Citrus College students will have the opportunity to spend a month in Kyoto, Japan, while earning credits toward their degree.
Study Abroad will have its summer session in Kyoto, Japan from June 29 to July 28. Students can experience the rich culture of the former capital of Japan, and will also have the chance to visit Nara and Osaka.
This will be the first time Study Abroad at Citrus College will travel to Asia. Citrus College has mostly stayed in western Europe but is now starting to expand with Japan and Costa Rica in Winter of 2016.
A Citrus College study abroad brochure said, based on the enrollment of 20-24 students, the fee per person will be $3,175. This fee does not include airfare.
However, there are other aid options for this trip. There are funding workshops at Citrus College every semester. These workshops include financial aid, various scholarships and fundraising.
Study Abroad Specialist John Morris had students apply for Fund for Education Abroad and the Gilman scholarship.
These two scholarships encourage non-traditional study abroad students, Morris said. Non-traditional study abroad students means, community college students and minority students.
These aid options are affordable for students if they put in the effort into fundraising, Morris said.
Hist 109, The World in Conflict – The 20th Century, a History, and Psyc 220, Introduction to Social Psychology, will be offered.
Hist 109 will be taught by professor Brian Waddington, and Psyc 220 will be taught by Dr. Andrew Kim.
This will be Kim’s third time traveling to Japan. He has visited Kyoto and Tokyo.
“I found Japan to be the most orderly city and culture… and found them very admirable,” Kim said.
Study abroad is a great opportunity to see how big the world is outside of Southern California, Kim said.
Students may be nervous traveling to a country, and not knowing the language. But, traveling with a group takes the edge off rather than traveling alone, Kim said.
Waddington has taught study abroad three times before, including London, Greece and Italy. Study abroad takes a different approach in academics than a class on campus by keeping the focus on studying inside the classroom rather than assigning a lot of homework outside the classroom.
“The program wants to build activities outside the classroom,” Waddington said.
During their stay in Japan, students will participate in a Japanese tea ceremony and a traditional Japanese cooking class. Waddington said.
Students will also visit Kyoto Imperial Palace which was the home of the royal family. Faculty is also in talks with taking a trip to Tokyo and Hiroshima, but this is not set in stone yet., he said.
For students to attend, they must first complete the interest form by contacting the study abroad office or going on Citrus College’s study abroad website. Once the form is approved, the student’s advisor will send a link for the American Institute for Foreign Study enrollment page. Lastly, a deposit of $450 must be paid by April 4, and the remaining balance by May 4.
However, Japan has grown to be more popular than other study abroad destinations, and has already met max capacity. Barcelona and Florence both reached max capacity, but not as early as Japan.
“We were 10 days away from the deadline when it filled up, so it’s probably the most popular, but we’re limited to 40 students,” Morris said.
Study abroad is a chance for students to experience different cultures, and do this under the safety of Citrus College.
“Almost every student I’ve spent time with has said the experience was a life changer,” Waddington said.
