Updates to this site have been spotty over the summer... after all, there hasn't been much going on with no students around. But I have a lot planned for the coming year and I plan to make this site a regular information source for everything that's going on related to Japan, both here at Grand Valley and in the larger west Michigan community. There's a lot going on, and if you are aware of any events I missed, please let me know and I'll post them here. First, though, let me outline some of the major plans I have for the fall semester.
First, we are going to have a Japanese Program Welcome Reception on the evening of Wednesday, September 9th, during the second week of classes. The purpose of this is to introduce our new Japanese teacher, Sayaka Abe, to our current students, introduce myself to the new students, and introduce everybody to the things we have planned for the coming year. The original idea was to have a potluck, but I have a bit of funding from MLL for snacks and drinks and I want to encourage strong attendance even for new students so I think it would be wise to make it a pseudo-potluck instead. In other words, I want to anyone who has an interest in Japan to come, even if they have nothing to bring. But if you know how to make something "Japanese-y" and want to bring it, please do so. And if you would like to contribute something but don't know what, you can come in an hour early, throw in a buck or two for ingredients, and help me make gyôza. The event itself will be starting at 7pm, in MAK B-LL-126 (probably) and will consist of a reception with snacks followed by a Japanese film. I haven't decided on the film yet, but I'm thinking something fairly mainstream, upbeat, and crowd-pleasing would be good (maybe Densha Otoko?). If you have any other suggestions, either for good films or for additions to the schedule, I'd be happy to hear them.
The film showed at the reception will also be the kickoff to the Japanese Culture Association's Japanese film series. Another film will be shown every two weeks following the reception, at the same time on Wednesday evening. I'm hoping that the evening screenings will make the time accessible to more students than last year, when films were shown in the afternoons. I also know the Asian Student Union has their meetings on Wednesday nights from 6-7pm, so we'll try to start later than that (perhaps 7:30?). The schedule is still to be determined, but we're hoping to have it set by the time of the reception so if you have any suggestions you'd better make them quick. For purely practical reasons we'll be focusing on films in the LRC (or in my personal collection) and it would be great to use it to expose people to films they might not see otherwise. In other words, we don't want to turn it into a Miyazaki film festival. Perhaps a combination of mainstream films, more quirky films, classics, and non-mainstream animated films would work best.
And speaking of the JCA, I'm hoping for a big jump in both membership and activity this semester. Enrollments in the first year classes are really strong and it would be great to get all those fresh kids involved in things right off the bat. I know the officers are getting together for an organizational meeting soon and the first official meeting will happen soon after, so keep your eyes peeled. I'll keep posting general JCA events on here, and you can also keep up with what's going on by joining the "GVSU Japanese Culture Association" group on Facebook.
One of the other things I'll be announcing at the reception is a plan I have to be more involved in organizing study groups and the Japanese Conversation Table. Last year several students took the initiative in putting together regular study groups in various sections of Japanese, but I made the decision to be hands off and leave most of it in the hands of the students. This year, I think I need to take a bit more active role in the organizing of these groups, if only to maximize the opportunities everyone has for attending them. I will be looking for a couple of students from every section of Japanese to be responsible for organizing times and locations for study groups. The focus of these will be on getting together to study the class material outside of class and, since there are multiple sections of 101 and 201, that should make it easier for students who are interested to get to at least one of the sessions each week. JPN 380 students may or may not have multiple sections (depending on interest) but since the JPN 201 students will be basically going over the same material as our JPN 202 class last year, it is also an opportunity to review. Since the focus of these study groups will be on the material covered in class, I'm hoping this will allow the Japan Conversation Table (JCT) to be mostly free from this material and focused on just conversing in Japanese, at whatever level the participants might be. In other words, I'd like it to focus on using whatever language the participants have to discuss a given topic rather than dividing them according to ability level. I think you will all be surprised by how much one can do even with limited Japanese when the focus is on communication rather than perfecting specific grammatical forms or vocabulary. I'd like to recruit students from each level of Japanese, as well as those who are already beyond the courses we offer at Grand Valley, to be involved in organizing the JCT and finding a time to meet at least once a week. And depending on the times, I or Abe sensei will try to attend as well.
Finally, I am thinking about ways to expand our range of options beyond the Grand Rapids area and take optional "field trips" as well. There are large Japanese communities in both Chicago and the Detroit area, and one possibility would simply be to carpool out to spend a day looking at what the shops (bookstores, restaurants, Japanese department stores, etc.) in either area have to offer. If there are Japan-related events going on in either city (or in Kalamazoo, Lansing, or Ann Arbor, where there are schools with strong Japanese programs), we could make that a destination as well. Once we get past the idea of being limited to the immediate area, there are hundreds of opportunities.
