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KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese

Overview

KCJS offers summer programs in various levels of modern Japanese: 2nd, 3rd, 4th year and above. The eligibility requirements are as follows.

Open to undergraduates and graduate students in good academic standing. Recent graduates may also apply.
For Second Year Japanese: must have completed one year of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
For Third Year Japanese: must have completed two years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
For Fourth Year: must have completed three years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
For Fifth Year Japanese: must have completed four years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Minimum 3.0 average GPA in Japanese language courses.

Schedule

Our summer program in Modern Japanese starts in late May or early June and ends at the end of July (8 weeks). For Summer 2018, the program is scheduled to start on Thursday, May 24 and ends on Friday, July 20.

Please note that the following calendar is tentative and subject to change.

Wednesday, May 23: Students arrive
Thursday, May 24: Orientation
Friday, May 25: Placement test
Monday, May 28: Class begins
Thursday, June 21: Midterm exam
Friday, June 22-Saturday, June 23: Overnight trip
Monday, July 16: Last day of class
Tuesday, July 17: No class
Wednesday, July 18: Study day
Thursday, July 19: Final exam
Friday, July 20: Final presentation & Final ceremony

2nd Year Japanese

The 2nd year Japanese program (O4201 & O4202; 8 points or 2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least one year of college-level Japanese or the equivalent (around 150 hours of Japanese study). Students who want to take this course are expected to be at least at the Novice-High level of the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guidelines at the beginning of the course.

For a more detailed description, please follow the links provided below:
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines Novice: Speaking | Writing | Listening | Reading
(see the section of “NOVICE HIGH”)

This class will cover entire Genki II (The Japan Times) during the first four weeks. In the last four weeks, we will cover first 5 chapters of Hiyaku (Routledge).

The goal of this course is to achieve Intermediate-Mid level or higher proficiency according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Upon successful completion of the course, the students will:

have a command of basic Japanese grammar and vocabulary (equivalent to JLPT N5-N4);
be able to communicate with others effectively in Japanese in familiar situations/about familiar topics at a sentence-level;
understand written texts about familiar topics related to everyday life and personal interests in Japanese.

Syllabus & Schedule of 2nd Year Japanese for 2017

Accelerated 2nd Year Japanese

This class caters to qualified students from schools with intensive and fast-paced language curriculum. We will cover Chapters 19 to 23 of Genki II (The Japan Times) and move on to Hiyaku (Routledge) up to Chapter 7 or 8.

Syllabus & Schedule of Accelerated 2nd Year Japanese for 2017

3rd Year Japanese

The 3rd Year Japanese program (O4205 & O4206; 8 points/2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least two years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent (around 300 hours of Japanese study). Students who want to take this course are expected to be at least at the Intermediate-Mid level of the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guidelines at the beginning of the course.

For a more detailed description, please follow the links provided below:
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines Intermediate: Speaking | Writing | Listening | Reading
(see the section of “INTERMEDIATE MID”)

The textbook, Tobira (Kuroshio), will be used alongside authentic materials such as newspapers, novels, and TV programs. In 2018, we plan to cover Chapters 1 through 15 in Tobira and use some authentic materials after completing Tobira (subject to change).

The goal of this course is to achieve Intermediate-High or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Upon successful completion of the course, the students will:

have a command of intermediate-level grammar and vocabulary (equivalent to JLPT N3-N2);
understand both spoken and written Japanese correctly about a variety of topics;
be able to express his/her opinions at the paragraph level in socially appropriate manner.

Syllabus and Schedule of 3rd Year Japanese for 2017

Accelerated 3rd Year Japanese

This class caters to qualified students from schools with intensive and fast-paced language curriculum. The textbook, Tobira (Kuroshio), will be used alongside authentic materials such as newspapers, novels, and TV programs. In 2018, we plan to cover Chapters 5 through 15 in Tobira in the first four weeks and use authentic materials for the last four weeks of the course (subject to change).

4th Year Japanese

The 4th Year Japanese program (O4217 & O4218; 8 points/ 2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least three years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent (around 450 hours of Japanese study). The students who want to take this course are expected to be at the Intermediate-High level or above of the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guidelines at the beginning of the course. Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for.

Authentic materials such as newspaper, novels, and TV news will be used alongside Donna toki Doo tsukau Nihongo Hyoogen Bunkei 500 (ALC) and Kanji in Context (The Japan Times). In addition, the students will have the opportunity to pursue an individualized project based on their own interests and give a presentation about their project at the end of the program.

The goal of this course is to achieve Advanced-Low or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Upon successful completion of the course, the students will:

have a command of advanced-level grammar and vocabulary including kango vocabulary and idiomatic expressions (equivalent to JLPT N2-N1);
understand more abstract and complicated ideas presented in both speaking and writing;
be able to participate in discussions about a variety of topics;
be able to narrate and describe effectively and at length.

