KOJSP

About the Kobe-Oxford Japanese Studies Programme
KOJSP is an educational research programme related to Japanese studies, carried out by Kobe University Faculty of Letters, inpartnership with Oxford University Faculty of Oriental Studies, under an academic exchange agreement that was signed in March 2011.
Since October 2012, all second-year students (12 in number) from the BA course in Japanese Studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies,
have been accepted by Kobe. The students participate in one-year specialised courses in Japanese language and Japanese studies.
The most remarkable feature of this programme, lies in the fact that within the regular four-year curriculum of the Oxford BA course inJapanese Studies, Kobe University is responsible for the one year of education received by all second-year students. Needless to say,Oxford is ranked as one of the best universities in the world. This programme is extremely meaningful as it plays a major role in theeducation of BA students in the Japanese course at Oxford University.

Kobe-Oxford Japanese Studies Programme

Extracurricular activities
Within the programme, the students also participate in various
events and extracurricular activities, such as field trips (Nara fieldtrip, Global Active Learning in Hiroshima etc.), presentations inJapanese at the International Students Forum, calligraphyclasses, one-week homestay within Hyogo Prefecture, local
festivals and farming experience, and depending on the year,students are also able to experience kabuki, bunraku or noh
plays. These activities are rich in content so that students cangain a full grasp of Japanese culture, in both the rural areas andcity environs, mixing aspects of both traditional and modernculture. These extracurricular activities play an important role incomplementing their Japanese language learning in class, andfor deepening the students’ understanding of Japanese culture
and society.

Academic and cultural interaction withstudents from the Faculty of Letters
Each participating student is assigned a student assistant fromthe same academic department as their supervisor. This enables
smooth academic interaction between KOJSP students andJapanese students, usually in small study rooms. Moreover, at theFaculty of Letters, students are able to attend the same lecturesand seminars as Japanese students, which also provides avaluable opportunity for interaction. As well as this academic
interaction focused on learning, an International Hour isorganized once a month so that KOJSP students can interact
freely with students from different academic fields. All students
live in a dormitory with both Japanese and international students,
and by joining in sports and cultural activities of university clubs
and circles, they can interact with students from other faculties ofKobe University.

From the Faculty of Letters, Kobe University

Student Assistant’s VoiceIn my first term, I was still finding my feet in Kobe,
and the trips organised by the Faculty of Lettersprovided a worry-free and fun way to explore
Japan. Becoming more confident, I have still been
grateful for the relaxed atmosphere of the Faculty,
not to mention its pun-tolerant teachers.
These days, if I look out over Kobe from theInternational Student Centre (known as ‘Nice View’
by my friends), I can feel myself becoming nostalgic
for what I see. Downtown Sannomiya, with its fake
English restaurants; the suave Hankyu Railway; thered lights of the Rokko Island industrial cranes.

In my first year, I visited Oxford through Kobe University’ s Oxford SummerProgramme, and this led to my decision to become a student assistant of a
KOJSP student. The main job as a student assistant is to support
international students in their everyday life and their study of Japanese.
Although it may sound simple, support covers a wide range of activities.
Of course, there is support for study, but there is also giving advice inmoments of anxiety as this is a one-year long programme in an unfamiliar
country. By the time our friendships deepen, I could also learn about British
youth culture although I am in Japan. Being of the same age, we have a lotof things in common, but cultural differences exist. Cultural difference is adifficult topic for any country, but I think the charm of this job is that in theend you are able to overcome them and face each other as individuals.

Kobe-Oxford Japanese Studies Programme
Kobe University, Faculty of Letters
1-1, Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, JAPANFor further details and an update on events, please visit the KOJSP website.

▲

Since it first started in 2012, the KOJSP has been anextremely important programme for the Faculty of Letters,
Kobe University. Every year around 12 students are studying
together with Kobe University students on the same campus
and they interact in various ways. Through the International
Hour and other events that involve international students
from other universities, the interest towards international
exchange within the Faculty of Letters has increased.
Among the Japanese students, there is a large number ofstudents who participate in the Oxford Summer Programme
Associate Professor
after their encounter with the KOJSP students and throughKaori Ashizu
their student assistant activities. For us, it is a great pleasure
to find Japanese students who re-examine their own culture and language and start todeepen their understanding after having come into contact with the KOJSP students,
who show a deep interest in Japanese language and culture.
Moreover, due to this programme, exchange at the level of research professors fromboth universities became possible and is currently under way. KOJSP students are
beginning to contribute to the wider society, finding jobs in Japan or continuingresearch on MA courses. This programme would have not been possible to run
without the cooperation and support from the administrative office of Kobe University,
the Faculty of Letters Alumni Association and local community. We earnestly hopethat this programme will continue under this extensive cooperation and support.

