The Program

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Kansai Gaidai University have exchanged students since 1978! UW-Eau Claire students at Gaidai enroll in the Asian Studies Program for a semester or academic year. The program combines courses taught in English with a Japanese language course at an appropriate level.

Gaidai was founded in 1945 as a private language institute. It currently enrolls more than 11,000 students, including approximately 500 students from 40 countries who enroll in the Asian Studies Program.

You have a  choice of staying  with a Japanese family or in a dormitory. Gaidai recommends that students stay with a Japanese family, at least for one semester. In addition to the advantages of being immersed in the language, staying with a family adds substantially to learning about the Japanese culture and society. Many past participants list it as the most important part of their experience abroad.

Location

Kansai Gaidai University (Gaidai) is located in the city of Hirakata (population 400,000), midway between Osaka, Japan's second largest industrial city, and Kyoto, the ancient capital. Located in the cultural heart of Japan, Gaidai's campus provides an excellent starting point from which to begin your exploration of a land that, by anyone's standards, is truly fascinating.

Hirakata City is well situated for exploring Japan. Osaka, Kyoto & Kobe are within easy reach. Recent participants also report visiting Gifu (to see old Japanese-style architecture), Hiroshima & Miyagima (on a class trip), Takamatsu (on Shikoku Island), Tokyo, Nara (to see the deer park & large temple), Okayama, (a beautiful nature area), and Wakayama (to stay in a temple and see the ocean.)

Courses

All students are required to take a five-credit Spoken Japanese language course each semester. Serious students of Japanese should strongly consider taking the Reading and Writing Japanese, also.

There is also a choice of elective courses taught in English, for up to a total of 13 credits each semester. These classes change frequently. For a complete and up to date course listing, please visit the Kansai Gaidai website at http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/asp/. A partial list of UW-Eau Claire equivalencies is available in the Center for International Education. Sample course offerings are listed below.

• Spoken Japanese (6 level offerings; 5 credits)
  
• Reading and Writing Japanese ( 6 levels)
• Asian Economic Integration & Globalization
• Political Economies of East Asia
• Intercultural Business Communication/Japan
• International Human Resource Management
• Problems in Modern Japanese History & Politics
• Introduction to Japanese History
• Youth in Japan
• Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Survey of Japanese Art
• Modern Japanese Literature
• Religion in Japan
• Ceramics
• Japanese Brush Painting
  
  

(All classes are worth 3 credits unless otherwise noted)

Academic Calendar

The program runs for a semester or a full academic year. The fall semester begins the last week of August and ends in the middle of December. The spring semester begins the last week of January and concludes around the end of May. Exact dates will be available the semester prior to departure.

Expenses

The estimated Wisconsin resident fee for one semester is $6,701.  This includes full-time UW-Eau Claire tuition, room, a meal stipend, CISI insurance, and administrative fees. Minnesota residents may apply for reciprocity; non-residents add non-resident fees. 

Additional costs: passport, international or local transportation, books, or personal expenses. Estimate another $2,747-3,337 for these costs, depending on whether you live with a host family, and where the host family lives.

Total Wisconsin resident cost estimate for one semester: $9,448-$10,838. Cost estimates may change at any time.
 

Financial Aid/Scholarships

If you qualify for financial aid, you can apply your aid to program costs. Your aid package will be based on actual costs in Japan, including round-trip airfare. Two large national scholarships, the Freeman Asia and Bridging Scholarships, are available for study in Japan. Learn about additional options, including a study abroad grant through the UW-Eau Claire Foundation; a Wisconsin Grant for Study Abroad and scholarships for specific majors and more national scholarships at http://uwec.edu/CIE/sac/finaid.htm.

Eligibility

To apply you must be a currently-enrolled, degree-seeking undergraduate UW-Eau Claire student . You need to be in good academic standing and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.  Kansai Gaidai gives preference to students who will be juniors or seniors during the exchange. Previous Japanese language study is strongly recommended.

Application Deadline

Applications for Fall 2008/Academic Year 2008-09 are accepted beginning September 4, 2007.  The priority application deadline for Fall 2008 is November 1, 2007.

Applications for Spring 2009 are accepted beginning January 15, 2008.  The priority application deadline for Spring 2009 is March 3, 2008.

Complete applications will be reviewed after these dates.  Late applications will be considered if space on the program is still available.  Please contact the Center for International Education to find out if spaces are available before submitting a late application.  No applications will be accepted after January 15, 2008 for Fall 2008/Academic Year 2008-2009, or after May 1, 2008 for Spring 2009.

You can download an application at online applications, or stop by to pick up an application in the Center for International Education.

Student Comments

"Japan has been a fantastic opportunity to meet new people and encounter new ideas. The Kansai region provided me with a wonderful opportunity to see historic Japan by visiting Kyoto and Nara, and modern Japan by visiting Osaka. If you stay a year, you will find yourself becoming a part of society with many Japanese friends. This will undoubtedly be the most rewarding year of my college experience." -Chris, past participant

"My Japanese skills and confidence are probably triple what they were before I came here, and I've learned so much about Japanese culture. The campus is situated about halfway between Osaka and Kyoto, which makes the area perfect for venturing off and seeing some of what Japan has to offer."
-Nate, past participant

"Studying in Japan was a great way to experience a nonwestern culture." -Mark, past participant

"It was my dream to come to Japan since I was in 9th grade, and Kansai Gaidai made my experience a dream come true."
-Laura, past participant

"Japan has forever changed me as a person. I will not return to America with the same feelings and views as when I left. After being in Japan I feel I have a better understanding of myself and the rest of the world. It was the best decision of my life."
-Beverly, past participant

"This has been one of the most intense and educational experiences of my life. The thing I gained most was the learning I did about myself, and how I fit into my own culture and the world in general.
-Tim, past participant

Additional Information

For more information and an application, contact:

Center for International Education
Schofield 111
UW-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI  54702-4004

Phone: (715) 836-4411
Fax: (715) 836-4948
Email: studyabroad@uwec.edu