Summer Intensive Kanbun Program at IUC Yokohama

H-Japan Summer Intensive Kanbun Program at IUC Yokohama

Discussion published by Jim Baxter on Monday, February 23, 2015

Applications due March 13, 2015

Program Dates: Friday, June 19, 2015 – Thursday, July 9, 2015

The Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, Yokohama (administered by Stanford University), will offer a three-week intensive course in reading kanbun in the summer of 2015. The course is intended for students -- primarily graduate students -- who need to master the fundamentals of kanbun in order to conduct specialized research in various disciplines.

Hours: 4 class hours per day, 5 days per week, 3 weeks, total 60 class hours (including field trips)

Eligibility for Admission: To qualify for admission, an applicant must

1. be engaged in specialized professional work or an academic field of study for which proficiency in reading kanbun is required;

1. possess an advanced level of proficiency in Japanese language and have knowledge of classical Japanese grammar;

1. have an understanding of the grammar and sentence patterns of modern Japanese, and be able to read and write at least 1,000 kanji as well as hiragana and katakana.

Aims and focus:

This course will train students to be able to read early modern (kinsei) and modern (kindai) kanbun writings with the aid of dictionaries and without reference to transliterations/translations into Japanese (yomikudashibun) of the kanbun texts.

Students will learn old forms of kanji (kyūjitai), epistolary style Japanese (sōrōbun), and the Japanese

Citation: Jim Baxter. Summer Intensive Kanbun Program at IUC Yokohama. H-Japan. 02-23-2015. https://networks.h-net.org/node/20904/discussions/62064/summer-intensive-kanbun-program-iuc-yokohama Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Japan way of reading Chinese writing (kundokutai).

As for kanbun texts from the medieval (chūsei) period and earlier, because specialized background knowledge is required, the course will train students to understand such texts while making reference to yomikudashibun.

Level of proficiency required for enrollment:

The class will be conducted entirely in Japanese. A high level of proficiency in reading and speaking Japanese is needed.

Knowledge of classical Japanese grammar (bungo bunpō).

Electronic dictionaries: Students will be expected to have their own electronic dictionaries. It is desirable that they have the editions of Kanjigen and Kōjien that feature stylus pen input capability.

Field trips: One afternoon each week, participants will join students in the regular IUC Summer Program on an excursion.

Hours: 4 class hours per day, 5 days per week, 3 weeks, total 60 class hours (including field trips)

Attendance Fees

Tuition: $2,800.00 (U.S. dollars)

Application Instructions and Forms

Application Deadline (received by): March 13, 2015

For all application forms as well as detailed instructions, please see

Citation: Jim Baxter. Summer Intensive Kanbun Program at IUC Yokohama. H-Japan. 02-23-2015. https://networks.h-net.org/node/20904/discussions/62064/summer-intensive-kanbun-program-iuc-yokohama Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2 H-Japan http://web.stanford.edu/dept/iuc/cgi-bin/resources/applications.php.

All Inter-University Center application forms are available in either Adobe Acrobat PDF or Microsoft Word.

Yokohama Office for delivery of Summer Application Materials:

IUC Summer Kanbun Course

Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies

Pacifico Yokohama, 5F

1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku ,

Yokohama, Japan 220-0012

Contact Information for 10-Month Program and Applications:

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/IUC

Tel: (045) 22302002

Fax: (045) 223-2060

Please see http://web.stanford.edu/dept/iuc/cgi-bin/resources/applications.php for all application forms as well as detailed instructions.

Disclaimer: This course is being offered subject to a minimum enrollment of three students and a maximum enrollment of eight students. If fewer than three applicants meet the required proficiency level, the course will not be taught in 2015. If more than eight applicants meet the basic requirements for eligibility, admission of eight students will be based on consideration of applicants’ need to read kanbun, their stated objectives, and their proficiency in Japanese.

Admission decisions will be announced by e-mail not later than May 10.

Tuition payments are due before the beginning of instruction on June 19. Checks should be made payable to Stanford University.

Any admitted applicant who decides not to enroll in the program should immediately notify IUC Yokohama.

All inquiries, including questions regarding attendance that arise after the application period, should be sent to the Center via email at [email protected]. Please do not make inquiries by telephone.