SUMMER Program
Pittsburgh Summer East Asian Language Study (Pittsburgh SEALS)
For more than 12 years, the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures has offered intensive language training in Japanese during summer months. Now nicknamed Pittsburgh Summer East Asian Language Study, or Pittsburgh SEALS for short, the SEALS program continues to offer a concentrated mix of intensive training in language and culture. Currently SEALS offers Japanese and Chinese, with the addition of Korean at a future date.
SEALS offers First Year Japanese and Second Year Japanese language courses, which are 10 weeks in duration. The program in the summer of 2008 begins May 27, 2008 and ends August 2, 2008. These courses challenge your resolve but reward you with rapid language acquisition with a strong proficiency in aural comprehension and oral communication in addition to basic reading and writing skills. Each course provides the equivalent of one academic year of language study at the University of Pittsburgh.
MAY 27 - AUGUST 2, 2008 (special 10-week session)
JPNSE 1061 Intensive Japanese 1
JPNSE 1062 Intensive Japanese 2
This coming summer of 2008 we are offering Third Year Japanese and First Year Basic Chinese. These courses are offered in two 4-week sessions:
JUNE 9- JULY 5, 2008 (4wk session 2)
Third Year Japanese 1 (JPNSE 1020)
First Year Spoken 1 (Chinese)
First Year Reading 1 (Chinese)
JULY 7 - AUGUST 2, 2008 (4wk session 3)
Third Year Japanese 2 (JPSNE 1021)
First Year Spoken 2 (Chinese)
First Year Reading 2 (Chinese)
NOTE: THERE ARE NO SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR THIRD YEAR JAPANESE OR FIRST YEAR BASIC CHINESE.
Component 1—classroom
Typically, classes meet six hours a day Monday through Friday. There is one hour of Fact class--explanation of important grammatical points, appropriate language use in context, and other facts about the language and culture as it pertains to language use. In addition, there are three hours of practice communicating with native speakers of Japanese in a variety of everyday situations. These practice or "Act" clases are generally about 10-12 students per class so that you will receive personal guidance with your oral skills. You will also spend two hours in the Language Media Center gaining additional oral/aural practice.
In terms of reading and writing, you will learn to read elementary material in First Year Japanese and increasingly more complex material in Second Year Japanese, following Jorden and Noda’s Japanese: The Written Language. Daily practice will include reading and writing, again focusing on practical, everyday communication. In terms of kanji and kana, you will have learned all hiragana and katakana and approximately 100 kanji in First Year Japanese and an additional 150 kanji in Second Year Japanese.
Component 2—outside of classroom
A second component of our program is to bring cultural awareness of the target culture to every participant. To this end, we have built into the curriculum such activities as field trips, lectures, and movies/video viewings as they relate to culture in general. We also have parties for a change of pace and to get more acquainted with the teachers and fellow students.
Pedagogical philosophy
We believe that a successful language program must have at least two components: explicit knowledge about the target language and culture and a large amount of practice in context. We address the first component through daily lecture on linguistic facts and through a series of cultural activities built into the curriculum. As for the second, we recognize that we do not acquire the full range of language use through studying the language by looking at example sentences in the textbook. All moves we make in language, including utterances and communicative behavior, must be securely pinned to the culture of that language. In Japanese, for instance, it is not enough for you to know that doomo may mean “hello,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry,” among other things; you must learn through repeated practice in actual situations how the conversational move of saying doomo is carried out. We make this learning possible by repeated practice in many permutations. When doomo is learned in this way, it will run in your veins and will come out instantaneously whenever you detect an appropriate situation.
Our faculty
Past SEALS faculty included lecture teachers Dan Dewey (Assistant Professor, School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh), who taught First Year Japanese, and Sachiko Takabatake Howard (Assistant Instructor, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh), who was in charge of Second Year Japanese. In addition, three more drill class teachers led recitation classes.
If you have a question, ask a teacher:
Sachiko T. Howard
If you’d like to know more generally about the Japanese language study at the University of Pittsburgh during the summer or academic year, contact David Mills, coordinator of the Japanese Language Program.
Application
Non-Pitt students apply to the University of Pittsburgh's Summer Sessions (Summer Sessions). Pitt students simply register for the course: lecture and recitation.
Scholarships
1. In-state tuition
All out-of-state students who register for either of the Intensive Japanese Language courses (First and Second Year Japanese ONLY) will receive a scholarship that will reduce the tuition fee to the in-state tuition rate for the 10-week, 10-credit course. In 2008, the the tuition rate will be $504/credit = $504 x 10 credits = $5,040.
2. SEALS Scholarship
Applicants to SEALS (First and Second Year Japanese Intensive ONLY) are eligible to apply for additional financial support. In 2008, for example, we were able to award seven tuition scholarships for summer intensive language study (first and second year of Japanese only). To apply for financial aid, please send a letter of application (hardcopy or e-mail) to Ms. Paula Locante, Administrator. In the letter, please include:
1. Your name, address(es), phone, email
2. Indicate whether you are interested in First Year Japanese or Second Year Japanese
3. Explain your academic background
4. Statement of purpose explaining the reason for studying Japanese and how training in Japanese will fit into your overall academic goal and/or professional career.
In addition to the letter, have the last school you attended (or are now attending) send us the transcript of your academic performance. There is not a specific application form.
Note: There is no specific application form!
Applications must be received by March 17, 2008.
Please send your letters to Paula Locante, plocante@pitt.edu (412-624-5568) or mail to:
Mailing address
Paula Locante
East Asian Languages and Literatures
702 Old Engineering Hall
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Course Descriptions
JPNSE 1061 Intensive Japanese 1
JPNSE 1062 Intensive Japanese 2
JPNSE 1020 Third Year Japanese 1
JPNSE 1021 Third Year Japanese 2
Note: JPNSE 1061 (equal to First Year Japanse 1 and 2) and JPNSE 1062 (equal to Second Year Japanese 1 and 2) are 10 credits each and have "built-in" recitations.
For Third Year Japanese in the summer, JPNSE 1020 is the fall equivalent and JPNSE 1021 is the spring equivalent. They are each 3 credits and you need to register for the recitations (0 credits).
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