Colleges with majors/study abroad in Japan programs

[Vida Winter]

Does anyone else have a high school student interested in Japanese language/culture? What majors would one even begin to investigate? Teaching ESL comes to mind, as does international business.

[mumto2]

I thought I would give you a bump. Not sure how helpful these thoughts are but....

 

A good friend was a Japanese major many years ago. She had a career in advertising before motherhood. Large international firm based in London. FWIW, She is also fluent in French and German.

 

Another friend's ds loved this program http://www.hope.edu/academic/language/japanese/major.htmlat Hope College. No idea what he is doing now.

[Vida Winter]

Thanks for the bump and info, mumto2 - I had heard of Hope College.

[elegantlion]

Ds is interested in Japanese language and culture. As far as majors, we're still researching, but he is interested in computer engineering, so more the tech side that the teaching English or liberal arts focus. 

 

His goal is to study there for at least a semester while in college with an eye toward living there for a time, possibly. I've also been following the new sources from Japan, like Japan Times, and seeing what education, immigration, and job trends are. 

 

He's still looking at what degrees would help him best. 

[flyingaway]

https://www.aatj.org/studyabroad/College-and-University-Programs-US

 

Here's a link that might be useful to you. It's from the American Association of Teachers of Japanese. My daughter was born in Japan and would like to go back someday, possibly as a student.

[Mom22ns]

Ds will probably get an Asian Studies minor. His college emphasizes China in their Asian studies minor, but it is a small LLC and he talked to them already and they assured him he could substitute all Japanese studies instead. He will take most of his classes for his minor at the local State U where they have a  full Japanese major available and an agreement with his LLC for students to take foreign language and culture classes. 

 

His major will be writing, but since that is in the English department, it would be very easy to get a ESL certificate at the end. He has considered going to Japan to teach English after graduation. His goal is to be an author. Japan/Japanese is just an interest, albeit a somewhat obsessive interest. :) I consider travel and interaction with other cultures great fodder for his writing some day even if it isn't an end in itself.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

For students interested in Japan, this might be a good course during high school.

 

Reischauer Scholars Program http://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/fellowships/reischauer_scholars_program/

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard.  http://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/about/index.php

 

 

[idnib]

Someone I know had an excellent experience at Pomona College. He also did study abroad. He went back after college and lived there for quite a while. He's back in the U.S. and is a university professor now with a focus on Japan.

[lisabees]

Thanks for starting this thread.  I, too, have a son interested in Japan, but not as a major.

 

He got a scholarship through Youth For Understanding to spend the summer in Japan.  I'll let you know how it goes and if it changes his direction!