For now, though, please come to the Welcome Reception on the 9th. I'll be talking about all the above there as well. And please realize that I'm trying to coordinate all this, but ultimately the energy and motivation has to come from you. There is a HUGE amount of interest in various aspects of Japanese culture on campus, and I really need help organizing and channeling that energy. I think we could do really great things.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
New Japanese games at the LRC
Recently I have been working with David Shultz and John Beals at the Language Resource Center to expand our range of available software for Japanese language practice, and one of our plans has just come to fruition. The LRC has just ordered four Nintendo DS game systems. Legend of Zelda anyone?
Seriously, though, why DS? Well, for one thing DS software is non-region specific, so software purchased in Japan can be used on a device purchased in the US. For another, the DS is HUGE in Japan so there is lots of available software. Also, the input system for the DS is a stylus you use to write on the screen, meaning you can write kanji, etc. directly onto the screen and have it be recognized. And finally, Japan is years ahead of the US in using game systems in innovative ways, creating software for non-gamers, etc. The range of software available for the DS in Japan is massive, including everything from cooking instruction, to readings in world literature, to home finance... to Japanese practice.
Yes, even Japanese people have to practice their Japanese and their kanji too. Among the dozens of “kentei” official certification exams every year are the Nihongo nôryoku shiken (“Test of Japanese Proficiency,” aimed at foreign speakers of Japanese), the Nihongo kentei (“Goken” – “Certification Test of Japanese Language,” aimed at native Japanese speakers and focused on proper language usage) and the Nihon kanji nôryoku kentei (“Kanken” – “Certification Test of Japanese Kanji Proficiency”), each with multiple levels from Novice to Expert. You don’t take a standardized test and get a certain score, as with the SAT or ACT, but rather you attempt a certain level of the exam and either pass and then move on to the next level, or fail and try again next year (much like Japanese university entrance exams). Sometimes these tests are used in the same way the SAT or ACT tests are used in the US, as a test of ability in certain fields that is independent of individual schools (even going down to elementary school level). And sometimes they are a requirement for certain professions. But sometimes, people just take them to see how good they are... and that’s lucky for us, since there are hundreds of DS games available to practice for them. Most of them are aimed at native speakers so they tend to be a bit high level and assume a certain level of Japanese (such as some kanji readings) that may not be there for second language learners, but I think they’ll be both helpful and fun. Here are the ones we’ve purchased for the LRC:
Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-kun: Kondo wa Kanken Taisaku Dayo!
(“Correct Kanji Writer kun – This time the challenge is Kanken!”)
The first Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-kun DS game was aimed at elementary school students, and focused on the “general use” kanji. This follow up is, as the name suggests, expanded to help users practice for the Kanken, the Kanji certification test. The game has levels to help study kanji appropriate for the Level 10 exam (1st year of elementary school) all the way up to Level 2 (high school graduate level kanji). It helps the user learn the correct way to write the kanji and then tests using quizzes, mini-games, etc., with the user writing in the correct kanji directly with the stylus. The program checks both the kanji itself as well as the proper stroke order, something which is often lacking in second-language learners but which is REALLY important to making your kanji look right. I couldn’t find a review of this new version, but a review of the old one is here.
Kanken DS2
Not as creative a title, but the same basic aim as the one above. This is one is much more oriented toward the exams themselves, and are divided up into the same types of categories that the test is, including reading, writing, radicals, and on/kun readings. This game also includes a kanji dictionary, and since even unknown kanji can be written using the stylus it can be easier to use than our other dictionaries, though it only includes the 1,945 “general use” kanji and is thus not as complete as a full dictionary. There’s a review of it here and you can watch the Japanese TV commercial for it on YouTube.
Hissatsu Kung Fu: Kanji Dragon
All the excitement of an old kung fu movie, combined with the thrill of kanji acquisition. As the son of a martial arts master, you must use your family’s secret weapon, the Kanji Fist, to defeat those who would destroy your dôjô. Defeat your foes by writing the correct kanji, the correct reading of a kanji, a synonym or antonym of a given kanji, the proper radical, etc. The kanji get harder as the foes get stronger. This might be a game that’s better suited to kanji review rather than learning new kanji, but the game system should keep it interesting. The main promotional site is all in Japanese, but it’s interesting and here’s a review in English.
