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An Invitation to Study Japanese Language
June 2009

 In the age of globalization a study of foreign language is becoming more and more essential for a better understanding of different cultures of the world.  This letter invites you to start Japanese this fall in your first year and, as you proceed to upper levels, you will have an exciting opportunity to study abroad in Japan, as well as complete a minor in Japanese Studies, while a student at St. Lawrence University. An early decision is a key to your success.  Language study will enrich your education and future career in whichever direction you may go in today’s increasingly intercultural environment.

  • In Japanese 101, all four skills of language—listening, speaking, reading and writing—will be studied in two classes per week at 12:00-1:30, Mon. and Wednes., and in labs on Tues. and Thurs. either at 5:00-6:00 or 6:00-7:00.
  • We use various teaching methods to help students acquire a good command of Japanese, from traditional classroom interactions with the instructor to audio-visual and computer-assisted technology, calligraphy practice, singing Japanese songs and watching scenes from Japanese language and culture films. Our Japanese Program has rich resources of material collections: books, dictionaries, journals, Manga comics, Anime DVDs, videos, CDs, and CD-ROMs.
  • Starting with romanized Japanese, by the end of the fall semester you will be surprised to find yourself writing simple Japanese sentences on the computer using Kanji characters.  This process is a lot of fun and not difficult: while you enjoy, you learn.
  • Our Study Abroad Program in Japan is well-established since 1983, based on exchange with two liberal arts colleges, International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo and Nanzan University in Nagoya. There are several options to take: after successfully passing Elementary Japanese 101 and 102 at St. Lawrence, you may go to Japan for one semester or a full year, or continue to take Intermediate Japanese 103 and 104 on campus before studying in Japan. 
  • This year we will have several returning St. Lawrence students from Japan and Japanese exchange students from both ICU and Nanzan, who can all help you in labs as TAs and tutors.
  • In Japan you can explore Japanese culture, old and new, such as Zen gardens, Tea Ceremony, Martial Arts, Taiko (Drum) performance, Theater, Anime and Manga Festivals, and even Western style art and music. For details of our Study Abroad Program in Japan, please visit our website: http://web.stlawu.edu/ciis/program/japan
  • The Minor Program in Japanese Studies helps the students strengthen their academic background. Its requirements are six courses: four Japanese language courses from 101-104, plus two courses on Japan offered in English such as film, culture, drama and literature.  Further study in the Japan Exchange Program will also qualify for this requirement.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail: 

Dr. Yoko Chiba, Associate Professor, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

Tel. 229-5154/ Email: ychiba@stlawu.edu