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Japanese is the official language of the world's third strongest economy and is spoken by more than 122 million people. The Japanese major at Ohio State is offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (DEALL), which is one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States.
Through innovative teaching approaches, Japanese majors acquire a strong and well-rounded foundation in Japanese language, culture, literature and linguistics, including Classical Japanese. Students become conversant in many facets of Japanese humanities both past and present. Besides language, strengths include early, medieval and modern Japanese literature and culture, Japanese linguistics and popular culture.
In addition, the Japanese program has a robust set of exchange programs with top-ranked universities in Japan.
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The Japanese program is one of the top-ranked language pedagogy programs in the nation. Alumni of the undergraduate Japanese program serve in a wide range of industry, including marketing, banking, manufacturing, trade, entertainment, and game. Many go on to graduate programs to pursue such areas of study as history, business, anthropology, literature, linguistics and language pedagogy. A number of alumni also pursue careers in federal agencies.
The Japanese major is offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and includes courses in the language, culture, literature and linguistics of Japan. Students studying Japanese progress from an elementary working knowledge of the language to oral and written fluency. Once students are familiar with basic patterns of pronunciation and language structure, they are introduced gradually to the writing system and written Japanese. The rich body of Japanese literature is first studied in English translation; sustained study prepares students to read a variety of written genres in the original language.
Japanese is applicable in a variety of settings in the United States and abroad. Mastery of Japanese allows students to consider careers in such fields as education, government, international trade, banking, print or electronic media, tourism, or art. Many employers are eager to hire graduates who are fluent in Japanese because their businesses involve Japanese speakers. Careers in which Japanese is the primary emphasis include teaching Japanese at all levels; interpreting and translating for the United Nations, government, or for private and public organizations; and a variety of positions in the travel and tourism industry at home or abroad such as flight attendant, travel agent, and tour guide.