As part of the Short-Term Study Abroad Program under the Agreement on Inter-University Students Exchange (also known as the East Asia Short-Term Study Aboard Program), five Kyoto University students participated in the 2015 Summer School program (Chinese course) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Participating KU students, along with students from around the world, took part in Chinese language classes, which were divided into four levels, in order to enhance their proficiency. The report on behalf of the participating students shows how they were inspired by other international students who actively spoke out in class and sought to use what they were learning as much as possible, how much they enjoyed studying the language, and how they were increasingly motivated by the course. This summer school included a number of field trips -- to Macau, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and other places -- which provided participants with valuable opportunities to experience the blend of Chinese and Western cultures and to get a sense of the powerful dynamism of the Hong Kong economy. They also took part in a joint seminar with the cooperation of students from the CUHK Department of History. Students from both universities delivered presentations on cultural and social issues and enjoyed an active exchange of opinions.
Report from a participating student
Eriko Sakane
Group leader for Chinese University of Hong Kong Summer School (Chinese course)
Fourth-year, Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, Kyoto University
(Report presentation at a debriefing held on Tuesday 8 September 2015)
This year's Summer School program (Chinese course) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong took place over 23 days, from 7 through 29 August 2015. From Kyoto University, two students from the Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, one from the Faculty of Law, and one from the Faculty of Medicine participated in the program.
There were four levels of classes and, at each level, two types of lessons were provided every other day: grammar and writing, and mastering pronunciation and conversational skills. On the final day, we took an examination to determine the levels that we attained in each of these lessons. Not having any previous experience in learning Chinese prior to this summer school, I was in a beginner-level class with 16 other students, half of whom were from European countries, such as Germany and France. Some of them had never seen Kanji (Chinese characters), and they had difficulty with memorizing and writing the characters. I did not have any problem with Kanji, as I use it every day, although I struggled to master some pronunciations which are peculiar to Chinese. So, when we studied together in lunch breaks or after class, I helped European students learn Kanji and they helped me practice my pronunciation.
I stayed in a dormitory on the university campus, sharing a room with a student from France. We were awkward with each other at the start but, through attending the same classes and talking about music and other common interests, we eventually became very good friends. I spent a lot of time with her on various occasions, such as weekend hiking.
In this year's program, because nearly half of the participants were from Japan, I was able to interact with not only students from the US and European countries but also with Japanese students from other universities who I would otherwise probably not have met. Hong Kong is a very exciting place where the Western culture and Asian culture come together and a number of different languages are spoken. Attending a summer school in such a location enabled me to enjoy some valuable experiences.
On Tap Mun Island with my roommate
In an exchange meeting
In a joint seminar with CUHK students (1)
In a joint seminar with CUHK students (2)
Short-Term Study Abroad Program under the Agreement on Inter-University Student Exchange (also known as East Asia Short-Term Study Abroad Program)
Each academic year, Kyoto University sponsors seven groups as part of the Short-Term Study Abroad Program under the Agreement on Inter-University Student Exchange, in order to provide students from Kyoto with opportunities to take part in exchanges with students in other countries, become more globally minded, and improve foreign language proficiency. In principle, tuition is free, and participating Kyoto University students have the same status as visiting exchange students. During 2015, the program was supported by the ASEAN-focused Re-inventing Japan Project, the JASSO (Japan Student Service Organization) Scholarship Program in important policy frameworks, and the Kyoto University Global Frontier Project for Young Researchers ("John Mung Program").
