Create your future. Shape your world.
You will find dozens of kindred spirits among the students in our Japanese Studies program. From the required Introduction to the Study of Japan course, which explores the study of Japan from multiple disciplines, to the Senior Capstone project, students develop close friendships with fellow majors.
In other courses, such as The Japanese Tea ceremony, you will interact with students across campus and provide a unique forum for experiencing Japanese culture.
Study abroad in Japan isn't just a possibility, it's a requirement for the Japanese Studies major. Students can choose from:
A unique aspect of the Japan Study program is the one-month Cultural Practicum with options from working in a ski lodge to living in a Zen monastery. Students on the SICE program gain experience teaching English, which is an advantage for those who wish to teach English in Japan after graduating (Earlham hires 3-4 graduates each year for its Morioka Assistant Language Teacher program).
A wide variety of extracurricular activities focused on Japan are available. Most popular is the student-run Harumatsuri (Spring Festival) which Earlham students organize alongside exchange students from Waseda University. Whether you like chorus, cooking or karate, there is a place for you in Harumatsuri!
The new United States Ambassador to Vietnam, David Shear '75, says he entered the foreign service “completely by chance,” though he says that his study of Japan as an Earlham student clearly had something to do with it.
Studying the Japanese tea ceremony, our students learn to brew their experience using the same values that shape Earlham. Kento Ichikawa ’12 was surprised by how the values of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility overlap.
