Skip to main content

Clark College - Home of the Penguin Nation

Japanese

About

Studying Japanese can enhance your ability to succeed by cultivating your skills in the following areas: proficiency in another language, cross-cultural communication, global-cultural perspectives and critical thinking. These important skills increase job opportunities, pay and marketability in such diverse fields as healthcare, government, science, technology, banking, trade, industry, teaching, and social work. 

Degrees and Certificates

AA-Direct Transfer (AA)

Program Maps

AA-Japanese

Request Information

Contact

Professor Michiyo Okuhara
(360) 992 - 2455
×

Information Request Form

Japanese at Clark College

The Clark College Japanese program offers six levels of language courses and a cultural study course which prepares students to be global citizens for the diverse society of today. All classrooms are student centered and allow students to participate fully from day one in both the written and spoken language.

Beyond the Classrooms

In addition to the academic courses, students can participate in Japanese related events such as the Sakura Festival, traditional performances, and workshops to deepen their understanding of both the language and culture. The Japanese Club and ASCC Japanese program provide active support and opportunities to practice in real world situations as well as leadership skills from organizing and participating in these. There is also an opportunity for a summer study abroad program; this exchange with various partners in Japan helps students communicate and develop relationships with people with various backgrounds in Japan.

A message from a former student

“One of the things I loved about Clark’s program was the focus on communication. In my University courses, I learned a lot of vocabulary, but when I actually moved to Japan after graduation, a lot of the skills that I used were the language skills taught to me at Clark College. During my time in an MA TESOL program stateside, I was fortunate enough to work as a Japanese language tutor with Clark College students. I’m still so impressed with the communicative ability of the students and the courses’ focus on practical Japanese use in a variety of contexts. I was also grateful that I got to tutor Japanese as it helped me keep my communication skills from getting rusty, which eased my transition back to Japan after graduating with my MA TESOL. I am now an English professor at Tokyo International University (TIU) in the Global Teaching Institute (GTI). I still use Japanese a lot in my daily life, and I feel like my comfort and ability to navigate everyday situations in Japan is possible because of the communication practice I had during my years at Clark College, both as a student and also as a tutor.”
- Rachel O’Dell