At the School of Global Japanese Studies (SGJS), first-year students will learn the four essential Japanese skills to study in a university: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Students will also learn Japanese as general knowledge. "Integrated Japanese" is available for second-year students and above, where students will learn to make extensive use of the four skills, and "Academic Japanese" where students learn about basic concepts of the eight specialized areas of SGJS.
For ET students, Japanese Language Courses in different levels are available.
English courses for English learners
SGJS offers a variety of courses for English-language learners to enhance academic English. In the first year, students will improve their ability to speak, listen, read, and write. Students will learn how to prepare lengthy reports and how to make effective presentations in their second year. There are also many elective classes which will give students opportunities to boost their English ability, and the ability to think critically. These experiences help SGJS students prepare for situations they may face in the future, including study abroad. We aim for students to become confident in using the language, and to be able to communicate effectively with both written and spoken English.
English Track is a different curriculum.
Practicum in Global Japanese Studies
In the Practicum in Global Japanese Studies, students learn through various experiences such as fieldwork or collaboration with the community. For example, in the Practicum in Global Japanese Studies B (Instructor: KOBAYASHI, Akira), students will deepen their understanding of Japanese culture through online discussions with foreign university students, working in small groups, and giving presentations.
The contents of this course are different, depending on the instructor. In the past, there were projects in which rural and urban areas were connected with collaboration with Yamagata University. There were also projects involving communication exchanges with students in Senegal, and video production using a robot (Pepper). In courses on tea ceremony (sa-do), students will experience a tea ceremony in a traditional Japanese tearoom. Students can get a hands-on experience of Global Japanese Studies in this course.
Seminar Activities
SGJS students can choose Seminars from various research fields. A seminar, or zemi, is a small size class with ten to twenty students, where third and fourth-year students focus on an area for two years and study in depth. To list a few, some of the Seminars offered in English are: "Contemporary International Relations in Northeast Asia with the focus on Japanese Foreign Policy" (Instructor: VASSILIOUK, Svetlana), "Perceptions of host communities and visitors in Japanese tourism development" (Instructor: QUEK, Mary), and "Japanese Business Organizations in the Global Market" (Instructor: NUMATA, Yuko).
Voices from International Students
留学生からのメッセージ
Click the image to see the interview of international students.
張芸林さん(中国)
リキさん(中国)
張帆さん(中国)
Various Kinds of Intercultural Activities
様々な国際交流活動
Global Japanese Studies Student Committee: an official student organization
GJSS Committee students will likely be your first friends in Japan. We will study, travel, and hold community events with international students throughout the globe. Four years is a very limited time, but we would like to make the best of it together with you.
Visit GJSSC website here
Collaboration with community
At the School of Global Japanese Studies, students explore Japan in and out of campus. There are many opportunities to work together with the people in the Nakano district and other communities throughout Japan. For instance, students can take part in intercultural activities with Japanese elementary and junior high school students. We also exchange opinions with Nakano City about community development and host events on this topic.
Intercultural exchanges using ICT
In some courses, students use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to communicate with people in countries which, for a range of reasons, are difficult to contact.TV conference rooms or robots may be used as a platform for communication. Students will also have opportunities to associate with former students. ICT allows us to connect with people throughout the globe.
Information video: Entrance Examination for International Students (in Japanese only)