Nihongo kentei DS
While the other three above are focused on kanji, this one is more general, as a preparation tool for the Test of Japanese Proficiency (Nihongo kentei). It does include kanji, but also grammar, vocabulary, definitions, formal speech, etc. Like the Kanken study tools, it is also divided by level, from the Level 6 exam (mid- to late- elementary school level) up to Level 1 (college graduates). The questions are quite challenging but hey, isn’t that why you’re studying? I haven’t found an English review of this one, but you can take a look at the Japanese official site if you like.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
What, you thought I was kidding when I said we should play Legend of Zelda? Well, it’s not quite that easy of course. This is the Japanese version. And if you want to get through this Zelda, you’re going to have to do quite a bit of Japanese reading. Luckily, the game includes an automatic kanji lookup, which lets you view the reading of any kanji. Check out this video of how it works. Even if you’re just wandering around the world confused, at least you’ll be improving your language... hmmm... just like living in Japan.
For now we’ve ordered four devices and four copies of each game. And for now, I won’t be trying to integrate them into the curriculum... they’re just for extra practice. But please try them out, and let me know what works, what doesn’t, what you like about them, etc. If it turns out they’re useful, we may start expanding the collection.
Seriously, though, why DS? Well, for one thing DS software is non-region specific, so software purchased in Japan can be used on a device purchased in the US. For another, the DS is HUGE in Japan so there is lots of available software. Also, the input system for the DS is a stylus you use to write on the screen, meaning you can write kanji, etc. directly onto the screen and have it be recognized. And finally, Japan is years ahead of the US in using game systems in innovative ways, creating software for non-gamers, etc. The range of software available for the DS in Japan is massive, including everything from cooking instruction, to readings in world literature, to home finance... to Japanese practice.
Yes, even Japanese people have to practice their Japanese and their kanji too. Among the dozens of “kentei” official certification exams every year are the Nihongo nôryoku shiken (“Test of Japanese Proficiency,” aimed at foreign speakers of Japanese), the Nihongo kentei (“Goken” – “Certification Test of Japanese Language,” aimed at native Japanese speakers and focused on proper language usage) and the Nihon kanji nôryoku kentei (“Kanken” – “Certification Test of Japanese Kanji Proficiency”), each with multiple levels from Novice to Expert. You don’t take a standardized test and get a certain score, as with the SAT or ACT, but rather you attempt a certain level of the exam and either pass and then move on to the next level, or fail and try again next year (much like Japanese university entrance exams). Sometimes these tests are used in the same way the SAT or ACT tests are used in the US, as a test of ability in certain fields that is independent of individual schools (even going down to elementary school level). And sometimes they are a requirement for certain professions. But sometimes, people just take them to see how good they are... and that’s lucky for us, since there are hundreds of DS games available to practice for them. Most of them are aimed at native speakers so they tend to be a bit high level and assume a certain level of Japanese (such as some kanji readings) that may not be there for second language learners, but I think they’ll be both helpful and fun. Here are the ones we’ve purchased for the LRC:
Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-kun: Kondo wa Kanken Taisaku Dayo!
(“Correct Kanji Writer kun – This time the challenge is Kanken!”)
The first Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-kun DS game was aimed at elementary school students, and focused on the “general use” kanji. This follow up is, as the name suggests, expanded to help users practice for the Kanken, the Kanji certification test. The game has levels to help study kanji appropriate for the Level 10 exam (1st year of elementary school) all the way up to Level 2 (high school graduate level kanji). It helps the user learn the correct way to write the kanji and then tests using quizzes, mini-games, etc., with the user writing in the correct kanji directly with the stylus. The program checks both the kanji itself as well as the proper stroke order, something which is often lacking in second-language learners but which is REALLY important to making your kanji look right. I couldn’t find a review of this new version, but a review of the old one is here.
Kanken DS2
Not as creative a title, but the same basic aim as the one above. This is one is much more oriented toward the exams themselves, and are divided up into the same types of categories that the test is, including reading, writing, radicals, and on/kun readings. This game also includes a kanji dictionary, and since even unknown kanji can be written using the stylus it can be easier to use than our other dictionaries, though it only includes the 1,945 “general use” kanji and is thus not as complete as a full dictionary. There’s a review of it here and you can watch the Japanese TV commercial for it on YouTube.
Hissatsu Kung Fu: Kanji Dragon
All the excitement of an old kung fu movie, combined with the thrill of kanji acquisition. As the son of a martial arts master, you must use your family’s secret weapon, the Kanji Fist, to defeat those who would destroy your dôjô. Defeat your foes by writing the correct kanji, the correct reading of a kanji, a synonym or antonym of a given kanji, the proper radical, etc. The kanji get harder as the foes get stronger. This might be a game that’s better suited to kanji review rather than learning new kanji, but the game system should keep it interesting. The main promotional site is all in Japanese, but it’s interesting and here’s a review in English.
