Bachelor of Arts in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Japan)
Considering the fact that as much as 50% of the world population speaks one of the languages taught here, it is fair to say that the Oriental Languages & Cultures programme offers a number of so-called key languages. All of them historically “rich”, these languages all have a major influence on the thoughts and behaviour of a significant part of the world’s population.
What
Oriental Languages and Cultures is a discipline that attracts many young people, who are then often asked to justify their ‘exotic’ choice. Their choice is not one of otherworldliness, quite on the contrary: as much as 50% of the world population speaks one of the oriental languages taught at Ghent University. The languages on offer are not an arbitrary mix: each one of them is what we call ‘key languages’, i.e. languages in important religious, scientific and literary texts were and are written. Up until this day, these texts still influence the thoughts and behaviour of a significant part of the world’s population. A student of Oriental Languages and Cultures, therefore, is not an eccentric, but rather someone who understands the importance of these languages to 21st-century Europe. A student of Oriental Languages and Cultures, in other words, is firmly anchored in the world. You will study an oriental language, its region, its history, its social and political structures, its religious and philosophical movements and its literature. By teaching you how to research these languages and cultures academically, the study programme hands you all the tools for an open dialogue with the world.
For whom
Are you open to other cultures and interested to know everything there is to know about India, China, Japan or the Arab countries? Are you curious about other religions and ways of thinking, and are you keen to expand your horizons? Do you want to explore the Asian business world? If the answer to these questions is a resounding ‘yes’, our study programme will feel like at once like a homecoming, and an excellent vantage point from which to start your exploration of the world in all its diversity.
An understanding of our contemporary world begins with learning to understand, respect and value people from other cultures. The Oriental Languages and Cultures programme aims to train students to become liaisons between the Orient and the West.
Although no special prior knowledge is required, we do expect prospective students to have a special talent for languages. After all, the languages studied differ greatly from any Western European language in terms of structure and vocabulary. In addition, a solid knowledge of modern western languages is welcome. It goes without saying that you have a strong interest in history and society, and that you immerse yourself in the world of other cultures with great enthusiasm.
Structure
Bachelor
- In your first year of the Bachelor's programme, you will primarily take a number of general education courses that introduce you to the basic concepts and insights of philosophy and world history, among others. The language courses specific to your chosen specialization form the core of your studies. In the cultural courses, you will take two historical subjects related to the languages you have chosen.
- From your second year onwards, you will further focus on the languages of your choice. Depending on those languages, you will select cultural courses (e.g., Eastern worldviews and religions) and political courses (such as the History and Culture of the Modern and Contemporary Middle East). You will also take an elective set, a coherent group of courses from one or more other disciplines. This may include the opportunity to study an additional Eastern language, although other options are also available. In your second year, you will also be introduced to scientific research.
- In the third year of the Bachelor's programme, the Bachelor's dissertation serves as the practical culmination of these studies. During the same year, you will deepen your immersion in the language and culture of your study area with a semester abroad in China, Japan, India, or Cairo.
Master
The two-year master's programme integrates the foundational skills from your bachelor's studies - language proficiency, essential understanding of historical, cultural, and societal contexts, and research strategies - into a more cohesive whole. A professionalization trajectory, internationalization opportunities, and an internship facilitate a smoother transition to the job market. Finally, with your master's thesis, you demonstrate your ability to make Eastern sources accessible to a Western audience.
- Your bachelor's degree also provides access to other master's programmes beyond those mentioned above, including a Master’s Programme in Teaching (in Dutch: een educatieve master). You can find an overview under the 'Further Studies' tab.
Labour Market
A degree in Oriental Languages and Cultures gives access to all professions for which a university degree is required. It goes without saying that the degree offers an added value when applying for positions, for which knowledge of, and experience with non-Western languages or cultures is important.
Our graduates are active in many sectors: in journalism, the business world (especially companies with offices in the Orient), migrant centres, the education sector, at Ministry Offices (e.g. Asylum Policy), as tour guides, and in academic research. Many of our graduates spend some time in the Orient, which is of course an additional asset on the labour market.
