<p>I am currently a high school Sophmore and have been researching the possibility of a career in archaeology–love history. One of my main historical interests is Japan, however, there appears to be little information on becoming an archaeologist in Japan, so I came here to see if anyone had any further information to provide. Mainly I would like to know:
- Is it possible/overly difficult?
- Should I receive a BA in the states and then finish my studies in Japan?
…a. What degrees/subjects should I pursue?
- Would I be required to live in Japan?
- Any further insight into this matter would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Notes:
I am interested in historical archaeology, rather than prehistoric. I would also perfer to study around the Heian period and beyond (although preferably before Japan was opened to the world in the 1800’s).</p>
<p>This seems to come up a lot when discussing interest in Japan, so I would like to say that I am not a weeabo, I am interested in culture hundreds of years old, not anime.</p>
<p>The top East Asian Archeology program in the country is at Princeton. For what you want to do I’d suggest look at schools like Berkeley, Hawaii, UChicago, and as I said before, Princeton. Of course you will want to study abroad for a year to improve your Japanese and if you’re lucky get a grant to conduct summer field work. You would ideally want to find a school that does Asia related Archeology research or has a long relationship with the field. Majors of course are archeology + history or East Asian Languages & Literature/East Asian Studies + Archeology. I’d suggest doing your degrees in the states and if you can manage it get a scholarship to get a year masters in Japanese history from one of the more prominent Japanese universities. Getting the degree isn’t hard, what is hard is getting into a school with the exact program you are looking for. Since you are a sophomore and you know you are interested in this topic why not contact Professors in the field and ask if you can spend a summer as a research assistant with them? Since you know what you want and the schools with the top programs are extremely competitive you would stand out if even at your age you took the initiative to get involved.</p>
<p>Thank you for providing advice into this matter, it is very much appreciated!</p>
<p>
What did you mean here, are you saying to finish all of my degrees in the states, with as much experience in Japan as possible (i.e study abroad, research projects…)?</p>
<p>Also, how exactly would you recommend going about becoming a temporary research assistant for a professor? From what I have read, even a research assistant is required to have a BA in archaeology. Where would I be able to find a professor who would be willing to accept an under-qualified research assistant? I mean this sincerely, I hope that last line was not misinterpreted as sarcastic.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the advice you have already offered</p>
<p>I think they thought you were a college sophomore, not a high school sophomore. It would be more difficult to become a research assistant as a high school student.</p>
<p>No, you do not need a degree to be a research assistant. Many students do this type of work as they pursue their degrees. Now, you won’t likely be doing overly strenuous tasks or become a first author on a publication. But you would assist the professor in some way, whether it be researching relevant literature to cite in a manuscript, learning more about an artifact, etc. You may even find schools that have summer projects doing archeological work in another country.</p>
<p>It is often unpaid as a volunteer for a few hours a week. Some schools may offer a small stipend, and some might cover it through work-study. Students interested in graduate study often seek this type of research experience to increase their odds for acceptance to graduate school. It is very common across disciplines. It may be hard to do as a freshman since you’ve barely begun to learn the field, but once you begin taking courses and have some fundamentals down, start looking for opportunities outside of the classroom.</p>
<p>I know you are a high school student. My friend’s brother has a similar story. He knew in high school he was fascinated with Ming and Qing Dynasty history. He contacted a professor from Harvard who is one of the few left in America that teaches Manchurian and is an expert on Qing history and was able to convince him to take my friend’s brother on. He was this professor’s assistant for all summers of his high school career. He wasn’t a straight A student and had pretty good but not amazing SAT scores. But he was just accepted to Harvard for undergraduate because that professor fought like hell to get this kid into Harvard. In fact the Dean of Arts and Sciences sent my friend’s brother this amazing letter stating the main reason why he was accepted was because this kid is the ideal student that any top university wants. A kid that is hungry for learning.</p>
<p>I’m saying a B.A. and PhD in the states, if you need to shore up your application before a PhD do a masters in the states and apply for one of the Japanese government scholarships to do a masters degree program in Japan as well.</p>
<p>BlueJayBJ’s story sounds like a fairy tale come true. I hope something like that happens to you but it’s always good to have an alternative plan. Start with a high school exchange year in Japan. Try Rotary Youth Exchange, YFU or AFS. Consider a U.S. university that has a campus in Japan like Temple University. Good luck!</p>