The emphasis of the Program is on social sciences and humanities, including Japanese cultural geography, history, languages and literature, films, society, and environment. Graduates from our programs have gone on to graduate work in law, geography, and finance, or have entered Japanese companies in the US and Japan.
The Japan Studies Program supports a community of Japan area specialists who teach and pursue research in the University's various departments (geography, history, political science, Russian and Eastern Studies, sociology) and professional schools (architecture and communications). In addition to teaching and research responsibilities the faculty lecture to outside groups, write extensively for both scholarly journals and popular media, author books on Japan, and participate in national professional associations. The Program responds to and fosters growing American interest (particularly in Kentucky) in Japan.
Both individual and collective research projects are carried out with administrative support from the University and College of Arts and Sciences. Recent major projects have included studies of Japanese Landscapes, Japanese Cities, Migrations, multilingualism, and and social movements. Ongoing projects include research on modern Japanese literature, Japanese development patterns, grass-roots environmental movements in Japan, environmental decision-making in Japan, environmental security and geopolitics, Japan's environmental foreign aid in Southeast Asia, environmental and social impacts of Japanese investment in the Pacific Rim, environmental policy in Okinawa, and forces (technology, aging society, and cultural heritage) shaping the Japanese landscape.Students interested in Japan Studies may contact the program director for additional information:
Professor Doug Slaymaker, Director
Japan Studies Program
Phone: (859) 257-7557 (859) 257-3761
E-mail: nihongo.web@spamex.com
Degree Programs