Students majoring in Japanese studies should acquire an accurate and up-to-date understanding of Japan with a special emphasis on Australia-Japan relations. Such an understanding is seen as integral to utilising the language in a practical way; it is also seen as being fundamental to any appreciation of the larger global changes which are increasingly defining Australia's choices in the world around it. In other words, Japan and Australia cannot be understood without reference to the world and to the other country's internationalisation. While in the past it was almost impossible to gain a sophisticated knowledge of Japan without a high level of fluency in the language, today there is a substantial English-language literature on Japan. The department thus seeks to offer a wide range of subjects in English which are suited both for students studying the Japenese language and for students who are simply interested in Japan from the perspective of another discipline. The latter option gives students the opportunity to assess the Japanese experience and to place it in the wider context of the changing world.
Students majoring in Japanese studies obtain more than just a factual knowledge of Japan. To understand Japan in terms of the global trends which are increasingly shaping Japan and Australia, students will have:
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