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Beginning, course of study and graduation

About the B.A. and M.A. Japanese Studies

Since the wintersemester 2001/2002 Japanese History can be chosen as an option to study within the study course of Japanese Studies which will be completed with the degree Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). This specialisation will be noted as „Japanese Studies (History, Society and Culture in the East-Asian Context)“. Based on this B.A. degree, we also offer a Master of Arts (M.A.) program for the course History of Japan. The bachelor program takes 6 semesters and focuses mainly on the aquirement of the necessary language skills, as well as basic skills for academic research. The course introduces you to all time periods of Japanese history and gives you a comprehensive outline of the historical development since the ancient times.


Are you studying Japanese Studies or are you interested in the subject? Then you will find general information about studying Japanese Studies for both prospective and current students, more detailed information about the content of the degree programmes, the start of the degree programme, the course of study and module handbooks on the following pages:

Student counselling

Via the joint mailing list of the Japanese Studies departments, we will send you information about events, jobs, job advertisements etc. that are of interest to students of Japanese Studies. You can also post yourself. Your contributions will then be reviewed and activated. You can register on the following page:

Mailing list "nihongaku"

Study programmes with a focus on the history of Japan at a glance

Registering for the oral BA examination: What do I need to do?

 

  1. Find out in which examination week (specific date) you want to be examined and what the associated registration deadline is. First read the basic information on the website of the Examination Office.
  2. Ask the Student Counselling of the Department of Japanese History to confirm on the registration form for the final module (=oral examination) that the number of points you have achieved so far is sufficient to register for the examination.
  3. Read the information in the so-called Handreichung [Handout].
  4. Prepare some topic ideas. Ideally, you should have already found up to 10 recent publications (from the last 10-15 years) on each topic to ensure that there is sufficient literature available.
  5. Arrange a consultation with the examiner of your choice: Katja.Schmidtpott@rub.de or Anke.Scherer@rub.de.
Registration of the BA thesis


Please read pages 3-5 of the Handreichungen [Handouts].

Registration and procedure for the oral and written MA examination and the MA thesis


Read the information in this handout. Please note that when you register for the oral examination, you should also register for the written examination (“written MA examination”) at the same time, but leave the date of the written examination open. This will allow you to take the written exam shortly after submitting your Master’s thesis.

Working group Nihonshi jishu zemi

Jishu zemi, which translates as "free" or "independent" seminar, is a form of seminar adapted from Japan. The seminar offers freedom for (research) interests that cannot be pursued due to the prescribed choice of compulsory courses and the limited time available in the timetable organisation of two subjects during the degree course. Since 2007, students have been researching and learning in this working group – initially under the supervision of the professors research assistants of the section, but now completely independently – on topics of their own choice with a historical connection to Japan.

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