3560:422: ST: Language Skills, Culture, and Literature
2016 Intersession I
Course Content
This program is a 14-day, 3-credit authentic learning experience in Japan. This class will visit
several famous and historical places in Japan. The purpose of this program is to offer students an
opportunity to experience and immerse themselves in Japanese culture by solving real world
tasks, for example, buying train tickets, riding the subways and bullet trains, ordering food, and
traversing cities in Japan.
Prerequisite
3560: 202 Intermediate Japanese, 3560:210 Japanese Culture through film,
3350: 360 Asia, 3400:200 Empires of Ancient Asia,
3400:303 Japan, or 3400: 386 World Civilizations: Japan
Eligibility and Recruitment of Students
Participants in the program must have completed successfully 3560: 210 Japanese culture
through film (or equivalent) with a B or higher. The program is open to undergraduate students
in good standing and other qualified individuals. Space in the program is limited, and the
program directors reserve the right to select students. Students are required to fill out an
application with one academic reference and an essay focused on why they are interested in
studying abroad. All participants must demonstrate evidence of personal maturity and serious
commitment to the purposes of the program. Students who enroll in this class are committing to
go to Japan and paying all fees before the trip.
Preparation session
Preparation sessions prior to departure will provide information about different aspects of
Japanese culture that students will encounter while traveling in Japan, for example, food,
lodging, transportation, and customary behaviors of Japanese people. Also, these sessions will
serve as orientation sessions covering the logistical aspects of the trip.
Blog entries
Each participant will post blog entries and devote approximately one to two hours per day for 14
days writing about their experiences in relation to Japanese and American cultures. Every day,
the instructor will conduct informational lectures about key concepts of Japan that relate to the
cultural activities of the day. The blog entries will reflect the cultural aspects covered during
these lectures and those in the assigned readings from the book. Departing from an essay type
question provided by the instructor, students will write about the relationship between several
aspects of Japanese culture as learned from the lectures and from the textbook and through
experiential learning. The students’ blogs will be an excellent showcase of scholarship and
cultural understanding as related to each student’s majors and personal interests.
Participation
Students are expected to participate in group discussions, face to face and online, and to show
that have read the readings assigned to them.
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Essay
After the 14-day trip, students will submit a one 5-7 page essay on a topic previously discussed
with the instructor about one specific aspect of Japanese culture. Students will be expected to
consult several bibliographical references as part of their research and incorporate them in the
essay. The paper will also incorporate the experiential knowledge about the topic gained during
the trip.
Projected cost 14 day trip in 2016
Budget Statement
APPROXIMATE COSTS for 14 days in Japan
Airfare: 1,500
Lodging and food: 1,400
Transportation (Japan Rail Pass): 400
Director expense:150
UA health insurance: 50
STUDENT TOTAL: $3,500*
*This doesn’t include 3 credit hours of UA
tuition. If you are a scholarship recipient you
should find out if your scholarship will cover
the cost of the credits associated to the class.
Tentative schedule
Date
Destination
Sites
Day 1
Arrive at Narita, Tokyo
Narita airport
Day 2
Moving day to Kyoto
Kyoto city
Day 3
Kyoto
Kinkaku-ji , Kiyomizu-dera, Sanjusangen-do and Ryoanji
Day 4
Nara
Todaiji, Yakushiji, Horyuji
Day 5
Moving to Hiroshima
Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Park
Day 6
Hiroshima
Miyajima, freetime
Day 7
Moving to Osaka
Osaka city, Osakajyo
Day 8
Osaka
Shinsai-bashi, Instant Ramen Museum
Day 9
Wakayama-Koyasan
Koyasan
Day 10
Wakayama
Koyasan
Day 11
moving Tokyo
Asakusa, Skytree, Tokyo Tower
Day 12
Tokyo
Ghibli Museum ,Harajuku
Day 13
Tokyo
Freetime
Day 14
Leaving to Cleveland
Cleveland International Airport
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