Public invited to participate in UIS study abroad course in Japan

The University of Illinois Springfield’s Global Experience program will be offering a short course on Japanese language and culture in Ashikaga, Japan during the second and third weeks of June. Members of the public community, in addition to degree-seeking students, are invited and welcome to participate.

The daily schedule in Ashikaga will include instruction in Japanese language and culture on the campus of the Ashikaga Institute of Technology (AIT), UIS’ sister university in Japan. Participants will be able to experience a tea ceremony, Japanese cuisine, flower arranging, Buddhist meditation, calligraphy and Japanese martial arts.

Each day will include educational field trips including trips to the Mayor's Office and City Hall; the Civil Engineering Department and Environmental Studies Program at AIT; the Kurita Porcelain Museum; the Ashikaga Gakko, the oldest university in Japan; the Bannaji Buddhist Temple; a farm or factory and a public school. In addition, participants will attend field trips to the Nikko Nature Preserve and Shinto Temple complex and to Tokyo.

Lodging will be in a combination of hotels, guest houses and home stays. All expenses, lodging, meals (with the exception of a few lunches), local and international travel and entrance fees are included in the program fee. Tuition and university fees for degree-seeking students are not included in the program fee, however. It is anticipated that the program fee will be approximately $2,500, dependent upon international airfare.

The deadline for signing up for the course is March 26.

For more information and application materials, contact the UIS Office of International Programs at 217/206-8319 or email intprog@uis.edu.