Tokyo, Japan

Campus contacts: Off-Campus Programs, James-Henry Holland, Modern Languages (offered every fall semester)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges are an affiliate member of the Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) in Hikone, Japan which offers a program in contemporary Japanese language and culture every fall semester. The program is located near the city of Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The JCMU complex, located on Lake Biwa, the largest fresh water lake in Japan, includes classrooms, a library, state of the art language labs, a traditional Japanese tea room, a public restaurant, and offices. The city of Hikone possesses a rich combination of traditional and modern Japan with its architecture and small town atmosphere supported by a progressive government and thriving economy. Lake Biwa, a popular spot for windsurfing and other water sports is just a five minute walk away from the center.

PROGRAM DATES
August 30 to December 18, 2001

ACCOMMODATIONS
Participants will be housed with host families in the Hikone area arranged by the local housing coordinator. The cost of commuting is included in the program fee although many will be able to walk or bicycle to the JCMU from their homestay location. Host families will provide two meals per day during the week and full board on the weekends. Participants will be given a lunch stipend each month to cover the cost of eating the additional meal Monday through Friday.

EXCURSIONS
The calendar of JCMU is designed to allow students ample opportunity for independent travel in Japan both during and after the academic term. Many local or regional trips are also possible. Hikone itself is a castle town tracing its origins to the early seventeenth century, when a cluster of Samurai residences and commercial establishments grew up at the foot of the castle of the local lord. Hikone is a 45-90 minute train trip from the large cosmopolitan cities of Kyoto, Nagoya and Osaka.

ELIGIBILITY
The program is open to any senior Hobart or William Smith student who has a keen interest in Japan. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA or better and have studied one year of college level Japanese or have the equivalent.

APPROXIMATE COST
The cost for participation in the Hikone program is the regular HWS fall tuition, $500 administrative fee, and the normal full room and board fee is $16,841. Additional expenses include roundtrip airfare and miscellaneous and personal expenses, independent travel, gifts, etc. of approximately $3,000, although individual habits and patterns may vary.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Participants receive four course credits for participation in the program: three credits for intensive Japanese language one credit for a survey course in Japanese Culture and Society or International and Comparative Dimensions of Business: Japan or "The Making of Japan: Japanese History from Ancient Times to the Twentieth Century". with permission students can pursue an independent study as their fourth course choice

For more information about courses and the program please contact the Office of Off-Campus Programs, Professor Holland in Modern Languages, or www.isp.msu.edu/jcmu.