Toyo University offers UVa-Wise students chance to study in Japan

Students of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise now have the opportunity to study abroad in Japan regardless of their proficiency in speaking the Japanese language, thanks to a new exchange program offered by Toyo University.

The Nihongo for Exchange Students program at Toyo University (NEST) provides students at any level of Japanese proficiency with the opportunity to study the language intensively.

The one-year program, arranged through UVa-Wise’s agreement with ISEP, offers six courses:

· Integrated Japanese (five credits)
· Japanese Reading and Comprehension (two credits)
· Kanji Literacy (one credit)
· Project Work (one credit)
· Japanese Listening Comprehension (one credit)
· Japanese Culture (one credit)

The Japanese Culture course will include access to short-term home stays near Toyo’s Itakura campus.

Students will continue to have the opportunity to take English language courses and Japanese courses with English assistance. The course lists for the 2008-2009 academic year are available at http://www.toyo.ac.jp/kouryu/english.

Toyo University has recently completed construction of a residence hall for international students that is only a 10-minute walk from the Hakusan campus. Rooms are furnished with a single bed, desk, chair, washer and dryer, television, microwave, air conditioning and Internet access. Apartments also contain a bathroom and kitchen.

The typical UVa-Wise student has a good chance of placement at Toyo. ISEP will continue to accept applications for Toyo placement if space remains. Availability for Toyo University can be viewed at http://www.isep.org/students/US_Students/sites_open_us_applications.asp.

The Toyo program is also available as an ISEP Direct option. The deadline to apply is March 15.

For more information, contact the UVa-Wise Office of International Programs at 276-328-0287 or e-mail internationalprograms@uvawise.edu.

Posted February 15, 2008