3. WHAT WILL I STUDY IN OUSSEP?

Courses offered in OUSSEP


Osaka, Japan and the World
Culture, Science and Technology

Full-year OUSSEP / Half-year OUSSEP

i) International Exchange Subjects

    In each semester, Osaka University offers a series of lecture courses (2 credits each) in English taught by academic staff from different faculties of the University. Listed are the titles and a brief description of the courses to be given in the Fall semester of 2006 and the Spring semester of 2007 (page 23-30). Half of the courses are in the physical sciences, including engineering and health sciences, and the rest are in the humanities and social sciences.

    The University tries to equalize the number of students majoring in each of these two fields. Students may select their courses according to their major and interests. However, students are encouraged to take courses outside their own major. This will help students to broaden their perspectives and at the same time gain a deeper understanding of Japanese society and culture.

    The University has officially designated these courses as International Exchange Subjects. They are prepared for Full- and Half-year OUSSEP students and are taught in English. The University also offers these courses to its regular students as well as to other international students so that all can study in a truly international atmosphere.

    The courses cover a wide variety of subjects from culture to science and technology. The students, both domestic and international, will also learn about Osaka and Japan. We believe this will help students to understand the world and the importance of international awareness and mutual respect. This program underscores the motto of Osaka University, "Live Locally, Grow Globally (Be rooted in the community and grow into the world)".

    Due to the fact that we can offer only a limited number of courses taught in English, but also try to satisfy students of different majors and from different universities in different countries, the courses often cannot help but be broad in scope. Truly specialized studies are also possible by taking the Independent Study Course, described in the following section.

ii) Independent Study Course

    One of the unique features of the Full- and Half-year OUSSEP programs is Independent Study (2 credits per semester). Students can propose a study topic and be assigned to a supervising professor in an appropriate faculty. The students may wish to study a particular subject that is not found in the International Exchange Subjects (Individual Study) or to conduct a research project on a particular theme (Independent Research). The student and their supervising professor will agree upon the scope and depth of the study at the beginning of the program.* With respect to Full-year OUSSEP students, the study usually continues for two semesters. At the end of each semester the student will submit a report on the topic to the supervising professor. Refer to "Guide to Independent Study", found at the end of the OUSSEP Syllabus, for further details.
    Those who wish to take the Independent Study Course must fill out the Independent Study Proposal (Form:Ind.Study-1 and Form:Ind.Study-2) along with the other application documents.

* When the amount of work required for the study is particularly large, the supervising professor and the International Affairs Committee may decide to grant up to 4 instead of 2 credits per semester for Independent Study. Refer to "Guide to Independent Study" for details.

iii) Japanese Language Course

   In addition to these courses, OUSSEP students may take any of the four Japanese courses (3 credits each semester), according to their proficiency level. Students must take a placement test and Japanese language classes will take place three times a week.

OUSSEP-AJLs (OUSSEP for Advanced Japanese Learners)

i) Intensive Japanese Course

   In the first semester (Fall semester), the OUSSEP-AJLs students will take an advanced level intensive Japanese course at the International Student Center. Their study work load can be 9-11 classes per week, according to their level of Japanese skills, for the first 15 weeks. Professors of the International Student Center will supervise their progress in Japanese. During this period, alongside the studies of Japanese language, students also visit laboratories or prepare for their field work following the advice of the appointed supervisors.

ii) Specialized Subjects

    In the second semester (Spring semester), the OUSSEP-AJLs students will attend regular classes with Japanese classmates, or carry out their own project works with their laboratory colleagues, concerning their academic interests which are clarified in their proposals. At the end of the program, all OUSSEP-AJLs students should submit a report to the university written in Japanese.


Completion of OUSSEP

Full-year OUSSEP / Half-year OUSSEP

    All the courses offered for Full-year and Half-year OUSSEP participants, including the Japanese language and Independent Study courses, are electives. Students will select and register for the courses of their choice at the beginning of each semester. The minimum requirement for satisfactory completion of OUSSEP except OUSSEP-AJLs in each semester is 13 credits. The International Affairs Committee of Osaka University will award those students who have successfully completed the Full-year OUSSEP program a Certificate of Completion (Full-year). As for Half-year OUSSEP students, the participants will receive a Certificate of Completion (Half-year), issued by the International Affairs Committee, if they take more than 13 credits during the semester.

OUSSEP-AJLs (OUSSEP for Advanced Japanese Learners)

    The intensive Japanese course for the OUSSEP-AJLs students, in Fall of 2006, will be arranged by International Student Center professors, according to the result of the Japanese language placement test. In Spring of 2007, they will study their own subjects under the supervision of the appropriate professors. Concerning the study outcomes of their intensive Japanese course (2006 Fall) as well as the quality of their research and final reports (2007 Spring), International Student Center professors and their supervising professors will jointly evaluate each OUSSEP-AJLs participant. In the event both International Student Center and supervising professors agree that a student shows significant academic progress, they will suggest to the International Affairs Committee to issue the Certificate of Completion.

 

Field Trips

    OUSSEP offers field trips for students in order to give them opportunities to see as many things and to meet as many people as possible during their one-year stay in Japan. They visit industries and public institutions as a part of the academic courses and also go on trips, including overnight trips, to different parts of the country to meet local people and experience local cultures.


Field trip to Sanyo

Field trip to Lake Biwa Musium


International Exchange Activities

   In addition to the academic programs, students are encouraged to participate in various international exchange activities throughout the year, which the International Student Center of Osaka University organizes. Other groups within the University and in the neighboring communities will participate in these programs. One of them is named the Osaka University Host Family Program (OHP) and provides international students with an opportunity to closely interact with a Japanese family in the neighboring community.
 
Yearbooks "THE OUSSEPIANS"
 
OUSSEP Original T-shirts
 
OUSSEP Assembly


The Class of OUSSEP

    The whole OUSSEP class meets once every week, or so, at the OUSSEP Assembly, which is like a homeroom, where students exchange information. The OUSSEP coordinators give out announcements or information about academic programs and other events. Plans for social and sport events are proposed and discussed among the students. The students take turns in chairing each meeting. It has become customary for OUSSEP students to edit and publish a yearbook at the end of each academic year. Each student as well as the coordinator contributes an essay about their year in OUSSEP. It has also become a tradition of OUSSEP to design and print original T-shirts every year. All these activities are carried out on the students' own initiatives. Students also communicate closely each other via a mailing list, set up on the Internet, for the class of each year, and remain in contact even after they leave Osaka. During these class activities, in general, students are expected to use English.

[Contents] [Prev] [Next]