The full-year program in Japanese consists of an introductory level in the
summer, intermediate level in the fall, and advanced level in the
spring. Students need not enroll in the entire full-year program to
participate in FALCON. Some students enroll in the summer course to get
an intensive introduction to the language, then either go to Japan or
continue in regular, non-intensive courses at Cornell or at their home
institutions.
Students who can demonstrate appropriate knowledge
of the language can join the program at non-introductory levels (fall or
spring). However, because introductory programs differ widely in content
and methodology, completing an introductory course elsewhere does not
necessarily enable students to qualify for the fall
FALCON
program. Students without the necessary background are normally required
to begin their study of Japanese at Cornell in the summer if they do not testwish
to enroll in fall or spring FALCON courses.
For hundreds of years after its decline as a spoken language, students
were taught Latin for the simple reason that it would improve their
minds. "An incomparable training ground for mental gymnastics," it's
been called. For English speakers, Japanese more than compares. At
FALCON, you'll dedicate yourself to studying the language with few
outside distractions. Follow Professor Sukle's method of instruction,
and you'll be a lithe mental gymnast in no time. An added incentive:
unlike Latin, Japanese is widely spoken, and has a dynamic publishing
industry supporting it. After FALCON, you'll be able to navigate life
in Japan, or life as a Japan expert anywhere. You'll be equipped with
the necessary training to take your language skills, both spoken and
written, to whatever level you desire. It's up to you.
-Ivan Schneider, Full-Year 1988-89
