Japan Programs
Earlham College has a long and storied history of engagement and exchange with Japan.
In fact, the Japan Study Program has been in existence for over 60 years, and the Studies in Cross-Cultural Education (Japan SICE) Program has been around for more than 50 years. Over the decades, thousands of students from Earlham and other U.S. colleges and universities have participated in Earlham’s programs and engaged deeply with Japanese language, culture and daily life.
For students in the 2020s, an immersive experience in Japan has never been more relevant. Japanese influences on worldwide cultural, social and economic landscapes remain strong. In addition, with a declining population and a major world economy, Japan offers an interesting laboratory for learning about one nation’s specific responses to challenges as diverse and daunting as climate change, rapid economic transformation, globalizing pop culture, and worldwide migration.
Our programs have also kept pace with the changing needs of students, encompassing hands-on learning through internships and teaching assistantships, while retaining the deeply culturally embedded experience of the homestay. Studying in Japan offers you a cultural immersion that brings together the traditional and the hypermodern. If you are ready, we have options!
Other ways to explore Japan at Earlham
CGE’s Japan Programs unit also collaborates closely with Earlham’s academic programs and units that focus on Japan, including:
Japan Study
Off-campus program
For 60 years, undergraduate students in the United States and at Waseda University have become international citizens as they explore Japan and the U.S. in depth, build language skills and experience Japanese and U.S. culture through Japan Study.
Established in 1963, Japan Study is one of the oldest and most comprehensive programs in higher education exchange between the United States and Japan. Based at Earlham College, Japan Study links member colleges of the Great Lakes Colleges Association and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest with Waseda University in Tokyo.
Double Degree Program
Waseda University
Earlham and Waseda have established a double-degree program that will provide unprecedented opportunities for students at both institutions. The partnership with Earlham’s Japan Study Program is the first undergraduate double-degree program Waseda will have with an institution in the United States.
Based on the idea of “Harmonization of Eastern and Western Cultures” espoused by Waseda University founder Okuma Shigenobu, one of the goals of the university is “co-creation of knowledge in the Asia-Pacific region.” This aims to construct greater understanding, new thoughts, and international opportunities through the exchange of people and knowledge rooted in the Asia-Pacific region.
Studies in Cross Cultural Education (SICE)
Earlham’s Studies in Cross Cultural Education (SICE) program provides students a unique opportunity to learn about Japan by participating in a Japanese community. Students become a member of a local school by serving as a foreign language (English) teaching assistant. About six to ten students participate in SICE every year. The program is located in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of Japan.
Assistant Language Teacher Program (EC-ALT)
Each year, Earlham places three to four college graduates in paid, two-year English assistant language teaching (ALT) positions with various schools in the Iwate Prefecture. These positions are typically filled by graduating seniors or recent graduates, with priority to alumni of the SICE Program. Applications are due in October prior to the year that you wish to start as an ALT in Japan. All applicants must be proficient in Japanese (equivalency of 300-level college Japanese will be given priority).
Earlham College’s ALT (EC-ALT) participants enter a variety of professions upon completion of their two-year contract, including secondary school teaching, law, engineering, translation and interpretation. Some participants go on to graduate school for advanced degrees. A few have built permanent careers in Japan.
Fast facts
years of student exchange in the Japan Study Program
#2 worldwide In 2023, the New York Times ranked Morioka – the city that hosts our SICE and EC-ALT programs – 2nd in its list of the 52 Places to Go.
of Earlham’s Japan Programs offer either a hands-on Cultural Internship or Assistant Language Teaching (ALT) placement
U.S. colleges and universities sponsor the Japan Study Program