KOJSP Student’s Voice

Kobe University Faculty of Letters
KOJSP website
KOJSP FACEBOOK

KOJSP

http://www.lit.kobe-u.ac.jp/graduate/kojsp.html
https://www.facebook.com/KOJSP-315116381939237/

KOJSP

4 years spent as an Oxford University student
Kobe-Oxford
Japanese StudiesProgramme

The four characteristics of the programmeFirst year

Second year

Third year

Fourth year

Extensive language study

Kobe-Oxford Japanese Studies Programme

Language andspecialised study

Language andspecialised study

One year schedule at Kobe University (an example of 2016-2017)●Autumnwelcome party (IH)

Courtesy visit
to the President ofKobe University●●KOJSP Japanese language course

Specialised courses
at the Faculty of Letters
Each semester, the KOJSP students can choose two specialised
courses, offered by the Faculty of Letters, from a wide variety ofcourses set up for this programme that match their own
academic interests. The courses they can register for cover allacademic areas in the faculty, including Philosophy, Japanese
Language and Literature, Chinese Literature, British andAmerican Literature, French Literature, German Literature,Japanese History, Asian History, European History, Psychology,Linguistics, Art Theory, Sociology, Art History, and Geography.
Besides learning about Japanese history, literature andlinguistics, some courses organize study field trips to Nara andHiroshima, providing valuable fieldwork-based learning
opportunities. In the seminars offered for international students,
they read introductory texts on Japan in Japanese. Dependingon the discipline, there are courses on text readings in English,
French and German, which enable the students who havealready acquired these languages to practice translating westerntexts into Japanese.

●

InternationalStudents’ Forum●Christmas party (IH)

●Homestay programme●

Joint presentations
for the KOJSP Japaneselanguage course●●Awaji puppet workshop●

Springwelcome
party (IH)

Active Learningin Hiroshima[Hiroshima workshop]

10

11

12

1

Yam roasting party (IH)●

Rokkosai(Kobe University festival)

●

●

2

3

Special workshop on
picture andhanging scrolls (IH)●●

4
Spring break

Academic exchangewith Southern California
University students

Baseball gameat Koshien●●Awajishima
farm stay[farmingexperience]

Kobe University
Secondary School visit

Finalpresentation
for KOJSPseminar●Programmeclosing
ceremony andfarewell party●

Workshop of traditional
Japanese music(shinobue) (IH)●56
One-day bus trip
for internationalstudents●

78
Farewell party
for international students
Barbeque (IH)●

Study Abroad Fair
[international students
present about
their university/college]“Changes in the way of thinking towards Bushido”

Trip to see the carp
streamers at Shukugawa (IH)

“The relationship between chicken and the Japanese”(KOJSP student from the second cohort)“The problems regarding translation”(KOJSP student from the third cohort)●Circle activities

Joint presentation
for the KOJSP
Japanese language course

Calligraphy class bya professor fromthe Japanese Literature
department

Some examples of research
topics chosen for the KOJSP seminar

Welcome party for
the Faculty ofLetters’ freshmen●

Nara field work

●Courtesy visit
to the President●▲

All the students participating in the programme take theJapanese language course, and can take up special electivecourses integrated within the larger curriculum. In order for thestudents to improve their language proficiency skills, they taketwo 90 minute classes of Japanese language in the morning, fivedays a week. The students are split into two classes (I and II)
depending on their proficiency, so that we can deliver an appliedlearning approach with different textbooks suited to their needs
and skills. Besides the various class activities, great importanceis put on practical learning, such as conducting interviews withJapanese students etc. In February, there is a joint presentation
for the Japanese language classes, where both class I and class
II form groups and present together. At the end of theprogramme in August, there is a final presentation where thestudents present on a research topic they have chosen, inJapanese, to their professors from Oxford University, thepresident of Kobe University, as well as professors and students
at the Faculty of Letters.

KOJSP final presentation
During the spring semester, starting in April, as well as
the KOJSP Japanese language course and thespecialised courses, students have to attend the KOJSPseminar, a topic-based seminar, where students
conduct research on a topic related to Japanese studies(Japanese culture, society, history, literature and so on),which they choose themselves. They work closely with
their supervisors, a professor who advises all thestudents in their research, and their student assistants,and make a final presentation in Japanese of theirresearch results at the programme closing ceremony inearly August. There are cases when the research topic
was further developed into a dissertation paper requiredby Oxford University in the fourth year. Since 2016, theCollection of KOJSP Research Papers was created, sothat the research results, which are the fruits of thestudents’ one-year study, take not only the form of anoral presentation but also a concrete written form.

