Study Abroad
TGU- Tohoku Gakuin University
Setting and History of Tohoku Gakuin University
Tohoku Gakuin University (TGU) is located in the city of Sendai, approximately 200 miles north of Tokyo, near the Pacific Ocean coast. It takes only two hours by bullet train from Tokyo to reach this economic and cultural center of northern Japan, which has nearly one million residents. Sendai dates back to 1602 when the Date Clan moved to Sendai and built Aoba Castle, which still stands in the heart of this historical castle town.
Tohoku Gakuin was founded in 1886 as a boys’ school. It is now the largest private university in northern Japan. TGU and Franklin & Marshall College have had a special connection from the beginning: The founders were William Hoy of Mifflinburg, PA, an F&M alumnus; and Masayoshi Oshikawa, a Japanese Christian. Another F&M alumnus, David Schneder of Bowmansville, PA, shortly joined the faculty and became president of the institution for 34 years. A total of sixteen alumni of F&M have served on the faculty of Tohoku Gakuin during the 114 years of its existence. One of these faculty members from Kinzo Kaneko, the son of a samurai, who graduated from F&M in 1891 as valedictorian.
Accounts of the roles of Hoy and Schneder in the history of Tohoku Gakuin University can be found in two books by William Mensendiek: Not Without Struggle and A Dream Incarnate.
Summer Study at TGU
Since 1982 Franklin & Marshall College has been sending students to Tohoku Gakuin University (TGU) for their Japanese Studies Program for foreign students. The program is a six-week course from late May through June, which is intended to provide the students with an introduction to Japanese langauge, history, art, culture and society, economics and science, for the purpose of developing an understanding of contemporary Japan.
Curriculum
- Three weeks of Japanese language instruction and a lecture series under the title “Tradition and Innovation in Japan,” conducted in English at TGU.
- Homestays with Japanese families during those three weeks
- A visit to a Zen Buddhist temple for instruction in meditation, calligraphy, and the tea ceremony.
- A weekend in a Japanese-style hotel in the mountains, with hotspring baths.
- Two weeks travel to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji Castle, HiroshimaPeace Museum, Miyajima.
- Pre-departure orientation (3 days at F&M)
Academic Credit
- Equivalent to one F&M course credit (Course ASN210)
- Graduating seniors are welcome to apply.
Cost
The fee for the program to an F&M student is approximately $5,000. This fee includes all expenses of the program, including the TGU and F&M tuitions; all living expenses while in Sendai; all hotel stays, meal allowance and admission to the places visited during the travel portion of the program; the round-trip air ticket to Japan and a seven-day Japan Railway Pass.
F&M actively seeks sources of financial aid to help relieve the financial burden to its students and will make this aid available to qualified students. Application deadline is Feb. 15. Interviews will be arranged before March 15. For those accepted into the program, a deposit of $1,000 is due on March 15.
Application Procedure
You must have a GPA of 2.5 in qualify. The application process requires an academic transcript, two faculty recommendations, a personal essay, and an interview. The interview committee looks for enthusiasm, emotional stability, flexibility in personal habits that you will need to do a homestay in Japan, and sound reasons for wanting to go.
For more information and application materials, please contact:
Professor Curtis Bentzel : (Director, Franklin and Marshall Summer Japanese Studies Program )
Fall Study at TGU
The fall program begins in the middle of September and ends in the middle of December. Lecture courses are in English.
Curriculum
- Lecture courses
- Special Lectures on Cultural Issues (Japanese Culture and Society; Japanese Literature)
- Special Interdisciplinary Studies (Introduction to Japanese Culture)
- Japanese Economy I (The Japanese Economy and the Management of Japanese Firms)
- Japanese Economy II (Political Economy of Japan and the Pacific Rim)
- Japanese Economy III (Firms and Industrial Organization in Japan)
- Japanese Language I (Elementary Level)
- Japanese Language II (Intermediate Level)
- Excursions
There will be a five-day, four-night excursion to Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, and Hiroshima in October. The University will make all travel arrangements in advance, but students will be unescorted and required to write and submit a journal of their experiences and impressions on the trip.
Participants will also join an overnight excursion together with the regular foreign students at the University. Possible destinations include Aizu-Wakamatsu, Nikko, and Lake Tazawa and Hiraizumi.
Circumstances permitting, a visit to a regional folkloric performance will be arranged. There will also be at least one short home stay.
Housing
Students who have applied by the end of January will be housed in conveniently-located off-campus apartments. Such housing cannot be unconditionally guaranteed for later applications, though we shall make every effort.
KGU - Kansai Gaidai University
Another University F&M students may apply for either spring or fall semester is Kansai Gaidai University. However, since F&M and KGU do not have special ties, there isn't an exchange student program for KGU, unlike TGU. Students will apply to KGU as an independent applicant instead.
For more information please visit www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp .
