Institute of Japanese Studies
The Japanese Studies program in Heidelberg imparts knowledge about Japan in both historical and contemporary contexts
A degree program (B.A., M.A., or PhD) with us will familiarize you with the Japanese language and culture, but also introduce you to the country's literature, history, and society. Our research specializes in topics such as Japanese religions, pre-modern literature, education, and translation. As part of the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS) and our campus in Heidelberg-Bergheim, we also work closely with experts on East Asia and other regions of the world, both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinarily. Numerous partner universities add to our diverse curriculum and we also maintain research collaborations with partner institutions around the world, primarily in Japan, Europe and North America. Thanks to these partnerships and an excellently equipped institute library as part of the CATS library, our approximately ten staff members work on current questions related to the aforementioned research fields and offer research-based teaching.
Institute
Japanese Studies has been taught in Heidelberg since 1985. Since 2005, the Institute of Japanese Studies has been part of the Centre for East Asian Studies, together with the Institute of Chinese Studies and the Institute of East Asian Art History. In close collaboration with colleagues from the Centre, the main areas of focus in Japanese Studies are literature and culture, history, politics and society and selected aspects of Japan’s economy.
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Bachelor
In the B.A. East Asian Studies with the focus Japanese Studies, students learn about Japanese language, literature, culture, history and society. In addition, regional connections to China and Korea are also explored.
Master
The M.A. program in Japanese Studies in Heidelberg focuses on the application of academic methods and the deepening of subject knowledge, including the further development of language skills.
PhD
In the doctoral program, candidates pursue advanced academic research on Japan. The focus is on independent research in literary or historical studies. The goal is a dissertation that makes an original contribution to the field of Japanese Studies.
Research
Within the framework of a wide range of projects, the members of the Institute of Japanese Studies address current research questions relating to Japan, with a focus on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches. Further research impulses arise from research projects of international visiting scholars and the doctoral dissertations supervised at the institute.
Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies
Together with the Institute of Anthropology (IfE), the South Asia Institute (SAI), and the Centre for East Asian Studies (ZO), the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies (HCTS) forms the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS). The CATS complex surrounds the new central library building.
