Added: 12/05/2005 |
In the past, those who chose to study abroad in Japan were students and scholars majoring in Japanese linguistics or Japanese studies. Today, businessmen and engineers, junior and senior high-school students, and in some countries, primary school pupils, are studying the language.
The number of Japanese-language students and their reasons for studying is changing dramatically.
Because of the diversification of objectives and students of the Japanese language, voices have been raised around the world for more assistance and closer cooperation to meet the needs of the educational conditions of each country. Especially giving non-native Japanese language teachers a chance to visit Japan to improve their language proficiency, attain teaching methodologies, and place themselves in the Japanese cultural context; and providing teaching resources overseas where they are scarce is essential to self-sustaining development in the field.
The Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institute, Urawa, was established as an affiliated organization of the Japan Foundation to meet the above needs and provide further assistance to Japanese-language education abroad. The Institute runs various programs under the three purposes of: human resources developing; developing and producing teaching resources, and providing information.
The following Japanese languge Institute provides the opportunity to study abroad in Japan.
Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies or KCJS is a rigorous, two-semester academic program primarily for undergraduates wishing to do advanced work in the Japanese language and in Japanese studies. A limited number of students may be admitted for single semester study in the fall or spring, as well as recent graduates.
KCJS is administered by the Overseas Studies Program at Stanford University on behalf of a consortium of American universities The program admits between 40-50 students each year.
The program is based at the Stanford Japan Center (SJC), a modern three-story building located in the scenic Higashiyama area of eastern Kyoto, Japan. The center also houses the Stanford Center of Technology and Innovation (SCTI) program (a spring quarter overseas study program open only to registered Stanford students) and the SJC Research Program.
Outside the classroom, this study abroad in Japan program takes advantage of the rich social and cultural resources of the area by offering enrichment opportunities, including integrating field trips, guest speakers, research projects and presentations into the curriculum.
The KCJS course of study abroad in Japan is broad and varied. Disciplinary courses cover basic and relatively advanced topics in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with offerings on pre-modern and modern Japan.
In addition to the academic curriculum at KCJS, the program offers students the opportunity to participate in home stays and encourages and aids students to integrate themselves into the community through a variety of extracurricular activities.
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