Japanese Language Program

If you would like to experience everyday life in Japanese, the Japanese Language Program is a way to do that right on campus.

The Thatcher Language House offers the opportunity to live in a residence hall dedicated to learning a foreign language and exploring foreign cultures. In this hall of 110 students, the majority are a part of one of the six Language Programs.

Participants in the Thatcher House Japanese Language Program live together on a floor which includes a classroom/lounge, where they can socialize in the language. Also, they meet in the classroom regularly during the week for a specially- designed, two-credit conversation/culture course. An experienced graduate student from the Japanese department teaches the course and organizes social and cultural activities.

The Japanese Language Program members engage in a variety of activities: practicing and assisting at a Japanese Tea Ceremony, hosting an authentic Japanese dinner, learning calligraphy, role-playing everyday situations in Japanese life. The Japanese Language Program has become the center for Japanese-American exchange: guests from the Japanese business and teaching communities visit the Program; Americans who have worked or studied in Japan come to share cultural insights and practical information.

Both Japanese majors and non-majors from a variety of disciplines make up the Thatcher House Japanese Language Program. Often members become double majors, adding Japanese fluency to their professional training. There is a continuous flow of students between the Program and Japan with students leaving to study or work abroad, or returning to the Program after doing so. Many Program graduates have been selected for the Japanese English Teachers (JET) Program.

To Register
Download the Italian Program application:
Non-native speaker application
Native speaker application

Please note that some browsers will open the application directly in the window. If that happens you can simply print it and fill it out manually.