Chaucer College

Chaucer College チョーサーカレッジ Also Part Of Shumei University University of Kent
Chaucer College conference hall
Named after	Geoffrey Chaucer
Established	1992
Undergraduates	N/A
Postgraduates	N/A
Website	[1]

Chaucer College Canterbury is an independent college for Japanese University and High School students. It was founded in 1992 by Mr Hiroshi Kawashima, the Head of the Shumei Foundation, and is located in a prize-winning building featuring a combination of western and oriental architectural styles on the campus of the University of Kent at Canterbury. The Chaucer College group also includes Kingsgate College, near Broadstairs, which dates from the turn of the twentieth century and welcomes Japanese High School students. All students are recruited by the Shumei Foundation, and many are drawn from its educational establishments in Japan, consisting of a small private university and three very successful independent high schools (Shumei Kawagoe, Shumei Eiko, Shumei Yachiyo).

Courses

The group follows the Japanese academic year, running from April to February. During the first semester, Chaucer College welcomes Shumei University first-year students from four faculties:

• The Faculty of Management and Administration
• The Faculty of English & Information Technology
• The Faculty of Tourism and Business
• The Faculty of Teacher Education (English major)

Their programme consists of a combination of intensive study of the English language, combined with preparatory work on the subjects that will form the major component of their Shumei University degree. Teacher Education students also undertake a programme of visits to local partner schools to observe UK teaching methods. Students reside in the purpose-built accommodation on the Chaucer campus, but most include a period of homestay with a local family in their programme.

During the second semester, Chaucer, like Kingsgate, welcomes successive contingents of Shumei High School students visiting the UK. Junior High School students (age 14-15) come for two weeks, Senior High School students (age 16-17) for four weeks. The latter also include a period of homestay in their programme.

During the Japanese university vacation (February-April), Chaucer hosts a 4-week vacation programme for Shumei Teacher Education Faculty students whose major is not English. During this course, the students have the opportunity to visit both local and Continental schools (France & Germany).

In addition (and currently subject to review following the introduction of the British Government’s points-based immigration system), the College offers a Foundation Course preparing Japanese students for entry to the University of Kent. This course begins with a preparatory programme mainly devoted to English language study, prior to focusing on a programme geared to enabling students to go forward to study either Politics & International Relations or Sociology. The course is linked to the University of Kent Certificate programme, equivalent to the first year of the University of Kent degree. The Certificate consists largely of University of Kent Stage 1 modules in Politics and Sociology, taught both at the University and at Chaucer College, together with a smaller number of modules designed specifically for Japanese students and taught at the College (one of these modules is available to University of Kent students under a reciprocal arrangement). The Certificate is validated by the University of Kent. Students subsequently go on to enter the University of Kent at Stage 2 (second year).

Facilities

Chaucer College, as a purpose-built academic institution and self-contained campus, contains over 200 single study bedrooms, leisure facilities (student common room, games and music areas, an “English Room”), full catering facilities, a large, well-equipped lecture theatre, an excellent Library and a score of classrooms. Kingsgate College has similar teaching, catering and leisure facilities (although no lecture theatre) and 30 bedrooms (a mixture of singles, doubles and triples).

Staff

The College’s Senior Management Team consists of the Vice-Chancellor, the Director of Academic Programmes, the Dean of Students, the College Manager, and the Finance Manager. There is a full complement of well-qualified academic staff, all of whom have university degrees, and many of whom hold higher qualifications. All are highly experienced and qualified in the teaching of English as a second language.

The College also employs British university students either from the University of Kent or from Canterbury Christ Church University as Conversation Teachers. Their role is to “socialise” the College’s students by offering one-to-one conversation classes to enhance fluency in spoken English and to introduce them to various aspects of British society, typically through their own cultural and sporting interest groups. In exchange for the service they provide, Conversation Teachers receive free board and lodging at Chaucer College. They are expected to conform to the College’s rules, which can appear to be quite stringent (it should, however, be noted that young people in Japan are not legally adults until the age of 20).

The Chaucer group and the local community

The Chaucer College group is a registered charity. The Charities Act (2006) stipulates that registered charities should demonstrate “public benefit”. In accordance with this expectation, the College’s students engage in a variety of activities, including participation in local cultural festivals and an extensive community volunteering programme, details of which may be found on the College’s website. Open Days or Open Evenings are held regularly, and the Colleges also offer accommodation and conference facilities to other local organisations. Students also visit local schools as “cultural ambassadors” for Japan.

External links

• Chaucer website
• Shumei Website (Japanese)

See also