The Field

Japanese is the language of more than one hundred million people who are heirs to an exceptionally rich tradition in literature and the arts. It is the language of one of the world’s greatest economic powers and of much important innovation in such fields as engineering, chemistry, linguistics, management, and marketing. It is the language of one of the most important trading partners of the United States, and of a literary tradition in which many of the most important works were written by women.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is the only public institution of higher education in New England to offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in Japanese Language and Literature and Japanese Language and Linguistics, as well as the minor in Japanese, all in a program that also offers degrees in Chinese and a certificate in Korean. The Japanese major offer students a sound command of the language as well as a solid background in literature, linguistics, culture, and civilization. The minor in Japanese offers a combination of skills which can greatly enrich the undergraduate educational experience and extend postgraduate possibilities. The Japanese program supports study abroad programs at several locations around Japan aimed at increasing students’ fluency in Japanese and deepening their understanding of Japanese culture.