JAPANESE STUDIES
Introduction
The educational goal of Japanese Studies at GSIAS contrasts with that of traditionally organized Japanese departments in Korea that focus on linguistic and literary studies. The program at the GSIAS aims to offer a comprehensive and systematic understanding of Japanese politics, economy, society, history, and culture in order to produce Japanese specialists who will play a constructive role in the domain of knowledge-informatization in 21st-century Korean society and also contribute to the expansion of Korea-Japan relations in all fields. In order to achieve this educational goal, the department operates student exchanges with the University of Tsukuba and Yamaguchi University. With a deep understanding about Japan, graduates of the Japanese Studies Department show a high annual employment rate; many of them enter international companies, the national government, Japanese companies in Korea, or work in the media. Also, as Japanese pop culture is opening up more and the Korean wave is having an influence in Japan, it is expected that graduates of the Japanese Studies Department will contribute to the serious academic understanding of this contemporary phenomenon of cross-cultural impact.
