Academic Program
Green River College tuition is not included in the program fee.
This is a study program. Students must carry a 15-credit load and are expected to fully participate in all class activities. The courses offered are specially chosen to give participants interesting, valuable and relevant instruction that exposes students to the historical and cultural differences that are unique to Japan.
Note: Since a Japanese language course is being offered in this program, it is required for the student to memorize the Hiragana and Katakana alphabet before the trip! Having a foundational knowledge of the alphabet and the language will help students feel more comfortable navigating the class and will greatly enhance their cultural immersion experience.
Course Descriptions
Japanese Class (Various levels)
5 Language Credits
Japanese Language classes are offered in various levels (basic-intermediate). Students will take a placement test to determine their language level and placement. It is required to learn the Hiragana and the Katakana alphabets before your trip. These classes will be taught by a Miyazaji Municipal University faculty member.
Creative Writing: Writing Miyazaki (ENGL& 236)
5 English Credits
This creative nonfiction course guides students through a structured progression of observation, belonging, and persuasion while studying abroad in Miyazaki, Japan. Drawing on Japanese aesthetic and rhetorical traditions such as yūgen, wabi-sabi, and kishōtenketsu, students begin with ekphrastic writing focused on careful observation and sensory detail, then move to community-based profile essays that emphasize ethical engagement and lived experience. The course culminates in a personal argument about the value of studying abroad, shaped by a non-Western narrative structure that allows insight to emerge organically. Throughout the term, students integrate reading, research, and revision while developing writing that prioritizes attentiveness, humility, and meaningful connection to place.
Writing Humanities (ENGL& 126)
5 English Credits
Writing Humanities provides instruction and practice in critical reading, analytical writing, and research using literature as a primary focus. It emphasizes interpretation, argumentation, and documented research. This section centers on Japanese literature in English translation, exploring major literary forms and their cultural contexts. Students will closely read major forms of Japanese writing while they are studying in Miyazaki, focusing on manga, haiku and haibun, and Japanese novels in English translation. Because students are living in Japan, the course connects literature to lived experience—place, season, language, and cultural practice. We will also examine what it means to read literature in translation and how translation shapes interpretation.
Faculty
Todd Johnson
English Faculty - Green River College
Todd Johnson is a college English instructor with more than twenty years of experience teaching writing, reading, literature, and creative writing in community college and university settings. Since 2002, he has taught primarily at Green River College in Auburn, Washington, where he has led courses such as Composition Skills, Writing Skills, College Writing, and Writing in the Humanities, with an emphasis on online instruction. He has also taught at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide, Central Texas College, Missoula College, and Muckleshoot Tribal College, working with diverse and Indigenous student populations. An active writer, Mr. Johnson has published poetry and reviews in regional journals and holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Montana. His interest in Japanese culture began in high school and college through the study of karate. His interests also include Japanese literature, Japanese film, and the cultural connections between Japan and the United States.