Japanese Literature, Culture, and Media

Our graduate program equips you to be a theoretical scholar and skillful instructor through research of the literature, film, media, theater, and culture of Japan in an interdisciplinary and cross-regional context. Students work closely with faculty dedicated to scholarly innovation, teaching excellence, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

We are committed to providing our you with innovative seminars, international exchanges, research opportunities, and teaching assistantships. Incoming students receive funding packages that support them during their graduate studies. In AMCM you will find a supportive, collaborative, and challenging intellectual environment.

Our faculty specialize in a range of theoretical areas and historical periods. They are internationally recognized for research across scholarly fields that include:

  • Critical theory
  • Ecocriticism
  • Feminist theory and gender studies
  • Film and media studies
  • Genre and narrative theory
  • Speculative fiction studies

Our students are also eligible to earn a graduate minor in various related fields, including (but not limited to):

Faculty

Visit the department's Faculty page for information about current faculty members who specialize in Japanese literature, culture, and media.

Resources & Activities

In conjunction with AMES and AMCM, there are a handful of established institutions at the University of Minnesota that foster research and activities that relate to Japan scholarship.

  • East Asian Library
    Established in 1965, the East Asian Library is among the twenty largest East Asian collections in America. The library currently holds over 160,000 volumes of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language materials, serving the instructional and research needs of the East Asian studies program of the university and users from the Twin Cities area and the region. Subject strengths of the collection include Chinese and Japanese history, language and literature, art history, cinema and media, and law history.
  • AMES Colloquium Series
    This colloquium series presents an opportunity for scholars working on some aspect of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures to come together, share work in progress, and engage in discussions about issues of theory and methodology that have relevance across national, regional, and disciplinary boundaries.