College of East Asian Studies

Japanese classes meet five times a week plus weekly TA sessions for 1st year, four times a week for 2nd, three times for 3rd, and two times a week (for 80 minutes) for 4th year.  Attendance and active participation in every class are mandatory for all levels.  for 3rd and 4th year, weekly on-on-one meetings with an assigned native speaker for conversation practice are also required.

The Japanese language sequence starts in the fall with JAPN103, which is not offered in the spring.  So if you do not take JAPN103 in the fall, you will have to wait until the following year to start Japanese.

For those who have studied Japanese before (such as in high school) and have some basic knowledge it may be possible to start in the spring upon passing the placement exam.

The placement test consists of two parts:  an online written test and an oral interview.  If you are currently a Wesleyan student, the placement test is available in your Wesleyan Portal.  If you are currently a prospective student and would like to know more about the placement test, please contact professor Naho Maruta (nmaruta@Wesleyan.edu).

Students interested in becoming a Japanese major (or minor, if they choose) can declare within the College of East Asian Studies (CEAS). CEAS majors are expected to reach a minimum of advanced-level (completed third year) competency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. You can find more information about CEAS major/minor on the CEAS website. Students may also be interested in and complete the International Relations Minor. The foreign language requirement for this certificate is met by coursework through the intermediate college level in any foreign language or demonstration of proficiency gained elsewhere (four semesters or the equivalent).

Yes. Students who major in CEAS are strongly encouraged to study abroad in one of the East Asian countries including Japan, and many other students also do regardless of their major. We have a variety of pre-approved programs in Japan including the Associated Kyoto Program (AKP) of which Wesleyan is one of the consortium institutions. Please visit Fries Center for Global Studies website for more information about study abroad.

Not at all! Study abroad is absolutely a great way to broaden your perspective and strengthen your intercultural competency, and all students are strongly encouraged to study abroad regardless of their major. Fries Center for Global Studies staff and Professor Naho Maruta (nmaruta@wesleyan.edu) will be happy to assist you planning your study abroad in Japan.

Yes! We offer a variety of Japan-related events on campus such as Weekly Japanese Language Table and Japanese Language Lunch. Japanese Language Table is run by our Foreign Language Teaching Assistant and is held every Thursday from noon to 1pm. Japanese Language Lunch is held once to twice per semester and attendees will have a chance to listen to a talk by selected guest speaker in Japanese while enjoying lunch. Most of our events including language table and language lunch are open to the public and anyone who is interested in Japanese language and/or culture are welcome. However, there are also some events limited to Japanese language students and native speakers of Japanese such as Japanese Program’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival (Ohanami). Please check each event’s poster on campus.