Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1992

From the Japanese Studies Section to the Japanese Studies Depar tment Japanese Offered since 1967 It was possible to study Japanese at The Chinese University as early as 1967, when Japanese Studies was attached to the Chinese and Oriental Department. Then in 1972 the University decided to offer Japanese as a minor programme, and so an independent section was formed, under the French, German, Italian and Japanese Committee. The idea of this programme was to give students a working knowledge of the Japanese language, both written and spoken, while at the same time introducing them to Japanese life and culture. Over the years, as student numbers increased, the section itself gradually expanded, with an increase in staff recruitment and the number of courses offered. Demand for Japanese Studies Grows The Japanese Studies Section has grown i n response to the desire of an increasing number of people in Hong Kong wishing to learn Japanese. In 1982, in conjunction with the Department of Extramural Studies, the Japanese Studies Section introduced an advanced Japanese course for graduates wishing to continue their studies in the subject. For those undergraduates who were unable to afford the time to study Japanese during term time, the section started offering a summer intensive course i n 1984, a move which proved very popular with the students. Japanese Studies Department Created Despite all these changes it was clear that further expansion was necessary in order to meet the needs of the community for Japanese-speaking professionals, and to offer comprehensive academic training in Japanese language and studies. Consequently, in September 1991, a multi-disciplinary major programme was set up and the section was renamed the Japanese Studies Department. In its first year alone, the department has attracted 20 students majoring in Japanese studies, and 412 who are currently taking it as their minor or elective subject. Such a department cannot help but foster cultural exchange and understanding between Japan and Hong Kong. Courses offered and number of students f r om 1981 to 1990 CourseNo.f Students Students 81-82 82-83 83-84 84-85 85-86 86-87 87-88 88-89 89-90 90-91 Japanese I 153 149 157 154 154 156 146 145 175 136 Japanese II 51 63 68 63 62 56 64 44 66 84 Japanese III 28 33 31 63 65 66 55 72 52 50 Japanese IV 5 3 11 9 23 31 28 27 28 19 Business Japanese 13 5 14 - - 22 20 22 27 34 Japanese Language & literature 8 — 13 27 32 22 27 23 22 15 Japanese Society & Culture _ 29 23 28 — - - — 17 46 Japanese Economy 11 6 15 - 37 25 21 21 31 28 Total 269 288 332 344 373 378 361 354 418 412 Department of Japanese Studies 8