(KOJSP student from the fourth cohort)
Bus trip for international
students (Ishiyama Temple)

Taking part in various events

From the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Oxford University
The first cohort of Oxford students of Japanese arrived inOctober 2012 in Kobe University to attend the Kobe-Oxford
Japanese Studies Programme, KOJSP. This followed asignificant restructuring of the Japanese Studies BA course
at Oxford, so that our students now spend all of their second
year at Kobe University. This was big change from theprevious course structure which did not include a full year inJapan as part of the BA. We were both excited at theprospect, but also conscious that any change brings
unknowns with it.
However, any concerns we might have had about unforeseen
Professor
problems proved to be unfounded. Our students go out toBjarke Frellesvig
Kobe University after completing a year of intensive study atOxford, to attend a tailored programme of study at Kobe
University. They come back to Oxford with very good language skills which they areable to use to good effect, a good first-hand familiarity with life in contemporary Japan,and a strong appreciation for Kobe University. Our students all enjoy and benefit fromtheir time at Kobe University and in Japan. And we get students very well equipped fortwo more years of demanding, rigorous and intense academic study here in Oxford.

Global Active Learning

International

Awajishima Farm

Kobe University

Oct in Hiroshima

Dec Students’ Forum

Dec Homestay

Apr Experience and Homestay

Jun Secondary School Visit

every International Hourmonth

After the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park andMuseum visits we held a discussion, in which
we split into groups and discussed with local
Hiroshima residents about issues raised by
Obama’ s speech, before presenting our ideas.
The level of discussion was very high, and I
came across some interesting ideas, as well as
polishing my own through the discussions. It
was definitely fruitful to pick apart theimplications and assumptions of Obamaspeech and to what extent Obama was truly
criticising the current order of nuclear weapon
ownership.

The environment speech which I presented in
the first academic term, not only developed myunderstanding of global environmental issues,
but also enhanced my confidence in speaking
Japanese. What I especially liked about thisexperience is that after the speech we had
discussion time with the audience and theteachers, who provided us with extra
information and more food for thought. The
presentations instigated me to deeply think
about how we can corporate mutually withnature, as a human being living on this planet
earth. I think that it is very important for eachone of us to live a lifestyle that exerts minimal
damage to nature.

Initially I was a bit nervous going into thehomestay; the prospect of moving out of myroom to live with people I didn't know was a bit
nerve-wracking for me. However, I was quickly
proven wrong. My hosts were a lovely family,
who lived in Rokko Island, very close to theuniversity. They had a long tradition of hosting
international students, so I was definitely
reassured by that. The great thing aboutstaying with a host family was that it allowed
you to experience real Japanese life; I was able
to do many activities that I wouldn't have
known to do as an exchange student or tourist,
and I was able to finally eat proper Japanesefood! Overall I really enjoyed my Homestay, andam still in contact with my host family.

This year in April we got to do a homestay in
Awajishima, and it was lots of fun. Firstly, wegot to look around a local farm and to help
them pick and clean carrots, which was
surprisingly addictive. Then, after eating ahome-made bento, we were collected by ourhost families. My host family was very kindand curious about England, and the 4 year olddaughter was hilarious. They organised a BBQ
and fireworks on the first night, and the next
day we went to a theme park and to theIzanagi shrine. I really recommend doing thishomestay.

On the 14th of June, we went to Kobe
University secondary school, and gave apresentation to the high school students
about environmental issues, in Japanese. I
think all of the KOJSP students were nervous,
but the presentations went very well. After ourpresentations, the KUSS students also gave
presentations about environmental issues, butin English. We were incredibly impressed byeveryone’ s English skills. Afterwards, wejoined the KUSS high school students’ class,and we talked to them in English andJapanese about environmental issues.
Everyone had very interesting ideas, and I
learned a lot from them.

International Hour was always a good chance
to gather with our student assistants andteachers and chat, once over delicious
roasted sweet potatoes. Other highlights werewhen we went to see the koinobori (carpstreamers) on a sunny day and when we wereshown some old art scrolls. But theopportunity to talk was the best part. Withoutthem, we may never have found the time to doso. Which would have been a shame so I'm
glad International Hour existed for us, andlong may it continue. And thank you to theteachers and students who organised themfor us to enjoy.