Japan Program at Chiba (J-PAC)
J-PAC (Japan Program at Chiba) targets undergraduate students with academic interests in Japanese culture and society from partner institutes with which Chiba University has concluded student exchange agreements. J-PAC consists of two sub-courses: (a) International Liberal Arts Course for students in all majors and (b) Japanese Studies Course for students who major in Japanese studies at their home institutes. J-PAC accept students for five terms (two semesters) from October to early August or for two terms (one semester) either from October to February or from April to early August.
Applicants should send their completed applications through their home institutes.
Note that J-PAC is NOT a language program for students who only wish to improve their Japanese.
(1) International Liberal Arts Course
(a) Aims
International Liberal Arts Course is designed for international students who know some Japanese and are interested in Japanese society and culture, regardless of their academic fields. This course offers liberal arts courses for international and local students to develop thinking skills using Japan as a critical case. Through collaborative learning with local students, participants from different regions will deepen their understanding of Japan and refresh their insights into their cultures and societies. They will ultimately enhance their abilities to tackle global issues from multiple perspectives beyond linguistic and cultural barriers.
(b) Characteristics
This course welcomes students majoring in natural science and engineering alongside students studying humanities and social science. Participants can select a variety of courses according to their interests and concerns. Courses aim to accomplish the following four goals:
- To deepen understanding of Japanese society and culture;
- To gain knowledge in the areas of Chiba University's greatest strengths;
- To promote intercultural understanding through exchanges with local students at Chiba University;
- To acquire proficiency in the Japanese language sufficient for everyday and academic life.
Courses are taught in English only or in English and Japanese. Participants can also choose Japanese-medium courses that match their language levels. Courses offered in this course value collaborative learning. Classes are usually split into smaller groups where international and local students work together on a project and learn from each other proactively.
(c) Conditions of application
-be undergraduate students from academic institutions with which Chiba University has university-level student exchange agreement excluding students majoring in Japanese language, Japanese studies or Japanology
-be at least second-year student at the time of application
-have either the following language proficiency at the time of application
1)Have sufficient English proficiency to take classes offered in English, equivalent to CEFR B2, TOEFLiBT72 or IELTS5.5 or over, and have studied Japanese language for at least 50 hours.
2) Have sufficient Japanese proficiency to take classes offered in Japanese, equivalent to passing JLPT N2 or over.
(d) Completion of the course
Chiba University will issue certificates of completion to participants who have attended six or more classes per week in each term and earned ten or more credits in two consecutive terms from October to February or from April to early August.
(2) Japanese Studies Course
(a) Aims
Japanese Studies Course is designed for international students who major in Japanese studies at their home institutes and wish to study Japan in Japanese. Participants will use Japanese to gain knowledge in their chosen subjects alongside a more profound knowledge of the language. Collaborative intercultural learning will enable them to view Japan from multiple perspectives. Participants will acquire essential skills to conduct independent research in their specific areas of Japanese studies.
(b) Characteristics
Participants can select Japanese language courses according to their levels of proficiency and attend courses in Japanese Studies for local and international undergraduate students. They can also study in advanced undergraduate courses and seminars depending on their interests, concerns and levels of Japanese.
At the same time, participants must conduct their independent research in Japanese. They are advised to enroll in Research Work (Humanities) A and B, the courses to help students pursue their research projects and complete a research paper. Participants will gain active learning experiences far beyond knowledge acquired in classrooms.
Participants are also encouraged to play active roles in the Universal Festival. Students from different regions introduce their countries and cultures to the audience. They can also join events with Japanese primary schools near Chiba University. These events will help participants practice expressing themselves in Japanese and strengthen their ties with the local community.
Participants willing to concentrate on a specific area of Japanese studies and pursue their academic interests in the future can apply for a scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT). We accept several embassy-recommended students every year. Note that the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship (Nikkensei) only lasts for eleven months, from October to August of the following year.
(c) Conditions of application
-be undergraduate students from academic institutions with which Chiba University has university-level student exchange agreement
-major Japanese language, Japanese studies or Japanology
-be at least second-year student at the time of application
-have either the following language proficiency at the time of application
1) Have sufficient Japanese proficiency to take classes offered in Japanese, equivalent to passing JLPT N2 or over.
2)Have sufficient English proficiency to take classes offered in English, equivalent to CEFR B2, TOEFLiBT72 or IELTS5.5 or over, and have studied Japanese language for at least 50 hours.
(d) Completion of the course
Chiba University will issue certificates of completion to participants who have attended six or more classes per week in each term and earned ten or more credits in two consecutive terms from October to February or from April to early August. MEXT scholarship students must earn nine or more credits in two consecutive terms and submit a final essay of 6,000 to 9,000 Japanese characters.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants for the J-PAC sub-courses must study at higher education institutes that have concluded inter-university student exchange agreements with Chiba University. Students must send out completed applications such that Chiba University receives them on or before March 10 to be admitted in October and on or before September 10 to be admitted in April.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Japan Program at Chiba
Chiba University
1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi 263-8522 Japan
TEL: +81-(0)43-290-2199 / FAX: +81-(0)43-290-2198
E-mail: jpac@office.chiba-u.jp
