Summer and year program: CET intensive study abroad in Osaka

http://cetacademicprograms.com/programs/japanese-language-osaka-japan/

Application Deadlines:

Spring – October 1
Summer – March 1
Fall – May 1

Osaka, Japan: Is this study abroad program for you? CET offers students in Osaka intensive language instruction, housing with Japanese roommates and a Japanese-only language pledge (summer). The intensive summer language program is complemented by fall and spring semester programs which offer an array of area studies courses taught in both English and Japanese. Designed for students who hope to be challenged inside the classroom and immersed in Japanese life, the CET program in Osaka offers an innovative alternative to existing programs in Japan.

Study Abroad in Osaka, Japan: Features

No language prerequisite
Apartments with Japanese roommates
Serious academics, with elective courses taught at Osaka Gakuin University
Field placements available for advanced students
Academic excursions within the region
Activities with Japanese university students
Language pledge during the summer

Japan Curriculum: How the Academics Fit Together

CET Japan targets the efficient and thorough improvement of language skills. In each term, students cover at least one year of university-level Japanese. Intensive language classes highlight communicative competence and CET’s belief that simply amassing large numbers of kanji is not enough. Students need to learn how to use those kanji, and use them accurately, naturally and appropriately. To that end, the language curriculum involves a high degree of integration with the local community. Students complete projects that rely on signs, menus and websites instead of a textbook, and converse with regular Osakans instead of just language teachers.

The summer term focuses exclusively on this language training. In the fall and spring terms, this training is flanked by a Field Placement course and other courses at Osaka Gakuin University (OGU), CET’s partner. At OGU, students may take area studies courses taught in English (like Japanese Business Past and Present or Japan’s Performing Arts), area studies courses taught in Japanese called J-Bridge courses (like Issues in Contemporary Japanese Society, Culture and Language), or Japanese for Specific Purposes courses (like Japan in the Media). OGU course options vary from term to term.

Japan Fall & Spring Academic Requirements

Fall and spring semesters offer two tracks of study differentiated by prerequisites and focus of study. Track 1 students complete one full year of language study during the semester, and Track 2 students cover three semesters worth of Japanese.

Track 1 (open to all levels)

Students take a Japanese language course. This includes a Japanese in Daily Life component and a final Language Project. Scheduled in the first week of the program, the Japanese in Daily Life module aims to allow students the opportunity to refresh previously learned Japanese and to build language patterns needed to meet their immediate needs in Japan. Real life materials such as menus, supermarket advertisements, neighborhood maps, newspapers and websites are used. The Final Language Project is an out-of-classroom project completed by each class level over the course of the term. Classes merge at the end of the semester to present their projects in a lively Open House event on the OGU campus. 180 total hours. 10 recommended credits.

Students take two OGU area studies courses. These courses may be taught in English (called JSC courses) or Japanese (called J-Bridge courses). OGU’s courses can be found here. Some OGU courses are 45 hours each for 3 recommended credits each. Some OGU courses are 22.5 hours each for 1 recommended credit each.

Track 2 (open to students with at least four terms of previous study)

Students take one or two OGU courses. Track 2 students take one area studies course in Japanese (called J-Bridge courses) or two Japanese for Specific Purposes courses (called JSP courses). They also have the option to direct enroll in a regular OGU course (dependent on student ability and schedule). OGU’s courses can be found here. J-Bridge: 45 hours each. 3 recommended credits each. JSP: 22.5 hours each. 1 recommended credit each. OGU: Hours and recommended credits are dependent on course.

Students take a field placement course. This qualitative methods course focuses heavily on principles of ethnographic inquiry and research. Students learn basic approaches to qualitative research, such as conducting interviews, document analysis, participant-observation and taking and organizing field notes for ethnographic purposes.

As part of the field placement course and as the principal venue for data collection, each student carries out a field placement assignment within a Japanese social organization. As participant-observers, students spend 8 to 12 hours per week at the field placement site over the course of the semester. Placements are based on language proficiency, student background and research interests. Organizations include a wide array of local businesses and non-profit organizations, schools, religious and political institutions, museums, media, etc.

Each student is responsible for developing a partially bilingual portfolio of the experience/research that includes field notes, transcriptions of interviews, document analysis, etc. Central to the student portfolio is a preliminary qualitative research proposal on a key topic or phenomenon emerging from the student’s field placement experiences.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Japan Summer Academic Requirements

The summer semester focuses on language only. The pace of instruction is intensive so that students achieve one year of university-level Japanese instruction within 8 weeks. As such, students should expect a demanding but highly productive summer semester.

Students take a Japanese Language course. This includes a final Language Project, which is an out-of-classroom project completed by each class level over the course of the term. Classes merge at the end of the semester to present their projects in a lively Open House event on the OGU campus. 160 total hours. 9 recommended credits.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Prerequisites

There are no language prerequisites for the summer. During the spring and fall, Track 1 is open to all students. Track 2 is open to students with at least four semesters of previous Japanese language study.