Kwassui Women’s university

The Faculties of Kwassui Women’s university

Graduate School	English Literature and Language
Faculty of Humanities	Department of English
	Department of Contemporary Japanese Culture
	Department of Human Relations
Faculty of Music	Department of Music
Faculty of WellnessStudies	Department of Nutritional Health
	Department of Design and Science for Human Life
	Department of Child Development and Education
Faculty of Nursing	Department of Nursing

Kwassui Women’s university Profile
Kwassui Gakuin had its origins in 1879, when Ms. Elizabeth Russell and Ms. Jennie Gheer were sent to Nagasaki by the American Methodist Women's Foreign Missionary Society to be involved in education and Christian mission for Japanese young women.  On December 1, 1879, they welcomed one student, and so established Kwassui Girls’ School. The name of Kwassui means “living water” and comes from the Bible verse where Christ Jesus refers to the “living water” which can satisfy the thirst of the human spirit (John 4:10).  Kwassui is still seeking to provide a broad education rooted in the Christian spirit in which the school was founded and to raise up students who can be sent out into the world having developed international perspectives. In 1919, Kwassui was officially recognized as Kwassui Women’s university.  After World War, under the new education system, a junior high school and a high school were added. The Ministry of Education gave Kwassui permission for the establishment of a university in 1981, and a graduate school in 1991.
Kwassui Women’s university now has a Graduate School (for English Literature and Language); a Faculty of Humanities (Departments of English, Contemporary Japanese Culture, and Human Relations); a Faculty of Music (comprising the Departments of Music Performance and Applied Music); a Faculty of Wellness Studies (Departments of Nutritional Health, Department of Design and Science for Human Life, and Child Development & Education); and a Faculty of Nursing established in 2009.

Environment　
Nagasaki is a small city in the west of Japan, surrounded by mountains and the sea. Since olden times, Nagasaki has played an important role in Japan’s exchange with other countries.  During Japan’s period of National Isolation Nagasaki provided the one window to the outside world, and relationships with the Chinese and the Dutch continued there.  Then from the Meiji Era, Nagasaki flourished as a trading port, and became one of the gateways to Japan from abroad.
Nagasaki is a well-known sightseeing area. In the surrounding areas there is a lot of evidence of past exchange with China, Holland, and other European countries; for example, Chinatown, a Confucian Shrine, Chinese-style temples and houses, Western-style houses, and Glover Garden.
At the end of World War II, a large number of lives were lost and great suffering caused by the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.  Still today, Nagasaki is appealing against nuclear weapons and working to send messages promoting peace to the world.

Having grown up in a climate influenced by this history, the people of Nagasaki are, in general, very open and friendly to foreigners.  Compared with the big Japanese cities, Nagasaki is safe, has relatively cheap prices, and is generally a place where international students find it easy to live.  Also, as Kwassui’s residence hall has places available for international students, it is possible to live with Japanese students and concentrate on study in a secure environment.

Well-equipped Environment

Main chapel: 700 seats, pipe organ. Weekly university chapel hour and various university ceremonies are held here.
Small chapel: 100seats.  Worship services and lectures are held here.
Libraries: There are libraries on both the Higashi-yamate-machi and Shinto-machi campuses, fully equipped with reading rooms and multi-media areas with booths for computer research and the use of audio-visual materials.
Music Hall: The Music Hall has a top quality pipe organ. Music Department students give public recitals here.
Gymnasium: There are a sports floor, training rooms, and showers.
Student Halls: These are furnished variously with a student cafeteria, a book center and a shop.

Main Internet and Network Connections
Kwassui has more than 400 computers located in computer labs, student lounges, libraries, and the student residence hall (dormitory).  Students can connect to the Internet through the university LAN.  The computers in the International Student Exchange Center have Chinese and Korean language word-processing facilities.  Students in Faculty of Music Departments have access to Desktop Music computer programs, and there are special computer facilities for language learning.  KIDS (Kwassui Information Delivery Service) makes information about classes, events, and other aspects of campus life available via the homepage, and students can register to have relevant information sent to their cell phones by e-mail.

Student Residence Hall – Nankoryo
The residence hall is a 10-storey building for 306 students on the Shinto-machi campus. Both Japanese and international students can live there.  Rooms are Western-style twin arrangement.
Each room has a desk, chair, bookcase, desk lamp, bed, closet (wardrobe), and locker for each student, and a refrigerator and an air-conditioning/heating unit.  General facilities include piano practice rooms, computer rooms, sewing and ironing room, reading room, first aid room, dining room, meeting room, tatami room, consultation room, study rooms, cooking and laundry facilities, showers, and a Japanese-style bath.  There is air-conditioning/heating throughout thebuilding, and there are public telephones, elevators, and copying facilities

Annual Schedule

First semester	April	Entrance ceremony Guidance for new students Student Council welcome event
	May	Golden Week short vacation Welcome party for international students Sports Day International student bus excursion
	July	End of first semester classes Open Campus
	August	First semester final examinations Open Campus Summer vacation Summer overseas study programs
	September	Seminar excursions Club overnight experiences Start of second semester classes
Second semester	October	Keisetsukai (Student festival)
	November	Special religious lectures
	December	Founder’s Day Christmas worship Classes break for winter vacation
	January	Classes resume
	February	End of second semester classes Second semester final examinations
	March	Graduation recital Graduation worship Graduation ceremony Spring Overseas Study Programs

Overseas Sister Schools and Co-operative Schools

Kwassui has links involving a variety of exchange programs which provide opportunities for learning together on campus with 19 universities as follows.

CQ University	Australia
Hanzhou Normal University	China
Shanghai International Studies University	China
Shanghai International Studies U Xianda university of Economics & Humanities	China
Shanghai Ocean University	China
Sichuan International Studies University	China
Zhejiang Shuren University	Korea
Baewha Women’s university	Korea
Duksung Women’s University	Korea
Ewha Womans University	Korea
Korean Nazarene of University	Korea
University of Incheon	Korea
Sungkyul University	Korea
University of Suwon	Korea
Suwon Science university	Korea
Mingdao University	Taiwan
Burapha University	Thailand
Chiang Mai University	Thailand
London Metropolitan University	UK
Roehampton University	UK
The University of Evansville	USA
Ohio Wesleyan University	USA
Randolph university	USA
Rocky Mountain university	USA
Hong Bang University International	Vietnam
Lac Hong University	Vietnam

Kwassui also welcomes students from Hong Kong Baptist University for a 4-week summer program each year, and is working towards exchange agreements with universities in Vietnam.  The Kwassui student body already includes Vietnamese students.

Possibilities for Further Exchange

Kwassui Women’s university is happy to enter into cooperative international agreements of benefit to both institutions.  As Kwassui has Faculties of Humanities, Music, Wellness Studies, and Nursing, we would like to establish exchange programs within those disciplines, with a one-for-one student exchange if possible.  We also offer short-term study programs which can be conducted in Japanese or in English, and welcome international students who are interested in Japanese culture and language.

 

Services for International Students
Financial:-  There is a 50% reduction in tuition fees for international students who are not entering through a one-for-one exchange program.
Academic and general support:-  The International Student Exchange Center functions to provide support for international students in both daily life and university life.  The center is where Japanese classes for international students are taught, and is always a place where Japanese and international students can get together.  Individual tutoring by Japanese students can be arranged for international students.

Housing:- The Student Residence Hall (Nankoryo) is a 10-storey building for 306 students on the Shinto-machi campus.  There is a free bus service between this campus and the Higashi-Yamate campus.  Both Japanese and international students can live in Nankoryo.  Rooms are Western-style twin arrangement.

Special Academic Programs for International StudentsKwassui provides a Japanese Language Program for international students through the International Student Exchange Center.  There are five steps to the Japanese Language Program, with a Preliminary Level and Levels I-IV.  This Japanese language program is not limited to preparation for regular university classes and supplementary lessons, but seeks to improve students’ overall practical Japanese ability.  We aim to produce people who can use Japanese to conduct business.  Students learn about the society and culture which form the setting for Japanese as well as studying the language itself, and so improve their Japanese ability.  Students are given support to gain practical Japanese skills and to increase their powers of Japanese literacy.

General Student Activities 
Campus events include Sports Day in the spring, and the university festival and the celebration of Founder’s Day in the fall.  Kwassui has a weekly chapel hour, and there are also retreats and a special Christmas worship.  There are a variety of extracurricular  activities.  Sports  clubs include tennis, volleyball, swimming, and table tennis.  There are cultural activities such as flower arrangement and tea ceremony.  A number of circles are involved in volunteer activities, and Kwassui has a student YWCA.