The aim of the four-semester program is to build solid country, linguistic and methodological competencies for comparative cultural, inter- and transnational work and research in Europe and East Asia. The program is designed to lead to a Master's degree at the degree at the University of Bonn and a second Master's degree at either the Japanese or the Korean partner university. The program therefore includes mandatory one-semester study visits to Japan and Korea. For the successful completion at the respective partner university, additional achievements outside the core curriculum described below are still required, which are not part of this study program description.
The program builds on linguistic and methodological knowledge and skills acquired in a Japan- or Korea-related undergraduate program. This knowledge is extended to a second country – for Japanologists: Korea; for Koreanists: Japan – as well as to a European perspective. In their research, students examine both countries, preferably from a comparative perspective that includes Europe.
All TEACH students take the core curriculum, which consists of three fields of study:
The didactic focus of the program is on seminars, in which teachers and students jointly explore scientific issues. In the linguistic field, the skills of cultural studies reading and writing scientific texts are strengthened.
All compulsory modules are credited with 10 LP. Elective modules consist of three modules of language instruction in Japanese and Korean. Thus, compulsory modules account for 60 LP, while elective modules account for 30 LP. Another 30 LP can be earned in the department through the master's thesis, which is scheduled for the fourth semester.
This results in the following study structure:
In the course types seminar and exercise, the teaching is oriented towards the following overarching didactic goals:
The term paper represents an exercise in academic writing in an assessed manner in preparation for the Master's thesis. Decisive emphasis is placed on independence and originality in the choice of topic and question, completeness of sources and representations to be selected, and consideration of the current state of research. Presentations as admission to the examination also comply with this didactic concept.
Applications to the program in Bonn are possible for the winter semester only; in Korea and Japan, for the summer (spring) semester only.