Exchange Students from Overseas Program

The Hosei University Exchange Students from Overseas Program (ESOP) is an independent academic program adminis-tered under Hosei University's International Center. Although ESOP is independent of Hosei University's regular faculty system, both professors and students from the regular faculties teach and study in ESOP sponsored classes, and ESOP is an integral component in Hosei University's international cooperation efforts. ESOP was established in 1997 in order to provide meaningful academic opportunities to exchange students from our overseas partner institutions as well as to individual applicants, who wish to experience the reality of modern Japan. Since Hosei University's International
Exchange Center and the ESOP are located on the Ichigaya Campus, exchange students have the opportunity to study and socialize with regular Hosei students in all the academic and extracurricular activities offered at this campus in the heart of Tokyo.

Program Features

Term: one semester or a full academic year (2 semesters)
Beginning of Term: April or September.

*A student attending for one semester may extend his/her participation in the program for another term (i.e., a full year).

Courses on Japanese Society and Related Topics

ESOP offers a number of content courses on Japan taught in English. Students are able to explore topics such as japanese society, culture, and business from a variety of perspectives.

(2007-08 courses)

Japanese Thought, Gender in Japanese Society, Ecology and Business, Youth and Schooling in Contemporary Japan, Introduction to International Business, Japanese Journalism, Japanese Theater, International Cooperation of Japan, Japan as a Net Community, E-Class with UC Davis

*Students with sufficient Japanese language proficiency are permitted to take regular courses at any of Hosei University's three campuses.

Japanese Language Classes

Japanese language skills and training courses are offered according to Japanese proficiency, but there is no Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level requirement for enrollment. We do, however, strongly recommend students take at least one foundation Japanese language course at their home institution prior to enrollment in ESOP. After students arrive in Japan, a placement test to assess Japanese proficiency is given, and students are offered classes from introductory to advanced levels according to their Japanese abilities. Students with JLPT 1 level are advised to join regular class university classes.

Reciprocal Simultaneous E-class Lectures

Hosei University is fully capable of collaborating on and exchanging academic content courses with other universities through advanced ITC technology; for example, during Fall 2006 Hosei University provided a simultaneous E-class lecture on Japanese Popular Culture to students attending classes in Japan and California, and in Fall 2007 Hosei University was on the receiving end of a reciprocal simultaneous E-class lecture called "Exploring Intersections of Japanese, American, and Latin American Culture" provided by the University of California, Davis (UCD).

PAGETOP