M.A. in Japanese Literature and Culture

The M.A. program is designed to prepare students for a master's degree in Chinese literature and culture.

The M.A. program in Japanese literature and culture is designed for students with strong academic records and an interest in pursuing postgraduate research in Japanese literature, cultural history, or linguistics, but who have not yet acquired the language skills or disciplinary foundation necessary to enter a Ph.D. program. (Note: Students who wish to pursue advanced language training in preparation for postgraduate research in other fields of Japanese studies are referred to the interdisciplinary M.A. program in the Center for East Asian Studies.)

Students should always consult the most up-to-date version of the degree plan on the Stanford Bulletin as well as the EALC Graduate Handbook. Each student should meet with their faculty advisor at least once per quarter to discuss the degree requirements and their progress.

Degree Requirements for the M.A. in Japanese Literature and Culture
  1. Demonstrate proficiency in modern and classical Japanese by completing the following courses or by demonstrating an equivalent level of linguistic attainment by passing the appropriate certifying examinations.

    • Fourth-Year Japanese (take the entire sequence through to the following):
      • JAPANLNG 213 - Fourth-Year Japanese, Third Quarter (2-4 units)
    • Classical Japanese (take both of the following):
      • JAPAN 264 - Introduction to Premodern Japanese (3-5 units)
      • JAPAN 265 - Readings in Premodern Japanese (2-5 units)
  2. Proseminar sequence: Complete the following courses with a letter grade of B or higher.
    • EALC 201 - Proseminar in East Asian Humanities I: Skills and Methodologies (3 units) - required for all students
    • EALC 202 - Proseminar in East Asian Humanities II: Current Scholarship (1 unit) - required for literature students, optional for linguistics students
  3. Four advisor-approved courses in Japanese literature, culture, or linguistics from among the offerings of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, not including courses taken to fulfill the language requirement.

  4. Two upper-division or graduate-level courses in fields such as Japanese anthropology, art history, history, philosophy, political science, religious studies, or another field, as approved by the student’s advisor.

  5. A master's thesis; enroll in EALC 299 - Master's Thesis or Qualifying Paper (1-5 units).

Degree Timeline for the M.A. in Japanese Literature and Culture

First Year: Autumn Quarter

  • Attend the department orientation for graduate students. An email will be sent out closer to the date notifying grad students of the time and meeting place. At the orientation, the Director of Graduate Studies will go over the EALC Graduate Handbook, department expectations, and degree requirements for M.A. students. You may also be asked to complete the following forms, as required by the department:
    • EALC Emergency Contact Information
    • EALC Information Consent Waiver Form
  • For International Students: if you are an international student whose native language is not English, you may be required to take the English Placement Test upon arrival. Students who accept an offer of admission and who Graduate Admissions requires to take the test will find it as a To-Do list item in their Axess account. For more information, please visit the English Placement Test page on the Language Center website.
  • Students may also attend the New Graduate Student Orientation, hosted by the Graduate Life Office. Every year, the Graduate Life Office works with student volunteers to coordinate the New Graduate Student Orientation, or NGSO. In hopes to orient Stanford's new graduate students to the campus and ease their transitions here, it occurs the week prior to the start of classes. The programs are open to all incoming graduate students, both new and transfer students. For International Students: whether you arrive before orientation or during orientation, be sure to visit Stanford's Bechtel International Center (I-Center) website for full details of the Graduate International Student Orientation.

First Year: Spring Quarter

  • At the beginning of the spring quarter, all graduate students must complete the Department's Annual Review Progress Report. Department faculty will use the information to evaluate student progress, and provide students with feedback.
  • Towards the end of the spring quarter, students should at this point identify potential department faculty members who could serve as their thesis advisor(s). Once the faculty member has agreed to be their thesis advisor, students should work with the professor for the remainder of their time at Stanford to complete their thesis, while taking courses to complete the 45-unit minimum requirement and requirements specific to the M.A. in Japanese Literature and Culture.

Second Year: Autumn Quarter

  • If the M.A. student has not done so already, they should find a faculty member who will be their thesis advisor, and begin working with the thesis advisor to complete the M.A. thesis, while taking courses to complete the 45-unit minimum requirement and requirements specific to the M.A. in Japanese Literature and Culture.

Second Year: Spring Quarter

  • At the beginning of the spring quarter, all graduate students must complete the Department's Annual Review Progress Report. Department faculty will use the information to evaluate student progress, and provide students with feedback.
  • Except for unexpected circumstances, second-year M.A. students should be graduating by spring quarter. Students must:
  • Second-year students who will not be graduating in the spring, please make an appointment to talk to the Assistant Director of Student Services no later than two weeks before the Apply to Graduate deadline for spring quarter.

Note: As a general rule of thumb, students should check the Stanford Bulletin Archives to make sure that they complete requirements for the year that they were matriculated.