22 courses with the subject JAPA, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
JAPA 105Elementary Japanese1.5
An introduction to modern Japanese. Students develop communicative skills based on the fundamentals of grammar, vocabulary and conversational expressions. Emphasis is placed on both oral and written proficiency. The course introduces hiragana and katakana syllabaries as well as approximately 150 kanji (Chinese characters). Yuko Matsubara. Open to all students. Yearlong course 105- JAPA 106 . Five 50-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
An introduction to modern Japanese. Students develop communicative skills based on the fundamentals of grammar, vocabulary and conversational expressions. Emphasis is placed on both oral and written proficiency. The course introduces hiragana and katakana syllabaries as well as approximately 150 kanji (Chinese characters). Chizu Kennedy. Open to all students. Yearlong course JAPA 105 -106. Five 50-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
JAPA 125Tradition & Creativity in Japanese Culture1
(Same as ASIA 125 ) This First-Year Writing Seminar offers an opportunity to engage critically and creatively with East Asian classics. Students journey through the history of Japan by exploring texts from the eighth to the nineteenth century, covering genres as varied as poetry, novels, diaries, warrior tales, drama, and film. We examine how these works have transcended national boundaries and media formats, continuing to shape cultural imagination today. Special attention is given to the techniques of rewriting, remediation, and reenactment—staples of Japan’s artistic traditions. Alongside lectures and class discussions, students will cultivate their voices as critics and creators through close readings, collaborative glossing and annotation exercises, creative projects, academic essays, and a group presentation, recasting the Japanese past as a source of invention and self-reflection. Pier Carlo Tommasi. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
This course puts equal emphasis on the further development of oral-aural proficiency and reading-writing skills with an intense review of basic grammar as well as an introduction of more advanced grammar, new vocabulary, expressions, and another 350 kanji (Chinese characters). Chizu Kennedy.
JAPA 105 - JAPA 106 or permission of the instructor. Yearlong course 205- JAPA 206 . Five 50-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Fall
JAPA 206Intermediate Japanese1.5
This course puts equal emphasis on the further development of oral-aural proficiency and reading-writing skills with an intense review of basic grammar as well as an introduction of more advanced grammar, new vocabulary, expressions, and another 350 kanji (Chinese characters). Yuko Matsubara.
JAPA 105 - JAPA 106 or permission of the instructor. Yearlong course JAPA 205 -206. Five 50-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Spring
JAPA 223The Gothic and the Supernatural in Japanese Literature1
(Same as ASIA 223 and GNCS 223 ) This course introduces students to Japanese supernatural stories. We interpret the hidden psyche of the Japanese people and culture that create such bizarre tales. We see not only to what extent the supernatural creatures - demons, vampires, and mountain witches - in these stories represent the “hysteria” of Japanese commoners resulting from social and cultural oppression, but also to what extent these supernatural motifs have been adopted and modified by writers of various literary periods. This course consists of four parts; female ghosts, master authors of ghost stories, Gothic fantasy and dark urban psyche. Hiromi Dollase.
One course in language, literature, culture or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
JAPA 224Japanese Popular Culture and Literature1
(Same as ASIA 224 and MEDS 224 ) This course examines Japanese popular culture as seen through popular fiction. Works by writers such as Murakami Haruki, Yoshimoto Banana, and Murakami Ryu, etc. who emerged in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, are discussed. Literary works are compared with various popular media such as film, music, manga, and animation to explore how popular youth culture is constructed and reflects young people’s views on social conditions. This course emphasizes discussion, and theoretical readings are assigned. Hiromi Dollase.
One course in Japanese language, literature, culture, Asian Studies or Media Studies, or permission of the instructor. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
JAPA 290Community-Engaged Learning
0.5 or 1 unit(s) One-half or one unit individual or group field projects or internships. May be elected during the academic year or during the summer. Offered only pass/fail and permission of the chair is required. Open to all students. The Department.
0.5 to 1 unit(s) One-half or one unit individual or group research project or reading course. May be elected during the academic year. Offered only pass/fail and permission of the chair is required. Open to all students. The Department.
A 1-unit thesis written over two semesters. The Department. Open only to majors. Permission required. Yearlong course 300- JAPA 301 . Course Format: INT
A 1-unit thesis written over two semesters. The Department. Open only to majors. Permission required. Yearlong course JAPA 300 -301. Course Format: INT
The Japanese senior project is an opportunity to do independent research on a topic of choice in the major discipline. It is part of the honor’s requirement. The senior project can take several forms. The most common is a translation of an original text in Japanese, such as a short story, a play, or pieces of poetry. Other possibilities include translation of a video recording of a performance of an original play written in Japanese, developing original computer software for language learning, etc. Students should consult with their advisor regarding the possibilities. Students are expected to schedule regular meetings with their project advisor and are responsible for meeting deadlines. The Department.
Permission required Open only to majors. One-unit project done in one semester. Permission required. Course Format: INT
Offered
Fall or Spring
JAPA 303Senior Project0.5
The Japanese senior project is an opportunity to do independent research on a topic of choice in the major discipline. It is part of the honor’s requirement. The senior project can take several forms. The most common is a translation of an original text in Japanese, such as a short story, a play, or pieces of poetry. Other possibilities include translation of a video recording of a performance of an original play written in Japanese, developing original computer software for language learning, etc. Students should consult with their advisor regarding the possibilities. Students are expected to schedule regular meetings with their project advisor and are responsible for meeting deadlines. The Department.
