Japanese Studies (BA)

DePaul University

The Japanese Studies (JPS) program at DePaul engages students in Japanese language and culture to cultivate cultural, historical, linguistic, and ethical values while developing the skills to lead in business, arts, diplomacy, education, and digital media.Japan is America’s most important Asian ally, the 3rd strongest economy in the world, the second largest investor in the United States in business, and a global soft-power leader in digital media and popular consumer goods. At DePaul, students explore Japanese language and culture through an interdisciplinary approach. Our faculty offer classes in literature, history, religion, art history, ethics, political science, business, anime, and film studies. Students learn transferable, marketable skills in the areas of advanced language study and translation, and hone their critical thinking and writing skills by studying Japanese culture and society with experts in the fields of Japanese ethical and environmental studies, gender studies, and visual and material culture. JPS encourages opportunities outside the classroom to strengthen linguistic and cultural competency through quarter-long or full-year exchange programs to Osaka (Kansai Gaidai) and Kyoto (Ritsumeikan). Special DePaul faculty-led short-term programs are offered every year, such as Peace Studies in Hiroshima-Nagasaki, Diaspora and Politics in Okinawa, and Digital Media in Tokyo-Kyoto.

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences