Japanese language programs

[drainer at mpinet.net]

Hi Robyn,

Unfortunately that seems to be the requirement for most formal institutions, 
though I think there could be placement tests. Perhaps others on the list 
could give you better advice on specifics.

Cornell University also has a good program (FALCON) designed for 
beginner/intermediate/advanced students, though the costs are a bit 
prohibitive.

There are many intensive language schools in Japan, some good, many bad. 
There is an institute which keeps costs low--the name escapes me, anyone 
remember it? I think it is somewhere in kansai and starts with an Y, though 
I am not sure at all....

Your best bet would be an intensive course at a university in Japan for one 
or two semesters, though I am not sure if you have the time as you are a 
focusing on the PhD.

To be honest, I would even recommend Rosetta Stone, if you've got the time 
and patience and can get it through your department. It's not the greatest 
learning tool in the world, but it works well enough for an intermediate 
learner or someone adept at listening.

I did not take three semesters of Japanese at university, so I had to learn 
on my own (and trust me, I never studied). In my experience, listening is 
the key...the hardest part is bridging the gap between intermediate and 
advanced...after that, just get a Nintendo DS and some Kanji learning games!


-d



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robyn Citizen" <rc1434 at nyu.edu>
To: <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 9:55 PM
Subject: Re: Japanese language programs


> Thanks! I checked into IUC but the it seems that I have to be somewhat 
> more proficient in Kanji (500-700 characters) then I currently am and need 
> to have three semesters of university courses in Japanese.
>
> Robyn Citizen
> PhD Candidate
> Cinema Studies
> New York University
> alternate e-mail: ladykaede1221 at gmail.com
>
>
>
> "I'm giving her all she's got Captain!" - Scotty, Star Trek 2009
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Lindsay Nelson <lrnelson at usc.edu>
> Date: Thursday, February 4, 2010 9:45 pm
> Subject: Re: Japanese language programs
> To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>
>> I second IUC Yokohama, have heard great things from friends who did it--I
>> did a one-year intensive program at Sophia that was really helpful (I
>> think
>> they've also got a summer course now, www.sophia.ac.jp), and I applied
>> for a
>> similar program at Waseda.
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 6:40 PM, Eija Niskanen 
>> <eija.niskanen at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>> > Hi!
>> >
>> > This one, IUC in Yokohama, is a good one. I studied their 1-yr
>> > program, but they have summer courses as well.
>> >
>> > http://www.stanford.edu/dept/IUC/
>> >
>> > Eija
>> >
>> > On Fri, Feb 5, 2010 at 11:37 AM, Robyn Citizen <rc1434 at nyu.edu> wrote:
>> > > Hi all,
>> > >
>> > > I was wondering if anyone on the list could recommend a good
>> program or
>> > school in Japan for intensive short-term (summer) Japanese lessons.
>> > >
>> > > I've been learning Japanese informally and through weekly Japan 
>> > > Society
>> > classes for a couple of years now and have decided that at 30 and
>> with a
>> > natural ineptitude when it comes to grammar, I probably need to
>> invest in
>> > the immersion experience if only for a brief period.
>> > >
>> > > Ideally, this will put me on the right track to being able to watch
>> > Japanese movies without subtitles - which is necessary since I can
>> only find
>> > certain films like KIKU TO ISAMU, without them - and read the
>> original text
>> > of film reviews and analyses by Japanese critics.
>> > >
>> > > Thanks much,
>> > >
>> > > Robyn Citizen
>> > > PhD Candidate
>> > > Cinema Studies
>> > > New York University
>> > > alternate e-mail: ladykaede1221 at gmail.com
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > "I'm giving her all she's got Captain!" - Scotty, Star Trek 2009
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Eija Niskanen
>> > c/o Fujita
>> > Kichijoji Honcho 4-12-6
>> > Musashino-shi
>> > Tokyo 180-0004
>> >