FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Nov. 19, 2007
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications (304) 696-7153
 

Marshall University announces new major in Japanese language

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University has announced the formation of a new major designed to educate students in the Japanese language.   The Japanese major was launched in the 2007 fall term and currently has 22 students enrolled who are declared majors.

“Thanks to leadership of Governor Joe Manchin and the West Virginia Legislature’s adoption of Senate Bill 603 in 2005, we now have the flexibility to add a new major like Japanese that prepares our graduates for the global marketplace and responds to the interest of our students,” said Marshall University president Stephen J. Kopp.

Plans for a Japanese major have been in the development stages for several years.

“I came on board with Marshall University in August 2006 in preparation for this program,” said Dr. Natsuki Anderson, assistant professor of Japanese. “We redesigned the courses which were being offered so that we could offer Japanese as a major and minor.”

Anderson said the program, which is in the Department of Modern Languages and under the umbrella of the College of Liberal Arts, is experiencing tremendous growth because of an interest in the Japanese culture largely due to film and video.   She said she advises students who are interested in the Japanese language major to combine their interest with another field of study in order to be more marketable.

“I encourage students to double-major because language is a tool that is used to do something else,” Anderson said.  “Many of our students are combining their Japanese major with information technology, education and business.  This prepares them for careers in many different fields.”

A variety of avenues are available for native English speakers with training in Japanese, Anderson said.  She said she is aware of opportunities for her students ranging from government-sponsored teaching positions located in Japan to Japanese companies located in West Virginia. 

For more information, contact Anderson at (304) 696-3543 or by e-mail at andersonn@marshall.edu.

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