Why Pre-College in
Japanese pop culture has a huge impact on youth culture around the world, from Hello Kitty to manga and anime to J-pop. Studying pop culture through an academic lens gives you a different understanding of the media, the impact, and the society behind it all. Experience living abroad while taking college-level courses to prepare you for what comes next.
program highlights
- Take college-level coursework
- Expand your understanding of Japanese society through academic exploration of pop culture
- Explore Kyoto's Manga Museum, visit the Pokémon Center, go on a street food tour
- Travel to Tokyo for the weekend and visit museums, see cultural monuments, and explore local parks
SUmmer TAKEAWAYS
- College credit on an official transcript from Dickinson College
- International and intercultural experience to benefit college essays
- Build independence, confidence, and experience as you live away from home and experience a new culture
- Use Japanese language and cultural experiences to ignite further interest in East Asian studies
Program
Snapshot
- Dickinson Credits: 1 (equivalent to 4 semester credits)
- Study pop culture through an academic lens
- Conversational Japanese course
- Out-of-class learning & assignments
Coursework & Syllabi
Your core course focuses on studying Japanese society through pop culture, while your conversational Japanese class gives you a crash course in the language you need for daily life in Osaka.
In this course, you study Japanese pop culture and its influence on a global scale. Classes help you understand the rise and consumption of Japanese entertainment industries, provides an academic perspective on the global phenomena of anime and manga, video games, J-pop, fashion, and street food, and explores how pop culture has impacted youth communities domestically and internationally.
- EAST 135: Japanese Pop Culture As a Global Phenomenon
3 credits | 45 hours
This course provides a basic introduction to the Japanese language and is more of a “Survival Japanese” course. It is not expected to replace any level of college-level Japanese—rather it is meant to give you a taste of the language and support you in your daily life in Osaka. Class sessions stick to the basics, but also include some vocabulary words that are relevant to your core course.
- LANG 105: Beginner Conversational Japanese
1 credit | 15 hours - LANG 205: Intermediate Conversational Japanese
1 credit | 15 hours
Dive Deep into Japanese Pop Culture
We often think of pop culture as something simplistic or surface when, in fact, it shows so much about a culture. From video games to fashion to street food, learn how Japan has become a global superpower of pop culture. Study the origins of your favorite anime series. Discuss how globalization has influenced the spread of manga. Witness the economic impacts of cultural phenomena in Japan.
Learning Around Osaka
Faculty and staff take you out in the city to see concepts from your pop culture class in the real world and practice Japanese. You might:
- Visit the Pokémon Center and analyze what you see with your professor
- Go on a street food tour of the city, learn vocabulary and grammar on the way
- Meet with Japan's National Tourism office to learn about marketing for foreign tourists
- Japanese apartment or sharehouse
- All meals included
- Live with CET peers and on-site staff
- 4-10 people/house
- 1-2 people/room
- Simple communal kitchen or kitchenette, washer access, shared bathroom
- Internet access, A/C, bed linens, basic furnishing, kitchenware
You share a furnished room and bathroom in an apartment or sharehouse with another CET student. A group leader or resident advisor lives in each house with students and facilitates regular activities. Residences have varying layouts, but you always have peers and staff around to cook a quick dinner with or run through Japanese vocabulary with you before your next quiz.
Experience College Life
Learning to share a space with new people and live without the comforts of home is a big adjustment. And on top of tackling college coursework, a foreign culture, and a new language…you’re in for a summer of learning. But with round-the-clock support from on-site staff and your new community abroad, you’ll go home ready to take on any challenge that comes your way.
Eating in Osaka
All meals are included in your program fee, giving you ample opportunity to explore the wide variety of Japanese cuisine with your group. Stop at a convenience store with your group and grab breakfast on your way to class. Try out the campus cafeteria for lunch. Then, learn why Osaka is called “the nation’s kitchen” when you go out to dinner with your group for takoyaki. When you’re working on your final project for class, stay in and cook a meal at home with your housemates and group leader.
Life in
- Known locally as: 大阪 Ōsaka
- Population: 2.691 million
- Local Currency: Japanese Yen
- Famous for: Great food, Osaka Castle, mom-and-pop shops, friendly people
Osaka offers an incredible Japanese experience. You live in a quiet residential neighborhood but have easy access to the bustling downtown. Go souvenir shopping with your group for Kit-Kats in various Japanese flavors, stickers and pens galore, and tea-flavored everything. Try out takoyaki for your first taste of octopus. Go hiking in Minoh Park with your group for some fresh air and relaxation at the waterfall.
YOUR OSAKA Itinerary
Summers with CET are packed with classes, activities around the city, and even regional travel. These are a few highlights to give you a better idea of what your summer might look like outside the classroom.
Week
1
- Attend orientation and get to know your group during the welcoming banquet
- Roam downtown Osaka with your class on a street food tour
- Snack on okonomiyaki then indulge in karaoke culture in the Dotonbori area
Week
2
- Travel to Tokyo via bullet train for a 2-day trip with the group
- Explore Tokyo's Akihabara and Harajuku neighborhoods
- Learn the careful art of making takoyaki (fried dough balls with octopus)
Week
3
- Practice your Japanese vocabulary by ordering at a restaurant
- Visit the Pokémon Center and learn about its the history and influence
- Head to the Cup Noodles museum and design your own instant ramen pack
Week
4
- Take the train to explore the Kyoto International Manga Museum
- Discuss Japan's national strategy for marketing tourism with the Japan National Tourism Office
- Attend the closing banquet before heading back home
Activities
Out and About
Participate in a tea ceremony on campus. Make your own instant ramen at the Instant Ramen Museum. Go to a manga café. Osaka offers endless opportunities to experience the many facets of Japanese culture with your group. On-site staff organize activities each week that give you plenty of stories to tell your friends back home when they ask what you did this summer.
See a New City
Enjoy worry-free travel with program-sponsored travel to Tokyo. Ride the Shinkansen (bullet train) into the city. People watch in Harajuku. Spend hours in the Akihabara district, shopping in the endless anime, manga, and video game market stalls. Visit the Meiji Shrine. See the ancient Buddhist temple at Sensō-ji in Asakusa. Eat traditional foods with your group and practice your Japanese in a different city.
Program
2020 Summer Fees: $6,890
CET’s high school programs are designed to be as inclusive as possible. You pay for your flights and your own personal spending, and we take care of the rest.
All of your classes and course materials are included with your tuition.
All of your meals are included with your program fees. For off-campus meals, we provide you with a food stipend.
We arrange for you to live with other CET students in an apartment or sharehouse. On-site staff live in the same building for round-the-clock support.
We are your support network. From pre-departure questions to academic support to emergency management, we’ve got your back.
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue. It even includes evacuation coverage for individual medical emergencies.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
You’ll receive an official transcript from Dickinson College at the end of the program… the icing on the cake for your college applications.
Estimated
Out-of-Pocket
Costs
- Round-trip Airfare: $800 - $1,500
- Personal Expenses: $300
For CET high school and pre-college programs, you must:
- Be between ages 15-18
- Be a rising junior or senior in high school, or a recent graduate not yet enrolled in a college or university degree program
Competitive applicants are motivated high school students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. However, admission decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, so students with lower GPAs are still encouraged to apply.
Complete the application through your online CET account. This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your current or previous instructors.
Summer deadline:
March 31st
Questions? Get in touch!
Tess Cannon
High School & Pre-College Manager
202.846.7661
[email protected]
Price Subject to Change:
CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.