College courses taught in English?

[anomouse]

I've been reading questions asking about college courses in Japan taught in English, but I was sort of wondering:
Why do you go to Japan, and expect the classes be taught in English?
I have no idea what is actually taught in English courses in Japanese colleges, but it is likely that your learning experience will be limited if you don't know enough Japanese.

[Mike Cash]

It wouldn't make sense to ask this question of the original poster in the thread which inspired your curiosity, of course.

[JimmySeal]

Hopefully nobody expects courses to be taught in English in Japan, but since such things do exist, people want to know about them. Some people want to (a) be in Japan and (b) fulfill course requirements with their time, and taking courses in English in Japan satisfies both of those criteria.

[ankitravankar]

hii,
i guess its a good initiation by the japanese universities introducing courses in english , the major fact being that japanese companies apart from japanese skills requires students who are well versed in english to globalize their market and for that purpose the english speaking student have an edge , also being in japan you will surely learn japanese that is enough .

[akaitsume1]

Can you imagine taking important classes, writing essays or theses, taking tests and notes all in a second language? In a field in which you may have no Japanese experience? That's terrifying. If a decent English course in that field exists, I don't blame international students for wanting a chance to do well in their coursework and get used to the way that university runs. It doesn't mean that they can't audit Japanese classes, and it certainly doesn't mean that they won't get a chance to use/experience Japanese.

[butakun]

NOTE: I'm of the opinion that certain fields, notably science and engineering, should be all taught in English in Japan. But,

Can you imagine taking important classes, writing essays or theses, taking tests and notes all in a second language?

That's called "study abroad". Millions of students are doing just that every day.

[akaitsume1]

butakun: I'm not referring to just taking language classes. I was referring to science in particular, but particularly non-linguistics/literature classes. Trying to take graduate-level coursework in a second language, where you may have never encountered those words before--like "analyze," "anthropogenic," or "stimuli" in the case of my research, never mind the names of metabolic routes or protein compounds--can be terrifying, no matter how you look at it. I'm saying that I don't blame students who want to take the easy road and take classes in English for an edge.

A study abroad does not have to be centered on language: studying archaeology in China, or hyenas in an African country, or Antarctic system science (where one stops first in Argentina), may include language classes as a backup for basic survival, but it is not the primary focus of the "study" abroad. Yes, an attempt should be made to experience the language and culture of the place you visit, but a country has more to offer than just that.

[butakun]

I wasn't referring to language classes at all either. But yes I see your point and I don't blame them. It's just that millions of grad students are doing studies in second language all over the world, and I don't find that terrifying.

I do not disagree with you. I also think grad study should not have to be tied to the local language.

[akaitsume1]

I'm well aware of the fact that grad students do coursework in second languages. I've always been impressed by international students who do just that. That doesn't mean that the prospect can't be intimidating. If the thought doesn't faze you at all, more power to you.

[MTR]

What? No courses in French, Vietnamese, Arabic, blah blah blah... A bit unfair, isn't it?:okashii: