Korean studies section

History of the Department and the Current Situation

The Japanese section of the Department of East Asian Studies is the only academic institution in Slovakia where it is possible to study the Japanese language. However, Japanese studies in Slovakia do not have a long history.

In 1986 the first cycle of students of the Japanese language started their studies. Japanese was studied in combination with English and the study programme was aimed at future translators and interpreters.

In 1993 along with the second cycle of students, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures was founded and soon afterwards it moved into a newly equipped modern language laboratory which was donated by the Japanese government. At that time the department started to offer a 6-year master programme named “Japanese Language and Intercultural Communication” (as one major).

In 2008 our department was renamed and today it is called the Department of East Asian Studies.

Currently, the Japanese section offers one study programme - Japanese and Intercultural Communication both at the B.A. level (4 years) and the M.A. level (2 years). From September 2010 we should also be able to offer the third level – Ph.D. for those interested in East Asian studies.

There are 4 teachers – assistant professors and two Japanese lectors in the Japanese section. At the moment (spring 2012) we have 44 students at the B.A. level and 9 students at the M.A. level.

The student exchange with Japanese universities is supported by university-level contracts with the Waseda University and the Shizuoka University and a faculty-level contract with the Ferris University in Yokohama.

Our Philosophy

The name of the study programme (Japanese and Intercultural Communication) reflects the philosophy of our team. The reason why we decided to use the intercultural communication framework for teaching Japanese is that mastering Japanese grammar and vocabulary does not guarantee harmonious and efficient communication. Quite the contrary, sometimes people fluent in Japanese meet with severe problems and misunderstandings. Because they use the Japanese language outside its sociolinguistic and social-psychological context and they perhaps communicate (behave, think, act) according to their own cultural rules, they can hardly reach goals set by themselves and their partners in the communication interaction.

Our aim is not only teach our students correct Japanese but also teach them how to communicate with the Japanese. In other words, we want them to learn the rules that guide the Japanese way of communication and to respect them. All courses offered by our study programme are rich in information on these rules. We not only talk about them we want the students to practise them as well. The aim is to make them more sensitive to cultural differences as well as to cultural similarities, to prepare them for real interactions not only with the Japanese but also with foreigners in general. Open-mindedness, flexibility and the ability to adapt to different “others” without loosing our own cultural identity are the highest priorities of what our department offers to young people.

The Study Programme and the Courses

The study programme is divided into 2 blocks: the Japanese Language and Intercultural Communication. The proportion of language courses and ICC courses is roughly 3 to one.

At the B.A. level students focus on modern Japanese (spoken and written) and on mastering approximately 1500 characters. They also acquire basic knowledge from business communication, professional communication as well as Eastern philosophy, contemporary Japanese society and topics related to the Japanese culture and mind. Students are also offered courses on nonverbal communication and intercultural communication focused at various aspects and problems of communication with foreigners. You will find a list of courses of the B.A. program here.

At the M.A. level students deepen their knowledge of the language, master the jooyoo kanji, learn academic Japanese for presentations and papers, and have a choice of various subjects related to the Japanese culture, society, literature, history, etc. They may continue in intercultural training as well. You will find a list of courses of the M.A. program here.

Our staff

Jana Šoucová, PhD. (soucova(at)fphil.uniba.sk) covers mainly Japanese grammar and reading Japanese texts and specializes on keigo, she published a textbook of keigo for Slovak students of Japanese. In her research she concentrates on the Japanese polite language and sociolinguistics.

Ľubica Mičková, PhD. (mickova(at)fphil.uniba.sk) focuses on sociolinguistics, she teaches Kanji, Listening Comprehension, Business Japanese and Japanese Correspondence. Her research work covers sociolinguistics, namely the indirectness phenomenon in the Japanese language and communication.

Viktória Marková, PhD. (markova(at)fphil.uniba.sk) is in charge of ICC courses which concentrate not only on the verbal aspect of communication with the Japanese but it also covers various aspects of nonverbal communication. The emphasis is laid not only on the theoretical concepts but also on the training in order to help students acquire knowledge and skills to avoid or solve communication breakdowns. Her research work is from the ICC field, especially the dimension of collectivism in ICC.

Minako Vlček, B.A. (vlcek(at)fphil.uniba.sk) is a native speaker. As a lector she teaches conversation and writing texts in Japanese.

Atsuko YAMAMOTO, M.A. is a native speaker. As a lector she teaches conversation and writing texts in Japanese.

The department has a library with approximately 3000 volumes mainly in Japanese and English covering various topics of Japanese studies and intercultural communication. Most of these books have been donated to our section by the Japan Foundation.

Contact us:

Department of East Asian Studies

Faculty of Arts

Comenius University

Gondova 2

814 99 Bratislava 1

Slovakia

Tel./fax: + 421-2-5924 4615

kjkvaj@fphil.uniba.sk