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Language via culture and culture via language: the Oriental Languages and Cultures programme is founded on these two equally important pillars: language and culture. Our students choose one cultural area - with a corresponding package of language course units: Arabic, Chinese, Indian or Japanese. They gradually build up knowledge of a modern and a classical language variant, giving them access to, and getting to know the culture of the region (i.e. society, politics, history, religion/philosophy, literature) in depth.
- Regional specialists in diversity: in addition to the language and culture course units of the chosen cultural region, our curriculum includes a number of other course units. We offer, for example, a number of general course units in which students acquire the necessary skills to be able to work creatively and in a problem-solving way. We also offer minors or diversification modules by means of which students can either specialize or broaden their knowledge, and/or seek a connection with advanced studies or the labour market.
- Internationalisation: our programme is inherently internationally oriented. We encourage our students and lecturers to gain international experiences. The Bachelor's curriculum contains a one-term mobility window which students can use to spend at a university in the chosen cultural region. The (largely) English-taught two-year Master's curriculum includes a second stay abroad, to be spent either in the chosen cultural region or at a European university, and a compulsory work placement that can also be taken abroad. These foreign experiences not only deepen students’ language skills; they sharpen their view of the society, culture, etc. of the chosen cultural area.
- Talent development: from the beginning, the curriculum contains general courses units, methodology and research or practice-oriented course units. In these course units we teach our students to approach the world with a critical and academic-scientific mind, and to think creatively and in a problem-solving way. The available minors (i.e. economics, politics, teaching, multiculturalism) are opportunities to compose a curriculum tailored to your own interests and vision of your future.
- Broad employability: due to the special additional attention that we pay to methodological and practice-oriented course units, our graduates at once have advanced knowledge of their discipline, but can also easily find employment in other domains. The work placement, which ties in with the chosen minor or diversification module, forms an initial work experience.
Strengths
- Lecturers with practical experience and expertise: our lectures have proven academic track records in one or more aspects of their (culture specific) area of expertise. Their experience often stems from prolonged stays in that cultural region. Our lecturers can count on the support of teaching assistants, tutors and native speakers. Together, they closely supervise and monitor our students during intensive course units, especially with regard to the acquisition of the modern languages.
- Multiperspectivism and room for diversity: we study each cultural region from a wide range of perspectives (e.g. social, religious, literary, philosophical, linguistic). In so doing, our programme reflects our students’ diversity of interests and talents.
- Practical experience in a cultural region: in the third year, we offer our students the opportunity of a prolonged stay at one of our partner institutions abroad (either in the chosen cultural region or at a European university). The two-year Master's programme offers a second opportunity for studying abroad and the additional option of spending the mandatory work placement abroad as well.
- Academic-scientific knowledge and skills: we pay special attention to the integration of academic research in our teaching practice. In the methodology course units, our students gradually learn to create academic-scientific knowledge themselves. Our programme also offers opportunities for critical thinking and specialisation.
- Future prospects: by implementing a mandatory work placement in the Master's curriculum, we offer our students an initial professional experience even before they graduate. This is an excellent starting position to apply for national and international jobs in the public and private sectors. Our students’ advanced language skills, in-depth insight into their chosen cultural region, and broad critical-academic knowledge and skills are an excellent preparation for the labour market or advanced studies.
Challenges
- Stakeholder involvement: we want to involve our current students, alumni and professional field representatives better in thinking about and (re)designing the curriculum. This means that we have to cultivate our contacts with these three groups. We are specifically looking for ways to (1) encourage our students to active participation in consultations, to (2) strengthen our ties with our alumni, and to (3) maintain our contacts with the professional field in order to achieve a better connection to the labour market.
- Information dissemination: we want to improve the intake of new students by disseminating correct information about the study programme through all channels possible (e.g. study information days or “sid-ins”, information sessions, brochures, websites, web classes, open classes, children's university, lecture series, classes for secondary schools). In doing so, we must emphasise the social importance of our study programme better. Participation of our staff in cultural events, activities, think tanks, etc. … should lead to an enhanced visibility of our study programme in society.
- Benchmarking: we must focus on a benchmark exercise with similar study programmes at home and abroad, and wherever possible, integrate good practices into our study programme.
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review, i.e. a screening of the Education Monitor by the Education Quality Board. The Quality Assurance Resolution (in Dutch) can be found here.
This information was last updated on 01/02/2023.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.