JTW Program
Japan in Today's World Program
Kyushu University offers a number of courses taught in English. One of these is the JTW Program, a short-term inter-faculty multidisciplinary undergraduate program. This was the first such program to be developed by a Japanese national university. The program runs for one year and is open to overseas students from Kyushu University's partner institutions and recognized universities abroad. JTW courses are also open to the university's regular faculty students.
The major goal of the JTW Program is to enhance Japan and Asian literacy and inter-cultural communication skills among non-Japanese and Japanese students alike. Its mission is to educate internationally-minded leaders of tomorrow and also to internationalize the University's education programs.
The Program consists of the following components:
- 1. Core courses instructed in English language
- 2. Elective advanced laboratory research
- 3. Elective Japanese language courses
- 4. Specialized courses instructed in Japanese language
- 5. Independent studies
- 6. Field studies
The core courses count as general education courses and carry regular Kyushu University credits, so that a lot of Japanese students attend the classes together with the JTW students.
JTW students do not have to pay tuition fees to enroll on the program if their home institution and Kyushu University have a student exchange agreement that mutually waives tuition fees. Depending on the terms of the agreements credits can also be transferred to the partner institution.
A number of Kyushu University faculty members also take part in the JTW Program by offering short home stay visits. Students often stay with Japanese host families over the weekends and make closer contact with local people. Many of them stay in touch with their host families for years afterwards.
Letter from a JTWer
Christopher Loving Princeton University
I was in JTW from 1996-1997 almost a year and a half ago, although it feels like much longer ago than that. Recently some fellow JTWers and I got together for the first time since we left Fukuoka. It was a lot of fun to see how people were doing after coming back to the states.
For me, one of the best parts of the year was hanging out, practicing, and competing with the Kyushu University baseball team, which I joined right after I got to Japan. Like all newcomers to Japan that couldn't speak Japanese, I discovered that meeting and making friends with natives was frustratingly difficult. I didn't know many KyuDai students, so my time was spent mostly with other foreigners a valuable experience of its own, but not what I came to Japan for.
So a JTW staff persuaded me to try out for the team, and that was the best advice I could have received. I still remember going to practice the first day, barely able to introduce myself, and wondering how they would accept me. And at first I couldn't speak very well, so didn't fit in at all. They had to pantomime drills and directions to me. But always, there was nothing but support from the other players, even from those who played my position. When the season began, they allowed me to pitch the first game, something I'll never forget. And somehow, as the season and practices went on, baseball allowed us to break down the huge communication and cultural barrier that I thought was insurmountable. I'm still amazed at how, a year later, when I had left, some of my best friends were on that team, who I still keep in contact with.