Permission required Open only to majors. One-unit project done in two semesters. Permission required. Yearlong course 303- JAPA 304 . Course Format: INT
Offered
Fall
JAPA 304Senior Project0.5
The Japanese senior project is an opportunity to do independent research on a topic of choice in the major discipline. It is part of the honor’s requirement. The senior project can take several forms. The most common is a translation of an original text in Japanese, such as a short story, a play, or pieces of poetry. Other possibilities include translation of a video recording of a performance of an original play written in Japanese, developing original computer software for language learning, etc. Students should consult with their advisor regarding the possibilities. Students are expected to schedule regular meetings with their project advisor and are responsible for meeting deadlines. The Department.
Permission required Open only to majors. One-unit project done in two semesters. Permission required. Yearlong course JAPA 303 -304. Course Format: INT
Offered
Spring
JAPA 305Advanced Japanese1
This course is designed to develop each student’s ability to read contemporary Japanese text from newspapers, magazines, and literary works, with a solid grammatical foundation and mastery of kanji, as well as gaining proficiency in writing at an advanced level. Continued training in aural-oral proficiency in spoken Japanese through exercises, classroom interactions and audio-visual materials. Pier Carlo Tommasi.
JAPA 205 - JAPA 206 or permission of the instructor. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Fall
JAPA 306Advanced Japanese1
This course is designed to develop each student’s ability to read contemporary Japanese text from newspapers, magazines, and literary works, with a solid grammatical foundation and mastery of kanji, as well as gaining proficiency in writing at an advanced level. Continued training in aural-oral proficiency in spoken Japanese through exercises, classroom interactions and audio-visual materials. Yuko Matsubara.
JAPA 205 - JAPA 206 , and JAPA 305 or permission of the instructor. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Spring
JAPA 335Life-Writing & Autofiction in Japan: From Classical Diary to Contemporary Novel1
(Same as ASIA 335 ) What does it mean to engage in life-writing, and how do various literary forms convey personal experiences across time and culture? This seminar explores the art of autobiographical inscription in Japan, from ancient diaries to contemporary autofiction, tracing how individual narratives are shaped by historical, geographical, social, and literary contexts. Through close readings, we examine recurring themes such as fictionality, truth-telling, and the ethical dilemmas inherent in any story of self. These explorations allow us to reconsider the boundaries of “autobiography” within and beyond Eurocentric paradigms and delve into how authors—past and present—wrestle with the possibilities and contradictions of life-writing. In doing so, students are guided to think critically and self-reflexively about their own perspectives, experiences, and creative engagements. (Note that there are no language prerequisites, as all readings are either in English or available in translation. This course welcomes students from diverse majors, backgrounds, and interests, fostering an inclusive and interdisciplinary dialogue.) Pier Carlo Tommasi.
One course in Japanese language, East Asian literature and culture, Asian Studies, or Medieval and Renaissance Studies, or permission of the instructor. One 2-hour period. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
JAPA 350Advanced Readings in Japanese: Genres and Themes1
This course is equivalent to a fourth-year Japanese course or beyond, and may be repeated for credit if topic changes. The aim of this course is to further develop the advanced students’ speaking, reading, and writing proficiency. The course explores different genres of texts ranging from contemporary Japanese media sources to literature. Readings are arranged according to thematic topics. Discussions and lectures are conducted entirely in Japanese. Chizu Kennedy.
JAPA 306 or permission of the instructor. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Fall
JAPA 351Advanced Readings of Original Literary Works1
This course is equivalent to a fourth-year Japanese course or beyond, and may be repeated for credit if topic changes. This course involves close reading of a single literary work of an extensive length, shorter texts of a single author, or texts which have a common thematic interest. Through close reading and classroom discussion of the material, students are trained to approach authentic texts with linguistic confidence and useful methods. Discussions and lectures are conducted entirely in Japanese. Hiromi Dollase.
JAPA 306 or permission of the instructor. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Spring
JAPA 361Youth in Japanese Literature1
(Same as ASIA 361 ) This course explores the topic of youth and adolescence in Japan. It examines how Japanese modern history, society and culture are presented differently in literary works when the perspective of youth is employed. Key topics of family, sexuality, modernization and civilization emerge to the surface. Issues that young people face are different in each period of time. However, the young commonly try to deal with the idea of “development” into mature adulthood or socially expected manhood and womanhood. Young people’s ideals, disillusionment, frustrations, and struggles are examined through selected literary and cinematic works. Readings include works by Natsume Soseki, Higuchi Ichiyo, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, Yasuoka Shotaro, and Murakami Haruki. We also expand our horizon to film, music and anime, as well. Hiromi Dollase.
One 200-level course in language, literature, culture or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor. One 2-hour period.
Offered
Spring
JAPA 375The Archive Project: Uncovering Japanese Books and Prints at the Loeb1
(Same as ASIA 375 ) This Intensive Course offers a rare opportunity for students to engage with Japanese artifacts from the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center and produce original public-facing scholarship (in the form of catalog information) to enrich the museum’s database. By the end of the semester, students are prepared for wider explorations in the field of Japanese Studies and beyond. They also gain a deeper appreciation of current curatorial practices, as the course spotlights the vital work of curators, librarians, dealers, and other non-professorial experts, fostering an awareness of the broader community involved in the study and preservation of these antiquarian materials. Pier Carlo Tommasi.
JAPA 306 or the equivalent. Individual conferences with the instructor. Course Format: INT
Offered
Fall
JAPA 399Senior Independent Work
0.5 to 1 unit(s) One-half or one- unit of credit given only in exceptional cases and by permission of the chair. Offered only pass/fail. The department.
