St. Lawrence University
Japan Program

Curriculum

LANGUAGE STUDY,
COURSES at NANZAN,
COURSES at ICU, and
CREDIT

LANGUAGE STUDY
Both ICU and Nanzan are noted for their language programs; all St. Lawrence students in Japan take intermediate or advanced Japanese. They are placed at an appropriate level as determined by a diagnostic test administered shortly after their arrival in Japan. All students who plan to go to Japan must study the Japanese language before departing, preferably at St. Lawrence, where the Japanese language program is designed with overseas studies in mind. That works both ways; returnees from Japan can continue their Japanese language studies on the St. Lawrence campus if they so desire.

COURSES
At both Nanzan University and ICU, all international students are required to take Japanese language courses. Instruction is offered at all levels. Other offerings, taught in English, vary somewhat from year to year.

Nanzan University offers the following courses in the humanities and social sciences. Check the most recent Nanzan catalog to see if a class is expected to be taught a particular semester.

• Japanese Literature (3 credits)
• Japanese Religions (3 credits)
• Contemporary Japanese Economy (3 credits)
• Comparative Education (3 credits)
• Japanese Foreign Policy (3 credits)
• Elementary and Intermediate Translation (2 credits)
• Second Language Acquisition (2 credits)
• Classical Japanese (2 credits)
• Japanese Culture and Art (3 credits)
• Japanese Politics (3 credits)
• Japanese History (3 credits)
• Japanese Economy (3 credits)

Classes with Japanese students:

• Studies in Japanese Language Pedagogy (2 credits>
• Japanese Business (3 Credits)
• Japanese Culture (3 credits)
• Japanese Society (2 credits)
• Japanese Linguistics (2 credits)
• Observation & Analysis of Japanese Language Activities (2 credits)
• Intercultural Communication (3 credits)
• Asia in American Foreign Relations Since 1945 (2 credits

Arts and Cultural Enrichment courses at Nanzan

• Shodo (calligraphy)
• Hanga (woodblock printing)
• Sumie (black ink painting)
• Ikebana (flower arrangement).

At ICU, there is much variation in courses taught in English. The following is a sample of those taught recently:

• Contemporary Japan from Ramune to Anime
• History of Contemporary Japan
• Special Topics in Gender and the Social Sciences
• Studies of the United Nations
• International Relations
• Peace Studies
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Plant Physiology
• Foundations and Concepts of Physics
• Modern Japanese Literature in English Translation
• Computer Systems
• Psycholinguistics and Language Acquisition
• International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
• International Trade
• Japanese Literature
• Ethnomusicology: Japanese Music
• History of Japan
• Japanese Encounters with the Outside World
• Foundations of Japanese Education
• Conflict Resolution
• Asian International Relations
• Politics in Southeast Asia
• Intercultural Communication and Relations
• Japanese Archaeology
• Business and Society in Japan
• International Migration and Ethnicity
• Psychology of Cultural and Human Diversity
• Analysis of Asian Economic Development
• Media and Multicultural Society
• Critical Issues in Anthropology
and advanced seminars in many subjects.

CREDIT
For St. Lawrence students, credits earned in Japan are considered resident credits. Therefore, no special residency waivers are required. Nanzan has a set group of courses offered to English-speaking students. All of those courses have been approved for St. Lawrence University credit. ICU has a much wider selection of courses offered. Students accepted to ICU must have the courses they intend to take approved by each department chair. A Transfer Credit Approval Form will be included in the acceptance packet for ICU. Each student registers for a normal full load (14-18 hours at Nanzan; 12-18 hours per quarter at ICU).

In addition, some departments may limit the number of courses taken abroad that may count toward a major, or they may have other regulations about how such courses fit into a major. It is essential that students confer with their advisors and department chairpersons well in advance of going abroad in order to plan their academic programs and avoid problems. Students who are planning to declare a combined major in Asian studies or a minor in Asian studies will be able to count almost any course taken in Japan toward the requirements for these Asian studies programs.