Japanese Studies

This Master's programme, run by the University of Geneva, is the only cross-disciplinary programme of its kind in French-speaking Switzerland. The course, which is taught in French and Japanese, aims to deepen students' knowledge of the Japanese language, its history - including Kanbun and classical Japanese - and its contemporary use, through press articles, translations and oral and written practice. Applicants must have a Bachelor's in Japanese studies or an equivalent degree with at least 60 credits in Japanese studies, in the Japanese language, its history (kanbun, classical Japanese, history of the language) and contemporary uses (reading the press, translation, oral and written expression). Students also get the opportunity to study a number of subjects in more detail, such as the history, contemporary society, linguistics and cultural production (cinema, literature, history of art, etc.), which cover other countries in the East Asia region as well.

In addition to improving their Japanese language skills (the target level is JLPT1 certification), students get to learn research methods and must write a thesis using primary sources in Japanese.

The programme is taught by around a dozen teachers who specialise in complementary fields ranging from didactics and Japanese sociolinguistics to history, anthropology, the history of religion, film studies and gender studies. Students also have access to one of the largest and most comprehensive libraries in French-speaking Switzerland, with reviews, databases and around 15,000 books all in a variety of languages - including Japanese, French and English - and in a range of fields.

The Japanese Studies Unit also offers all Master's students the chance to spend time studying in Japan at one of the University of Geneva's 12 partner universities.

www.unige.ch/lettres/japonais