KCJS Alumni Talk over Zoom #11: Cynthia Vu on January 29, 7-8:30PM (EST) →
KCJS Alumni Talk over Zoom #10: Kasia Lynch on January 22, 7-8:30PM (EST) →
Program dates have been announced for 2021 KCJS Summer Programs in Modern and Classical Japanese →
Home > KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese
| Overview | Schedule | 2nd Year Japanese | Accelerated 2nd Year Japanese | 3rd Year Japanese | Accelerated 3rd Year Japanese | 4th Year Japanese and above | Highlights of the Modern Japanese Program | Comments from alumni about their experiences |
KCJS offers summer programs in various levels of modern Japanese: 2nd, 3rd, 4th year and above.The eligibility requirements are as follows.
Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for. Please see the following chart for the placement test process (you can enlarge the image in a new window by clicking it).
KCJS reserves the right to cancel or modify the courses of instruction or to change the instructors at any time.
For Summer 2021, the program is scheduled to start on Monday, June 14 and end on Tuesday, August 10.
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) and intermediate materials.
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:
This class caters to qualified students from schools with intensive and fast-paced language curriculum. We will cover Chapters 17 to 23 of Genki II (The Japan Times) and move on to Hiyaku (Routledge) up to Chapter 7.
Syllabus & Schedule of Accelerated 2nd Year Japanese for 2019
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. 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 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:
Syllabus and Schedule of 3rd Year Japanese A Class for 2019
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).
Syllabus and Schedule of Accelerated 3rd Year Japanese for 2019
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.
For a more detailed description, please follow the links provided below:
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines Intermediate: Speaking | Writing | Listening | Reading
(see the section of “INTERMEDIATE HIGH”)
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:
Syllabus and Schedule of 4th Year Japanese A Class for 2019
Experienced 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, 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 Virginia, and Yale University. Every instructor is dedicated to improving your Japanese ability and enriching your learning experiences 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 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 local universities, 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.
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 2018 are:
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:
Overnight trip to Nara. Students in the KCJS Summer Program in Modern Japanese have the option of joining students in the Classical Japanese Program on an opportunity to take an overnight trip to Nara. 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.
“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.”
KCJS Alumni Talk over Zoom #11: Cynthia Vu on January 29, 7-8:30PM (EST) →
KCJS Alumni Talk over Zoom #10: Kasia Lynch on January 22, 7-8:30PM (EST) →
Program dates have been announced for 2021 KCJS Summer Programs in Modern and Classical Japanese →
606 Kent Hall
Columbia University
1140 Amsterdam, Mail Code 3948
New York, NY 10027 USA
Tel: 212-854-2559
Fax: 212-854-5164
Email: uge@columbia.edu
Doshisha University, 2F Fusokan
Karasuma Higashi-iru, Imadegawa-dori
Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8580 JAPAN
602-8580
京都市上京区今出川通烏丸東入
同志社大学 扶桑館2F
Tel: 075-251-4995
Tel: (+81-75-251-4995)
Fax: 075-229-6300
Fax: (+81-75-229-6300)
Email: fs2244@columbia.edu