Japanese Language and Cultural Immersion Program: Advanced (J-CIP:A)

* This video was produced in February 2016.

Program Overview

The Japanese Language and Cultural Immersion Program: Advanced (J-CIP:A) is an intensive course in Akita studies taught entirely in Japanese, established by AIU in cooperation with The Australian National University.

Curriculum Contents

Akita is emblematic of Japan’s rural areas. Dependent for a long time on agricultural as the core of its economy, Akita was one of the first prefectures to experience population decline, long before Japan as a country did. As such, it has been a case study for the effects of rural depopulation and rural rehabilitation efforts.

Activities

Students in this program study Akita’s unique situation and cultural assets in the classroom, then interact directly with their subject matter through research visits and excursions. Students visit schools and cultural landmarks, and, as a culminating experience, take part in a two-night homestay while helping a local community set-up and execute its annual winter festival.

Japanese Language Ability

Japanese language ability demands on students are heavy, limiting this course to students with advanced (N2 to N1 level) Japanese. The program offers additional language instruction, such as courses and practice in the most polite keigo forms of speech. Throughout the course, students have the opportunity to develop their abilities in all four language skills – and learn to speak the local Akita dialect, as well!

Course & Credit Details

JPL 472 Japanese Language and Cultural Immersion Program is an intensive, advanced Japanese language course, worth six AIU credits. All participating students will receive a completion certificate as well as an official transcript sent to their home institution after the conclusion of that program.

What You Can Expect

Who better to describe the program than past participants? Check out the student interviews in the video above and this student voice article by a 2017 participant.

Program Schedule: 2024

Program Dates: Wednesday, January 10-Thursday, February 15.
Throughout the program, you will have classes and activities an average of 5 days per week.

Download the detailed schedule in Japanese here.

Unique Characteristics

This is a small, intensive program that will maximize your participation and interaction with your classmates, AIU students, and the local community.

Housing

Program participants live in one of the on-campus housing with AIU degree-seeking students as roommates/suitemates.

Unique Excursions

The program includes bus tours to Akita’s culturally significant sites, all of which are directly related to the course content, to add a hands-on element to the curriculum.