FACULTY OF ORIENTAL STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

JAPANESE STUDIES

A handbook for Undergraduates reading Japanese

[For students starting in or after October 2011]

Academic Year 2013-14: Dates of Full Term

Michaelmas Term Sunday, 13 October - Saturday, 7 December

Hilary Term Sunday, 19 January - Saturday, 15 March

Trinity Term Sunday, 27 April - Saturday, 21 June

CONTENTS

Oriental Institute, Nissan Institute for Japanese Studies 2

Course overview 3

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ORIENTAL INSTITUTE

The Oriental Institute is situated in Pusey Lane. It is the main building for the Faculty of

Oriental Studies. Here you will find lecture rooms, a language laboratory, and a common room.

Your language classes will generally be held in the Oriental Institute. Other lectures and classes

are also given here. The Oriental Institute also houses the Oriental Institute Library. The main

teachers of Japanese are:

Dr Linda Flores

University Lecturer in Modern Japanese literature; Fellow of Pembroke College.

Professor Bjarke Frellesvig

Professor of Japanese Linguistics; Fellow of Hertford College.

Dr Jennifer Guest

University Lecturer in Classical Japanese literature; Fellow of Queen’s College.

Dr Stephen Horn

Departmental Lecturer in Japanese linguistics.

Dr James Lewis

University Lecturer in Japanese and Korean Pre-modern History; Fellow of Wolfson College.

Ms Kaori Nishizawa

Japanese language instructor

Ms Junko Hagiwara

Japanese language instructor

Mrs. Keiko Harada

Faculty Tutor in Japanese

Ms Hiroe Kaji

Japanese language instructor

NISSAN INSTITUTE FOR JAPANESE STUDIES

The Nissan Institute is situated on Winchester Road. It is part of the School of Interdisciplinary

Area Studies i the Social Science Division and houses specialists of the modern history and

social sciences (politics, economics, social anthropology) of Japan. The Nissan Institute also

has rooms for teaching, including a large lecture theatre. Some teaching for the BA in Japanese

takes place in the Nissan Institute, which also houses the Bodleian Japanese Library.

Academics contributing to the teaching for the Japanese course in the Nissan Institute are:

Professor Roger Goodman

Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Studies; Fellow of St Antony’s College

Dr Ekaterina Hertog

University Lecturer in Japanese Sociology

Professor Takehiko Kariya

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Professor of Japanese Sociology; Fellow of St Antony’s College

Dr Sho Konishi

University Lecturer in Modern Japanese history; Fellow of St Antony’s College

Professor Ian Neary

Professor of Japanese Politics; Fellow of St Antony’s College

Dr Hiroaki Matsuura

The Economy of Modern Japan

COURSE OVERVIEW

The B.A. Honours course in Japanese at Oxford aims

- to give students a thorough grounding in modern written and spoken Japanese, and in

the written classical language;

- to ensure that they have a good general knowledge of Japanese civilization, culture, history

and society; and

- to allow them to do in-depth, specialised study from a range of subjects, including both

classical and modern literature, linguistics, pre-modern and modern history, anthropology,

politics, economics, and art.

Course Content

The Oxford BA course in Japanese is a four year course, including a compulsory study period

of one year in Japan in the second year. The course is comprehensive and demanding,

revolving around intensive work on the written and spoken language through all four years,

combined with both general and specialized study of Japanese culture, civilization and society.

The language teaching takes place in classes and small groups and in language laboratories. It

includes work conducted by experienced native speakers.

The first year is dedicated to intensive work on the Japanese languages and study of the history

and culture of Japan, and East Asia in general. The classical written language is introduced in

the first year (and will be studied in more detail in the third and fourth years of the course). At

the end of the first year you will take Prelims which examines the language and history and

culture work you have done during the first year.

The second year is spent at Kobe University in Japan for continued extensive language study,

combined with study of civilization, culture and history.

In the third and fourth years the regular language work continues, including more detailed

study of the classical language. An important part of the third and fourth years is specialized

work within subject areas chosen by yourself from a wide array of available options, including

both classical and modern literature, linguistics, pre-modern and modern history,

anthropology, politics, economics, and art. In the fourth year you also write a maximum 15,000

word dissertation on a subject of your own choice under supervision. At the end of the fourth

year you will be examined in all the work you have done over the four years.

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It is possible to study an additional language (from Chinese, Korean, and Tibetan) in the third

and fourth year of the course.

The first year

Courses of study generally in Oxford are officially expressed in terms of the examinations

('papers') which test the knowledge gained from them. Through your college you will have

been given a copy of the current Examination Regulations. The first formal examination you

will take (the First Public Examination – FPE), Prelims, will be held at the end of the first year.

You must pass the First Public Examination in first year, because you will not be considered

qualified to proceed if you do not. A resit is usually possible if you do not pass; resits are held

in September. University regulations require you to pass your First Public Examination before

you can proceed to the Final Honour School and sit your final examinations.

