The Japanese major is offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and includes courses in the language, culture, literature and linguistics of Japan. Students studying Japanese progress from an elementary working knowledge of the language to oral and written fluency. Once students are familiar with basic patterns of pronunciation and language structure, they are introduced gradually to the writing system and written Japanese. The rich body of Japanese literature is first studied in English translation; sustained study prepares students to read a variety of written genres in the original language.