This past summer, a select group of 24 incoming UW-Madison first-year students got a head start on their Badger education. These badgers went through a unique three week experience where they immersed themselves in the unfamiliar sights and sounds of Kyoto, Japan, while engaging with Japanese tales about ghosts and monsters.
“The UW Summer Launch in Japan: Supernatural and Surreal” is part of the UW Study Abroad Summer Launch program, which is designed to encourage incoming first-year students to grapple with important social, political, and historical issues, develop college-level critical thinking and writing skills, build community networks, and develop cross-cultural awareness – all while traveling abroad before the start of their college degree program.
The Japan edition of Summer Launch, initially slated to run in 2020 but stalled by Covid, finally debuted this year with funding from the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) and in collaboration with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Dr. Charo D’Etcheverry, Chair & Professor in Asian Languages & Cultures, served as the program leader for this study abroad experience.
Read more about the Japan Summer Launch program here!