Syllabus and Schedule of 4th Year Japanese for 2017
Sample List of Course Materials

5th Year Japanese

The 5th Year Japanese (O4221 & O4222; 8 points/ 2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least four years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent. The students who want to take this course are expected to be at the Advanced-Low level or above of the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guidelines at the beginning of the course. Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for.

For a more detailed description, please follow the links provided below:
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines Advanced: Speaking | Writing | Listening | Reading
(see the section of “ADVANCED LOW”)

The goal of this course is to achieve Advanced-Mid or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Upon successful completion of the course, the students will:

understand with ease abstract and complicated ideas presented in both speaking and writing;
be able to contribute to conversations on variety of topics with much accuracy, clarity and precision;
be able to narrate and describe by providing a full account, with good control of aspect;
be able to handle successfully and with relative ease the linguistically challenging situation or communicative task.

Syllabus for 5th Year Japanese for Summer 2016
Sample List of Course Materials

Highlights of the Modern Japanese Program

Experienced and Professional Instructors. All instructors in the KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese have earned either a master’s degree or Ph.D. in related fields from American universities, and have extensive experience in teaching Japanese as a second/foreign language. Our faculty are either full-time KCJS instructors or are drawn from consortium member schools such as Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, and Yale University. Each and every instructor is dedicated to improving your Japanese ability and enriching your learning experiences here in Kyoto.

Small Classes. The KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese maintains small class sizes, i.e., 8-10 students per section for the 2nd- and 3rd-year levels and 5-7 students per section for the 4th year and above. You will have abundant opportunities to participate in class activities and interact with peers and instructors in order to refine your Japanese language skills. The small size of each class also enables instructors to devote personal attention to individual students and design and tailor the curriculum to your particular needs and linguistic ability.

Conversation Partners. Each of the participants in the KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese will be paired with a conversation partner who is a native speaker of Japanese. Your partner will be either an undergraduate or graduate student of Doshisha or Kyoto University, and will meet with you twice a week, for one hour at a time. This is a unique opportunity to make new friends and practice authentic Japanese. Furthermore, your partner will likely introduce you to his/her own friends, thereby extending your peer network here in Kyoto.

Extracurricular Activities. The KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese offers various extracurricular activities on a weekly basis in the afternoon. These activities are elective. The activities for Summer 2015 are:

– casual meetings with students of Faculty of Policy Studies of Doshisha University;
– hands-on cultural activities in small groups (sushi making, zazen, tea ceremony, calligraphy,flower arrangement, origami, and Japanese traditional dance);
– a workshop on wadaiko (traditional Japanese drums).

Special activities in conjunction with the Gion Matsuri. Students in the KCJS Summer Programs in Modern and Classical Japanese have special opportunities to experience the Gion Matsuri, one of the three major festivals in Japan. The Gion Matsuri takes place during the month of July, and the KCJS Summer Programs will offer:

– a lecture in Japanese on the Gion Matsuri by those who actually participate in it (members of the Gion Matsuri Yamahoko Rengokai (Association of Gion Festival Floats) and the Naginata-hoko Gionbayashi Hozonkai (the Preservation Society for Naginata-hoko Gion Festival Music), and
– a visit to a dress rehearsal of the musicians of Naginata-hoko (the most renowned historic float in the Gion Matsuri). (watch the video)

Overnight trip to Nara. Students in the KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese will have an opportunity to take an overnight trip to Nara with the students in the Classical Japanese program. Nara was the capital of Japan for about seventy years in the eighth century before Kyoto became the capital in 794. Nara is full of places of historical significance, including Todai-ji and Horyu-ji, which are registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You will be free to create your own plans to stroll through the area and enjoy these beautiful sights. Round-trip transportation, overnight lodging, dinner and breakfast will be provided.

Comments from alumni about their experiences in the program

“Learned a lot of new skills and I think I am getting better at communicating with local Japanese. I am actually a little bit surprised that after these two months I am able to understand most of other Japanese say to me.”

“My conversation partner was great and helped me improve my Japanese. Interacting with Japanese students helped with my communication skills.”

“I had a wonderful time in this class, and I have learned much more than I thought was possible in 8 weeks. Coming here has only strengthened my resolve to one day come here for even longer and continue studying Japanese.”

“I was surprised at how I was able to hold conversations at my level [with my conversation partner].”

“I think this was the best learning experience in Japanese I’ve had.”

“Sensei was extremely helpful and encouraging. Sensei took into account our individual strengths, weaknesses, and personalities, which was great.”

“Because of the class, I felt like my Japanese improved and the rigor of the assignments has prepared me to continue studying Japanese.”

“Nara and Taiko were perhaps the highlights, as well as learning about Gion Matsuri while in Kyoto.”

“The Taiko experience was probably the most fun because the Taiko group had great personalities and everyone was having fun. The Nara ryokan was one-of-a-kind experience. I liked how we were able to go about freely.”