Japanese Language Courses

The KCJS Japanese Language Program

Mission Statement

The mission of KCJS Japanese Language Program is to assist students to enrich their lives by using Japanese for personal, academic and/or professional endeavors, and for establishing a relationship with members of Japanese society.

Mision Statement-English
Mision Statement-Japanese

The time you invest in your studies will pay off and we will do our utmost to assist in your learning both inside and outside of the classroom.

Features of KCJS Japanese language program

1) Obtain advanced proficiency in Japanese through an intensive program. Each Japanese class meets two hours a day, five days a week for 13 weeks in one semester. You will probably find by enrolling in our classes that it is more effective to study harder in an intensive manner rather than to study in a more leisurely fashion over an extended period of time.

2) Fully immerse yourself in a culturally-rich context. In addition to taking two hours of Japanese classes daily, you will be living in Kyoto, the heart of Japanese culture and tradition. Through our Community Involvement Project (CIP), you will also enjoy a variety of opportunities to become more integrated with the city’s people and society.

3) Enroll in a higher level of Japanese class beyond what is available at your home institution. KCJS takes a flexible approach, setting class levels according to the proficiency of incoming students each semester. (Note that if you are near-native, you should contact us before applying so we can confer about your language background and instructional needs.)

4) Receive top quality instruction by dedicated teachers. All KCJS Japanese language instructors teach full-time and they care about their students as individuals both inside and outside of class. They have each earned a master’s or Ph.D. degree in a related field (e.g., Japanese linguistics, language pedagogy) and have been teaching at institutions of Japanese and/or American higher education. Your class will be team-taught by a main instructor and a co-instructor. The team-teaching approach means that you will be looked after by at least two dedicated instructors (if not more—our instructors all work together congenially as a group and confer regularly about best practices).

5) Go beyond the limited scope of textbooks. You will study using materials that reflect what Japanese people use everyday for professional or recreational purposes. For example, reading texts are selected according to students’ and instructors’ interests, and they include modern and classic novels, essays, magazines, movies, academic articles, etc. By using these authentic materials at KCJS, you will develop a level of confidence and readiness that will enable you to further continue your learning even after completing the program.

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Outline of language program

Levels:

2nd Year (JPNS O4201 or O4202), 3rd Year (JPNS OC4205 or OC4206), 4th Year (JPNS OC4217 or OC4218), and 5th Year (JPNS OC4221 or OC4222)

Class hours:

130 hours per semester / 10 hours per week / 2 hours per day

Points:

8 points per semester

Class content:

speaking, listening, writing, reading, projects, presentation, etc.

Language of instruction:

Japanese, except some English for instructional purposes

SYLLABI, SCHEDULES, AND SAMPLE LIST OF MATERIALS FOR ALL LEVELS (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD)

Academic Year 2019-2020:

• • 2nd Year Japanese (JPNS O4201 or O4202): Fall (syllabus)

• • 3rd Year Japanese (JPNS OC4205 or OC4206): Fall (syllabus)

• 3rd Year Japanese (JPNS OC4205 or OC4206): Fall (syllabus)
• 3rd Year Japanese (JPNS OC4205 or OC4206): Fall (syllabus)
• 4th Year Japanese (JPNS OC4217 or OC4218): Fall (syllabus)

Sample List of Materials

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