④　Characteristics of the Region Miyagi Prefecture belongs to the Tohoku (northeastern) district of Japan. The eastern part of the prefecture faces the Pacific Ocean while the western part is mountainous. Between them lies the Sendai Plain. Fishery and agriculture are the chief industries in the prefecture. Tohoku University is located in Sendai City, which has a population of about 1,000,000. The city once prospered as a castle town and still plays an important role as the economic and cultural center of the Tohoku district. Sendai has been called the “City of Trees” and is widely known as one of the most beautiful and environmentally pleasant cities in Japan. It is about 1 hour and 40 minutes by Shinkansen (super　express) from Tokyo.

A wide variety of international co-learning seminars and specialized humanities subjects

■University Overview ①　University Overview 1) Tohoku University was founded in 1907 as the third national university in Japan. It consists of 10 undergraduate faculties, 15 graduate schools, 3 professional graduate schools and 6 research institutes. Based on the principles of “research-first” and “open-door” policies, it is committed to playing a vital role in international cooperative research and educational endeavors as a world-famous university. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 2) Departments: (as of 1 May, 2019) Arts and Letters, Education, Law, Economics, Science, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering, Agriculture

Faculty members: 3,127 Undergraduate students: 10,814 Graduate students: 6,990　　 Total: 17,804

②　International exchange track record International students: 2,162 (from 93 countries/regions)

(as of 1 May, 2019) International visitors & researchers: 2,406

　　　　　　　　　(April, 2018 - March, 2019) Inter-university Academic Exchange Agreements: 229 institutions (35 countries/regions)

(as of May 2019)

③　Students accepted in recent years International students in 2019: 2,162Japanese and Japanese Culture Training Course students: 4 International students in 2018: 2,089Japanese and Japanese Culture Training Course students: 3 International students in 2017: 2,027Japanese and Japanese Culture Training Course students: 6　

④　Qualifications and Requirements for Applicants Applicants must satisfy the following conditions. 1)　Applicants are expected to have passed N2 (or

higher) of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test provided by the Japan Foundation, or have equal or higher proficiency.

2) Applicants must be studying Japanese language or Japanese culture as their academic major at their home universities.

⑤　Goals and Objectives Improvement of Japanese ability, and understanding of Japan and Japanese culture.

⑥　Program Duration October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021 Closing ceremony is scheduled for September.

⑦ Scholarship Duration　 October 1, 2020 　　– September 30, 2021

⑧　Events・Yearly Schedule Late September: travel to Japan October: Orientation, Opening Ceremony Oct.-Aug. Japanese Culture Training (Cultural Experience:

tea ceremony, making Japanese sweets, Japanese drums, flower arrangement, Tanabata decoration, etc., Cultural Field Trip: Yamadera, Hiraizumi, etc.), International Exchange Events (exchange events with Japanese students, the international festival, etc.)

September: Final Report Presentation, Closing Ceremony Late September: Return to home country

TOHOKU UNIVERSITY (Miyagi Prefecture)

■Program Overview ①　Training Goals a) A course intended mainly to study about Japan

and Japanese culture.

②　Features of the course This program is aimed at students who have a strong motivation and interest in independent research activities. The students can take classes of their choice from a large variety of Japanese language and culture courses offered at Tohoku University. In addition to a number of Japanese language courses, the program regularly offers classes in the history of Japanese thought, Japanese literature, etc. A focus of the program is to train students in academic skills for class presentations and report writing.

③　Quota: 10 students 　Embassy Recommendation: 9 　 University Recommendation: 1

⑩ General Outline of Subjects Offered and Features 1) Features of Subjects Offered i) Students will develop advanced Japanese skills, accurate

reading comprehension and writing skills required for research, and acquire research methods and knowledge of Japanese linguistics and Japanese society and culture.

ii) There are many problem-solving or project-based learning classes that both international students and Japanese students learn together. Students can learn more about Japan through collaborative learning, and can actively interact with Japanese students outside of class.

iii)Students can acquire knowledge about the field of interest while receiving guidance from an expert. At the same time, students can learn various related subjects such as Japanese thought history and Japanese literature.

2) Required Subjects

Table 1. Number of Required Classes

CategoryClasses per week

Fall Spring Total

Required Japanese Language and Culture Seminar 1 1

at least 14

Electives Japanese Language Subject at least 2

International Co-learning Seminar at least 2

Major Subject at least 2

Completion report (including oral presentation)Note: At least 7 subjects must be taken in a semester

⑨ Requirements for Program completion Students who have completed the prescribed course (14 or more classes per week for a year), submitted a completion report, and the academic advisor recognized the results will be issued with a certificate of completion at the completion ceremony. One class period lasts 90 minutes.

Table 2. Required SubjectCourse title

Classes /week

Hours /year

Description

Japanese Language and Culture Seminar

1 45 Learning how to use the library and search for materials. Studying Japanese culture and writing a completion report voluntarily. Training of presentation skills for research.

