SOAS library and British Library which also have an impressive collection of Japanese books, to which Birkbeck students can apply for free access.

• Our students come from diverse backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, learning abilities, nationalities and identities helping enrich your learning experience.

Careers and employability

On this course you will have the chance to participate in our industry programme which offers invaluable work experience at cultural or Japan-related organisations.

On graduating successfully you will have gained an array of transferable skills, including:

• the ability to analyse and engage critically with cultural topics or products such as literature, film, manga and anime and other cultural artefacts

• experience in producing various forms of work such as journalistic reviews, video essays and translations

• an increased confidence when presenting and debating complex issues in a succinct and convincing manner both in writing and orally

• the ability to work independently and effectively manage your time and diverse deadlines.

Studying this course will prepare you for roles in a range of fields and professions, including:

• language teacher in Japan

• editor or a role in publishing

• translator

• events manager for Japanese organisations

• marketing manager

• journalist

• social researcher

• digital content creator

• positions in hospitality, gaming, telecommunications and other industries.