Disciplinary Courses

Overview

In addition to your intensive Japanese language courses every morning, KCJS offers a variety of academically rigorous disciplinary courses that are scheduled in the afternoon hours. Each student selects two courses per semester (four points of academic credit per course), which will either meet twice a week for 90 minutes each, or once a week for three hours.

The afternoon disciplinary courses are designed to complement your studies at your home institution, and as such they provide abundant opportunities for experiential learning through field trips, guest lectures, and in-class demonstrations. Most will revolve primarily around class and small group discussions, as well as student presentations on the readings.

Project-Based Japanese Courses: Starting from Fall 2022, KCJS has offered elective courses taught in Japanese: Project-based Japanese courses. For more information, watch our “Learn in Japanese” video! (the second video on this page).

Cross Registration for AKP Courses: A limited number of its students are allowed to cross register for certain elective disciplinary courses offered by the Associated Kyoto Program (AKP) during the academic year. Grades for these AKP courses will be posted on the KCJS Grade Report.

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Disciplinary class field trips

Note for Academic Year and Fall Semester 2022:
Our ability to carry out these programs in Fall 2022 is contingent upon COVID-19 restrictions and considerations.

In many of your disciplinary classes in the afternoon, there will also be course-related field trips that are designed to deepen your understanding of the topics introduced in the readings. Such trips may include some on-site, self-directed exploration, together with guidance from your professor and/or Japanese staff on the premises.

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Courses offered in 2023-2024

KCJS reserves the right to withdraw or modify the courses of instruction or to change the instructors as may become necessary.

Fall 2023 (4 points each. All course numbers begin with: EAAS OC3993:)

• 1. Japanese Contemporary Architecture (Benoît Jacquet)
• 2. Migration and minorities in contemporary Japan (Miloš Debnár)
• 3. Japan and East Asian Regional Environmental Issues (Aysun Uyar Makibayashi)
• 4. Project-based Japanese (intermediate) (Miyuki Nishimata)
• 5. Project-based Japanese (advance) (Itsuko Nakamura)
• 6. Independent Study 

SPRING 2024 (4 points each. All course numbers begin with: EAAS OC3993:)

• 1. Exploring the World of Japanese (Kyoto) Cuisine (Cody Poulton)
• 2. Kyoto Artisans and their Worlds (Melissa Rinne)
• 3. Japanese Traditional Performing Arts (Diego Pellecchia and Cody Poulton)
• 4. Japanese Buddhism (intermediate-level Japanese) (Hōyū Ishida)
• 5. Modern Japanese Literature (advanced-level Japanese) (Shigemi Nakagawa)
• 6. Independent Study

Courses to be offered in 2024-2025

TBA

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Independent Study

Independent study allows you to explore a specific research topic in-depth, and acquire the methodological and analytical skills necessary for academic research. It normally involves directed reading and research, regular weekly meetings with a faculty advisor, and completion of a research paper or comparable final project that will be graded by the advisor. Independent study is particularly useful for formulating and gathering materials for a senior or honors thesis. Typically you would undertake this project in lieu of one of the two regular disciplinary courses.

Many students who plan to write a senior honors thesis at their home institutions have taken advantage of these independent studies as opportunities to collect materials or data that they might otherwise not have access to in the United States. Moreover, you may be able to establish an invaluable network of scholars and experts in your field of interest through an appropriate advisor for your independent study (either the Resident Director or a local faculty member from a university in the Kansai area).

Proposals will be reviewed by the KCJS Resident Director for approval. Students must also obtain approval from their home university study abroad office regarding credit transfer. They should also get written approval from their academic department (usually a faculty member qualified to approve their course of study).

We strongly encourage students to consult their academic advisors at their home institutions to see if they can recommend potential supervisors here in Kyoto or the Kansai region. If students have not yet secured a supervisor, KCJS will make every effort to find one. If KCJS is unable to find a local professor willing and able to supervise the student, the proposal will not be approved.

Click here for a sample list of previous independent study project titles and check the website for a list of courses taught by KCJS professors to get a sense of the range of local expertise on hand.

The application deadline is June 15 for Fall Semester and November 1 for Spring Semester. Students will be notified if their proposal for independent study has been approved prior to their arrival in Japan. Download the Independent Study Proposal fillable form, obtain the relevant signatures as noted on the form, and electronically submit the completed form in your UGE account.

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KCJS Summer research grants

Every summer KCJS offers a small number of grants which are intended to give students a chance to put their Japanese language skills to use in pursuing a serious independent research project.

Who can apply?
All full-year or spring-only KCJS students

What are the requirements for the proposed research?
In any discipline, but you must make full use of Japanese-language resources.

How may weeks does the grant cover?
10 weeks. Proposals for five-week summer grants, in proportionally smaller amounts, will also be considered.

How much is the grant?
A maximum stipend of ¥350,000 for a ten-week period of research to be conducted in Japan.

How is the grant paid?
The 10-week grant is paid in two installments, with the second installment conditional upon submission of a satisfactory mid-term progress report. Awardees will also receive an additional payment of US$500 upon submission and approval of a final detailed report or research paper following completion of the grant period.

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