CSB/SJU to Offer New Study Abroad Program in Japan

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University will offer a new study abroad program in Japan, starting fall semester 2003. Students will study at Bunkyu Gakuin University in Tokyo with excursion trips to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Karuizawa and Nagano, as well as several day-trips in the Tokyo area.

"One of the best ways for American students to reach a deeper understanding of their own culture is to study and live in a country whose culture is dramatically different from their own," said David Bennetts, CSB/SJU professor of history. "Japan is such a place. As we enter the Pacific Century, it is important that CSB/SJU continue to establish connections with Asia, connections that will allow our students to prepare for careers in or with Asia."

The courses available for students in the program will include Conversational Japanese, Japanese Culture and Contemporary Life, Japanese Economics and Politics and Comparative Cultures: Japan and the United States. All courses will combine classroom instruction with hands-on learning and mini-excursions to appropriate sites.

The Center for International Education at CSB/SJU provides 13 intercultural education experiences for undergraduate students each year. In their annual report, titled Open Doors 2001, the Institute of International Education (IIE) rated CSB/SJU first in the nation among undergraduate colleges for the number of students studying abroad.

The College of Saint Benedict for women and Saint John's University for men are partners in liberal arts education, providing students the opportunity to benefit from the distinctions of not one, but two nationally recognized Catholic, Benedictine, residential undergraduate colleges. Together, the colleges challenge students to live balanced lives of learning, work, leadership and service in a coeducational environment.

Learn more about international study abroad at CSB/SJU at http://www.csbsju.edu/internationaleducation/