Study Abroad: Ritsumeikan University
After a year and a half of preparation, in March of 2015, I set off on a solo plane trip to Japan. Within two hours of landing at Osaka International Airport, I was fast asleep in my hotel in Kyoto, dreaming of what lay ahead.
Due to much deliberation the semester prior, my study abroad partner and I set our sights on Ritsumeikan University, perched on a hill about fifteen minutes from the famous Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Ritsumeikan was brand new to CSUMB's partner program, so my partner and I were the first CSUMB students to attend. As such, we had to be particularly aware of every detail, good or bad, so that we could report back to our home school, and encourage future students to attend.
Ritsumeikan's Study in Kyoto Program (SKP) had two options of study focus: the Intensive Japanese Language track (IJL) or the Open Study in English track (OSE). As the entire reason for studying abroad for Japanese Major students is to improve our Japanese, my partner and I were enrolled in the IJL track, so the vast majority of our classes at Ritsumeikan were taught entirely in Japanese. However, we were encouraged to take part in some of the OSE culture courses, so as to lend our voices and perspectives to the discussions.
I deeply loved attending Ritsumeikan, and I wish I could have studied there for an entire year, rather than only a semester. The school, and the city it was located in, were absolutely wonderful, and I cannot wait for the day I get to go back.
Below are links to the classes I took while at Ritsumeikan:
See also My LESCANT page!
Due to much deliberation the semester prior, my study abroad partner and I set our sights on Ritsumeikan University, perched on a hill about fifteen minutes from the famous Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Ritsumeikan was brand new to CSUMB's partner program, so my partner and I were the first CSUMB students to attend. As such, we had to be particularly aware of every detail, good or bad, so that we could report back to our home school, and encourage future students to attend.
Ritsumeikan's Study in Kyoto Program (SKP) had two options of study focus: the Intensive Japanese Language track (IJL) or the Open Study in English track (OSE). As the entire reason for studying abroad for Japanese Major students is to improve our Japanese, my partner and I were enrolled in the IJL track, so the vast majority of our classes at Ritsumeikan were taught entirely in Japanese. However, we were encouraged to take part in some of the OSE culture courses, so as to lend our voices and perspectives to the discussions.
I deeply loved attending Ritsumeikan, and I wish I could have studied there for an entire year, rather than only a semester. The school, and the city it was located in, were absolutely wonderful, and I cannot wait for the day I get to go back.
Below are links to the classes I took while at Ritsumeikan:
See also My LESCANT page!