3) Elective Subjects i) Japanese Language Subjects These subjects are designed to enable students to choose from a wide range of courses according to their proficiency level in Japanese skills. They are divide into three levels: Intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced.Table 3. Elective Subjects （Japanese Language）

Subjects Classes /week

Hours /term

Intermediate Japanese [Student level: B1]

Comprehensive 4 90Listening Comprehension 1 22.5

Speaking/Conversation 1 22.5Reading Comprehension 1 22.5

Writing/Composition 1 22.5

Kanji/Vocabulary 2 45

Upper-Intermediate Japanese [Student level: B2]

Comprehensive 2 45Listening Comprehension 1 22.5

Speaking/Conversation 1 22.5Reading Comprehension 1 22.5

Writing/Composition 1 22.5

Kanji/Vocabulary 1 22.5

Advanced Japanese [Student level: C1]

Listening Comprehension 1 22.5

Speaking/Conversation 1 22.5Reading Comprehension 1 22.5

Writing/Composition 1 22.5

Business Japanese 1 22.5

Research Seminar

Practical Japanese for Academic Research 1 22.5

Japanese Culture Seminar

An introduction to Classical Japanese Writings

1 22.5

An Introduction to Sino-Japanese Writings* 1 12

An Introduction to Early Modern Handwritten Sources*

1 12

Pre-modern History and Thoughts in Japan 1 22.5

Note: * indicates a quarter course

ii) International Co-learning Seminars These are subjects for international and Japanese students to attend together to promote international understanding and internationalization. Because of small classes, students can improve their communication skills to work in groups and teams.(Most subjects are 1 class per week, 22.5 hours of semester)Table 4. Elective Subjects （International Co-learning）

Class Type Educational Contents

Introductory Seminar

Japanese Language and Culture in Film

Multimedia Based Mutual Language and Culture Understanding Through Manga and Anime

Educational Problems in Contemporary Society

Playback Theater Workshop : Basic

Current Topics

Playback Theater Workshop : Advanced

Japanese Language and Culture in Songs

Critical Thinking and Logical Writing

Seminar on Global Knowledge

Seeing Home Country and Area from Japan

Japanese Society and Culture

Intellectual History of Modern Japan

Japanese Culture and Communication

Modern Japanese History in Film

Japanese Society from an External Viewpoint

Japanese Language and Culture in Movies

Language Varieties in Japanese

Japanese Language in Contrast

Cooperative Project with International and Japanese Students

Japanese Modern Literature

Developing Performative Exercises for Japanese Conversation

Japanese Literature in English and Japanese

■DormitoriesDormitories and Locations ・International House Sanjo 1 (Sanjomachi Aobaku Sendai)

・International House Sanjo 2 (Sanjomachi Aobaku Sendai)

・International House Higashi-Sendai

(6 Higashisendai Miyaginoku Sendai) ・University House Sanjo (Sanjomachi Aobaku Sendai)

・University House Sanjo Ⅱ (Sanjomachi Aobaku Sendai)

・University House Sanjo III (Sanjomachi Aobaku Sendai)・University House Katahira (1 Ichibancho Aobaku Sendai)

・University House Nagamachi (8 Nagamachi Taihaku-ku Sendai) ・University House Aobayama (Aramaki Aoba-ku Sendai)【Website】http://sup.bureau.tohoku.ac.jp/housing/index_en.html

■Enquiries

＜Section in Charge＞ Center of Culture and Language Education, Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, Tohoku University

＜Contact＞ International Education Section, Student Exchange Division, Tohoku University Address : 41 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8576 JAPAN

Phone: +81-22-795-7817 Fax: +81-22-795-7826　 E-mail: sed2@grp.tohoku.ac.jp Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, Tohoku University： https://www.ihe.tohoku.ac.jp

Tohoku University Homepage：

http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/

■Follow-up for Alumni

In general, support for participants after they complete the program will be conducted by Tohoku University instructors via email and other communication methods. However, we will also plan opportunities for instructors to visit the students' home universities in person to provide post-program guidance. In addition, we will discuss ways to promote academic exchange with the participants' home universities.

3）Off Campus Subjects and Contents Many International Co-learning Seminars are designed to incorporate cultural experiences. For example, students who take the seminar “Cooperative Project with International and Japanese Students” will visit a museum or art museum in Sendai. Students who join the seminar “Solve Regional Problems in Naruko Onsen Through Tourism Business” and “Solve Regional Problems in Akiu Onsen Through Tourism Business” actually go to sightseeing spots in Miyagi and do fieldwork. In the seminar “What is “Tabunkakyosei”?”, students will practice Sendai's sparrow dance and participate in the festival.

4）Co-learning Classes with Japanese Students

All subjects in Table 4 are Co-learning Classes with Japanese Students.

⑪　Academic Advising

1. Person in charge of the program: Kensaku SOEJIMA Associate Prof. of Institute for Excellence in Higher Education (Major: Linguistics, Teaching Japanese as a second language)

2. Academic advisors and students’ enrollments: Japanese Studies Program students belong to the Faculty of Arts and Letters or the above Institute. Japanese teachers, including the above teacher, and staff of the Faculty of Arts and Letters serve as academic advisor for Japanese Studies Program.

NOTE: Academic assistance by Japanese tutors will be available to students who need it.

Class Type Educational Contents

Intercultural Understanding

Around the World: Journey of Language andCulture

Cross-cultural Communication

Deepening One's Understanding of Oneself and Others

Cultural Diversity in Japanese Society

Intercultural Communication Studies: Basics

Living in Multicultural Japanese Society

Global Communication

Intercultural Understanding

Global Communication

Problem/Project-Based Learning Seminar

Japanese Honorific Expressions Useful for University Life

Solve Regional Problems in Naruko Onsen Through Tourism Business

Solve Regional Problems in Akiu Onsen Through Tourism Business

Intercultural Communication Studies: Basics

Intercultural Communication Studies: Application, Personal Leadership

Global Career

How to Build a Global Career

Understanding of Human Resources Management Systems on Japanese Companies and How to Work

Japanese Employment Practices and Their Changes

HumanitiesBuddhism and Japan

What is “Tabunkakyosei”?

iii) Major Subjects Students take other general education courses and major courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Letters for general students mainly.