The Sigur Center for Asian Studies

The Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University

The George Washington University

Study Abroad Programs


sigur center imageBelow is a list of study abroad programs in Asia. If you are interested in language programs within the U.S., please click here.

JAPAN

Kansai Gaidai University

Location: Osaka, Japan

Type of Program: for third or fourth year undergrads – Asian Studies Program

Application Deadlines:

Requirements: No previous work in Japanese or Asian Studies is required, but it is preferred. Applicants should have a strong academic record. Applicant must have at least one year (preferably two years) of experience at a college-level institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale to be considered for admission.

Web site: http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/asp/

Summer Program in Japanese Language and Culture, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Type of program: seven-week summer program based at the IES Tokyo Center in Chiba, led by UNC-CH faculty. Courses include Japanese language, and Japanese Popular Culture.

Living arrangemens: home stay

Web site: http://studyabroad.unc.edu/asia/Japan

KOREA

Ewha International Education Institute Co-ed Programs, Ewha Womans University

Location: Seoul, Korea

Program: International Exchange & Study Abroad Program

Summer School:

Application Deadlines:

Requirements: Exchange students must be nominated by a partner institution through a formal exchange agreement; visiting students can apply individually. GPA should be over 2.5.

Languages: A range of undergraduate courses are taught in English. To find out which courses, see http://iei.ewha.ac.kr/html/courses01.asp. Summer courses are also taught in English.

Web site: http://iei.ewha.ac.kr

Hallym International School Korean Language & Culture Summer Program,
Hallym University

Location: Chuncheon, South Korea

Program Description: Korean Language & Culture Summer Program, a four-week program designed to help students learn Korean culture through practical and experiential exploration of Korean language, history, culture, and customs. Well-seasoned culture and academic experts will teach a variety of courses related to Korean culture and history. You will visit Korea's famous natural, historical and contemporary sites, accompanied by Hallym University students, offering an excellent opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and the chance to make new friends.

Courses Offered: Korean Arts & Music, Korean Food, Korean History, Korean Language, Korean Literature, Korean Society, Korean Traditional Sports, Intercultural Communication, Korean Religious Traditions. Courses are mainly taught in English.

Web site: http://his.hallym.ac.kr

Korean Language and Culture Center, Institute of Foreign Language Studies,
Korea University

Location: Seoul, Korea

1. Type of Program: Intensive summer language course designed for adult learners who wish to learn the Korean language and culture during summer holidays. The program runs in July for four weeks.

Accommodations: Students can choose from KU dormitory, boarding houses, and others.

Application Deadline (please check web site for exact date): June 10

Requirements: Application form, registration certificate or graduation certificate, copy of a valid passport and two passport photographs.

2. Type of program: regular, including four 10-week terms, for language and culture study

Application Deadlines (please check web site for exact dates):

Requirements: No prior Korean language study required

Web site: http://kola.korea.ac.kr/klcc

TAIWAN

International Chinese Language Program, National Taiwan University

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Program Description: The academic year program consists of three quarters of ten to twelve weeks each, and an optional summer term of eight weeks.  Students are required to attend a minimum of three consecutive quarters.  Each student has twenty hours of class per week.  Normally, one class per day is individual, with the remaining classes being in small groups of no more than four students per class.  ICLP’s Summer Program consists of 8 weeks.  Students spend approximately fifteen hours per week in class.  Each day students are scheduled two group classes and one individual class.  All classes are conducted entirely in Chinese.

Programs Offered:

Application deadline: Academic Year Program: April 30th.  Summer Program: March 31

Requirements: Applications should have a foundation in Chinese equivalent to at least one year of college-level training and be at least one of the following: a degree candidate at an accredited university or college, a university or college degree holder, a professional whose career requires use of Chinese.

Prices: Summer program: US $3,300; Academic Year program: $3700 per quarter except for fourth quarter (summer program).

Web site: http://iclp.ntu.edu.tw

Mandarin Studies Program, National Chengchi University

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Program description: The Mandarin Studies Program offers a variety of non-credit Chinese courses to foreigners and overseas Chinese students.  There are three regular 12-week terms (Spring, Summer and Fall), one 8 or 9 week term (winter) and one-to-one tutorial courses.  

Terms:

Requirements: Application form, health certificate (specifically for HIV and TB/chest X-ray, current within 6 months), financial statement, and one 1-inch recent photo.

Prices: Spring, Summer and Fall: NT$19700 (US$615); Winter: NT$16,500 (US$516)

Housing: Must submit application, dormitory (4 person room) costs NT$7,500 (US$235). Space is limited.  All other housing is off-campus, subject to the student’s own efforts.

Website: http://mandarin.nccu.edu.tw/english/

Mandarin Training Center, National Taiwan Normal University

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Program details:  The program is not a degree program, but can provide certificates stating completion of however much you’ve studied.  They accept all levels of students.  Most students enroll in a class meeting 2 hours per day, 5 days per week, which may be supplemented with a culture class, tutorial, or second group class.

Academic schedule:


Applications: Please submit applications as early as possible.  All materials must be received before an application will be considered.  Application materials include: the application (downloadable from the website), university transcript or diploma photocopy, financial statement showing that the applicant has adequate funds, or proof of scholarship or loan.

Requirements: This program does not require previous Mandarin study.

Prices: NT$ 19,200 (approximately US$600)

Website: http://www.mtc.ntnu.edu.tw/indexe.html

Taipei Language Institute

Locations: In Taiwan: Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung
In China: Dalian, Beijing, Tianjin, Suzhou, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

Program description (The Taipei School): TLI offers separate, flexible programs in Mandarin and Taiwanese that help students achieve their individual language-learning goals. Both individual and group classes are offered.  Individual classes are a more personalized, highly intensive form of instruction, these classes are completely flexible with regard to scheduling and curriculum.  You can choose to study in both group and individual classes. Regular group classes are offered in terms consisting of three months each.  Class size ranges from five to ten students, and the classes are five days a week, three hours a day.  Individual and small group classes (of two to four people) can begin at any time during the year, and last for any length desired.

Academic calendar:
Individual classes can begin at any point.
Group classes, Term 1: December 3 to March 2, 2008. Term 2: March 3 to June 1, 2008.  Term 3: June 2 to August 31, 2008.  Term 4: September 1 to November 30, 2008.
           
Requirements: This program does not require previous Mandarin or Taiwanese study.  Applicants from abroad must pay a tuition deposit of $150. 

Prices: Individual courses are: $14/hour (1-5 hours a week) $13/hour (6-9 hours a week) or $12/hour (10 or more hours a week).  Group courses of five or more students (15 hours a week) are $785 for 3 months. With 2-4 students, it is $8 per hour per student.

Website: http://www.tli.com.tw/

OTHER

Summer Intensive CJK Programs, University of British Columbia

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Program description: A nine-week program over the summer including eight weeks of intensive first-year language instruction broken up by a one-week break in the middle.  Classes meet a minimum of four hours a day for a total of slightly more than 150 hours of instruction. Thus, students have the opportunity to earn the equivalent of one year's worth of university instruction in one of the three major languages of East Asia.  UBC is home to the largest post-secondary Chinese and Japanese language programs in North America.

Languages offered: Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean

Application deadlines: register early, ideally before March 1, 2008

Web site: http://www.asia.ubc.ca