A general outline of the content of the FPE is as follows. For details and an authoritative

description, please see

http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/10-29ad_S_R_P_E_in_Oriental_Studies.shtml and

https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/access/content/group/a55c44d3-9f21-4dec-b48c-2dc6fa4e4bee/Exa

ms/FPE_Japanese_conventions_prelims.pdf

First Public Examination in Japanese

Paper 1: Modern Japanese

This paper will test your ability to read and write Japanese, and to translate from English into

Japanese. The teaching preparing you directly for this paper will be language classes.

Paper 2: Classical and modern Japanese

This paper will test: your ability to translate from Japanese (set and unseen texts) into English;

your knowledge of Classical Japanese, both translation from set texts and grammar; and your

ability to give a grammatical analysis of modern Japanese. The teaching preparing you for this

exam will be language classes, Classical Japanese classes, and classes and a tutorial on

grammatical analysis of Japanese.

A list of the set (prepared) texts for this paper can be found at:

https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/portal/hierarchy/humdiv/orient/oriental_s/page/set_texts

Paper 3: East Asia Survey: Japan

This paper will test your knowledge of Japanese and East Asian history and culture in a wide

sense. You will write short factual identification of people and events, covering both modern

and pre-modern Japan and East Asia, and you will write three essays from a choice of topics

covering both modern and pre-modern Japan and East Asia. The teaching preparing you for

this paper will be the East Asia Survey Course lectures and tutorials.

Schedule of work

The schedule of work during the first year is largely as follows: The first year of your course is

divided into three different forms of teaching: Language classes, Lectures/classes, and

Tutorials. You will be given more detailed information about the scheduling of the teaching in

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the course of the year, but the main pattern is as follows:

Language classes

Approximately 10 hours per week.

Lectures/classes

East Asia Survey Course: on average just over 2 lectures per week.

Grammatical Analysis: one weekly class in Hilary Term.

Classical Japanese: four one-hour classes in weeks 5-8 in Hilary Term; four two-hour classes

in weeks 1-4 in Trinity Term.

Tutorials

You will have one tutorial per week during each term. The following is a tentative schedule,

subject to revision. Approximately half the tutorials will be general tutorials with your college

tutor, or the tutorial group you belong to. The other half will be specialist tutorials where you

will be set essays on topics covered in the East Asian Survey lectures, and discuss those essays

with a specialist. The timing and distribution may look something like this:

Michaelmas Term

Week 1 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 2 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 3 Historical linguistics

Week 4 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 5 Japanese pre-modern history

Week 6 Japanese pre-modern history

Week 7 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 8 Pre-modern literature

Hilary Term

Week 1 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 2 Chinese and Korean history in comparison with Japan

Week 3 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 4 Japanese pre-modern history

Week 5 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 6 Pre-modern literature

Week 7 or 8 Grammatical analysis

Week 8 Japanese modern literature

Trinity Term

Week 1 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 2 Modern Japanese history

Week 3 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 4 Modern Japanese society

Week 5 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 6 Modern Japanese economics

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Week 7 Tutorial with College Tutor

Week 8 Modern Japanese politics

Dictionaries and other reference books

The following is a list of some reference books you will need for your Japanese course in

Oxford. Your college library should have the books (if they don’t, ask them to get them), and it

is strictly speaking not necessary for you to own them; but you are strongly encouraged to buy

them. Most of them are somewhat cheaper to buy in Japan, or through internet based

booksellers such as amazon, than elsewhere.

Many of you will also buy electronic dictionaries. Please note two things: First, make sure that

your electronic dictionary has a good Japanese-Japanese dictionary (for example the Kōjien (

広辞苑) or the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (日本国語大辞典)). Second, note that an electronic

dictionary is a wonderful and handy supplement to printed dictionaries, but that it is no

substitute; for text work you will need to use real, printed, authoritative dictionaries.

1. Japanese - English dictionary

Kenkyūsha's New Japanese-English Dictionary. Kenkyūsha. 5th (or 4th) Edition.

This is the largest and most authoritative J-E dictionary available, and it will be indispensable

for your text work in the third and fourth years. Do not mistake it for the ‘collegiate’ size

dictionary of a very similar name. The 5th edition is approx. 2,500 pages and its ISBN-13 is

978-4767420264. The 4th edition is an acceptable alternative. It was published in 1974 and

there is therefore much recent vocabulary it does not have. However, it is in many ways more

attractive intellectually than the 5th edition and it works very well supplemented for example

with a more recent medium sized Japanese-English (such as the ones that electronic

dictionaries usually come with).

2. Kanji dictionary

The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary. Charles E. Tuttle Co.

Buy either this one or the ‘Classic’ edition. It is better than other kanji dictionaries into English,

especially in its organization and coverage of intellectual and historical vocabulary.

3. Classical Japanese dictionary

Shin-Meikai Kogo Jiten (新明解古語辞典). Sanseidō (三省堂).

This is a good medium sized classical Japanese dictionary. An alternative is Iwanami’s Kogo

jiten (岩波古語辞典).

4. Grammar

Samuel E. Martin. A Reference Grammar of Japanese. University of Hawaii Press.

This is a large reference grammar of Japanese, the best one published in any language.

5. Grammar of Classical Japanese

Haruo Shirane. Classical Japanese: A Grammar. Columbia University Press.

6. English - Japanese dictionary

Kenkyûsha New English - Japanese Dictionary. (6th Edition, 2002).

OR:

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Random House English - Japanese Dictionary. Random House & Shōgakkan.

These are both large good E-J dictionaries.

The second year

The second year of the course will be spent at Kobe University in Japan for continued extensive

language study, combined with study of civilization, culture and history. Details about the year

abroad will be given during the course of the first year.

The third and fourth years

From the beginning of the third year you have more scope to pursue your own interests. The

language classes remain a central part of your studies, so that you continue to build up a

working knowledge of general spoken and written Japanese. The third year is when you start

work in Oxford for what is termed Final Honour School (FHS). As before, the work of this part

of the course is expressed in terms of the examination for which you will be preparing.

The papers for FHS are as follows:

JAPANESE only JAPANESE with an additional language

FHS

1. Modern Japanese I

2. Modern Japanese II

3. Spoken Japanese (1/2 paper)

4. Classical Japanese

5. Special text option I [translation and

commentary]

6. Special subject option I [essays]

7. Dissertation

8. Special text option II [translation and

commentary]

9. Special subject option II [essays]

10. Either Special text option III or Special

subject option III

FHS

1. Modern Japanese I

2. Modern Japanese II

3. Spoken Japanese (1/2 paper)

4. Classical Japanese

5. Special text option I [translation and commentary]

6. Special subject option I [essays]

7. Dissertation

11. Chinese, Korean, or Tibetan Texts

12. Chinese, Korean, or Tibetan History and Culture

13. Chinese, Korean, or Tibetan Language

Modern Japanese

The two papers in Modern Japanese will test your ability to translate into Japanese and from

Japanese into English, as well writing in Japanese. The teaching directly preparing you for

these papers will be language classes, text classes, and text tutorials.

Spoken Japanese

The paper in spoken Japanese will be taken in Hilary term of the fourth year. It will test your

ability to understand and produce spoken Japanese. The Spoken paper counts as half a paper.

Most of the teaching directly preparing you for the paper in spoken Japanese will be language

classes.

Classical Japanese

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The paper in Classical Japanese will take the form of translation from Classical Japanese into

English. There will be classes and tutorials in Classical Japanese language in the third and

fourth year of the course.

Dissertation

As part of FHS you will write a dissertation. You should be thinking about your dissertation

topic already in the third year. You will be doing optional work that you yourself have chosen

and it may well be that you come across something in that work that particularly interests you

and could perhaps form the basis for a dissertation. You will normally do the bulk of the

writing of the dissertation during the first two terms of the fourth year. For the deadline you

should look up the General Regulations at the beginning of the Oriental Studies section of the

Examination Regulations.

Options

You must take five options (unless you choose to take an additional language, see below), as

follows: two special text options and two special subject options, and in addition either one

special text or one special subject option.

Of these five options, at least one special subject option (taken in Michaelmas Term of the third

year) must be in Classical Literature, Linguistics, or Modern Literature. There are no other

restrictions on combinations of options, and it is possible to take several options within core

subject areas such as literature and linguistics. Special text and Special subject options will be

taught over all of the third year and in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms in the final year. You will

take one option in each of those terms. More detailed information about the options and

availability of options will be given at the beginning of each academic year and will be

discussed with you by your tutor.

If you take an additional language, you will take only one special text option and one special

subject option.

Additional languages

If you choose to study an additional language (from Chinese, Korean, or Tibetan), you will take

three papers in the additional language, one in Text, one in Language, and one in History and

Culture. Teaching for additional languages start from the beginning of the third year and

continues into Hilary Term of the fourth year.

Special subject

Each special subject option will be taught over one term, with one tutorial hour per week (8

tutorials) with a specialist tutor. You will write an essay in English for each tutorial and will

discuss your essay in the tutorial. The exams will take the form of essays within the studied

subject areas.

There will be several special subject options in Classical Literature, in Modern Literature, and

in Linguistics. In addition, special subject options may be offered in politics, society and social

history, modern history, pre-modern history, intellectual history, art, and economics.

Availability of special subject options as well as their timing will be subject to availability of

teaching.

Special text

Each special text option will be taught over one term, with two tutorial hours per week (16

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tutorials) with a specialist tutor. With the tutor, you will read texts, discuss context and

background, and write short essays or commentary within the topic. The exams will take the

form of translation from and commentary on the studied texts.

There will be several special text options in Classical Literature, in Modern Literature, and in

Linguistics. In addition, special text options may be offered in politics, society and social

history, history, and economics. Availability of special text options as well as their timing will

be subject to availability of teaching.