Nihongo kentei DS
While the other three above are focused on kanji, this one is more general, as a preparation tool for the Test of Japanese Proficiency (Nihongo kentei). It does include kanji, but also grammar, vocabulary, definitions, formal speech, etc. Like the Kanken study tools, it is also divided by level, from the Level 6 exam (mid- to late- elementary school level) up to Level 1 (college graduates). The questions are quite challenging but hey, isn’t that why you’re studying? I haven’t found an English review of this one, but you can take a look at the Japanese official site if you like.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
What, you thought I was kidding when I said we should play Legend of Zelda? Well, it’s not quite that easy of course. This is the Japanese version. And if you want to get through this Zelda, you’re going to have to do quite a bit of Japanese reading. Luckily, the game includes an automatic kanji lookup, which lets you view the reading of any kanji. Check out this video of how it works. Even if you’re just wandering around the world confused, at least you’ll be improving your language... hmmm... just like living in Japan.
For now we’ve ordered four devices and four copies of each game. And for now, I won’t be trying to integrate them into the curriculum... they’re just for extra practice. But please try them out, and let me know what works, what doesn’t, what you like about them, etc. If it turns out they’re useful, we may start expanding the collection.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Japanese Program Growing
Well, there have been a few exciting developments in the program, though none that affect current students immediately. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there were a couple of the things I thought needed to happen with first-year Japanese for the program to really start growing... and they're both about to happen!
First, I got approval from our department chair to add a section of JPN 101 to the schedule for the winter semester next academic year. Then, if enrollments are strong, we will continue the pattern by adding a section of JPN 102 to the following fall and offer both JPN 101 and 201 in the following winter. Being able to take lower-level Japanese in either semester rather than only on a fall-winter track adds much more flexibility to the program. First, it allows better integration with study abroad programs, which generally proceed at twice the pace of our program and thus make study for a single semester difficult. Also, it allows more flexibility for students who either end up dropping the course mid-semester or who aren't quite ready to move on to the next level of language study. Retaking a semester immediately rather than waiting a full year is a much more appealing option for most of these students, and increases the likelihood that they will stick with Japanese rather than switching to one of thoseeasy ahem... I mean European languages. Getting the third year of language was important, but this increases the chance that we can keep those third-year classes filled.
Second, we will also be offering JPN 101-102 during the spring and summer semesters next summer. This is the other half of the same equation, allowing students who don't decide to take Japanese as freshmen the chance to get in at the "ground floor" and continue as though they had done so. Now, whether these classes actually get taught next summer depends entirely on enrollment numbers, and it took German five years to build enough of a base to offer summer courses regularly. Still, I think there's enough interest to make it a possibility... and if nothing else it will give me a better sense of just how much demand there is for it at this point. Eventually I want to be able to offer 201-202 during the summer as well, making it possible to jump from first- to third-year from one year to the next, but that's a bit more difficult in terms of staffing. With only two Japanese faculty, that means both committing to spring and summer classes every year, which just isn't going to happen. Once we have three full-time faculty members, though (hopefully beginning with the 2012-13 academic year), it's a possibility. Not a huge incentive for those of you who are already studying here, but all part of building a sustainable program.
One last thing I have been working on recently is planning a faculty-led study abroad program to Japan. I've mentioned to some of you that such a program probably wouldn't be offered until the summer of 2011, and that's still the schedule we're looking at, but there have been a few developments. First, I have been doing a bit of research into our study abroad partners, and will probably be going to Japan to observe them in more detail either this December or next summer. But one thing that has become clear is that the three programs approved by the Padnos International Center do a pretty good job of fulfilling our summer language study abroad needs already. All three have summer programs in place, in which the equivalent of a year of study at Grand Valley can be completed in 8-10 weeks. Most of the forms I could imagine for leading a group of students to Japan myself to study the language would have been less efficient, less flexible, and more expensive than the existing options. But rather than discard the faculty-led program model altogether, I decided to think out of the box a bit. I still need to do a lot of the legwork, but here's what I have in mind:
I would coordinate with one of our partner institutions to use their facilities to teach a course in Japan during our spring semester. The course would be taught in English, so it would be open to all GVSU students, but it would take advantage of the setting. For example, I might teach a course in traditional Japanese theater, accompanied by trips to view live performances. Or I might do a course such as "Literature of Kyoto" or "Historical Culture of Tokyo" including trips to important sites, participation in local workshops, etc. After the course is complete, students would then have the option of either going back home or staying on at that school to study language during the summer semester. Students would get the equivalent of a full year of language and, unlike any language course I could teach myself, Japanese could be taken at any level depending on the level of individual students. As far as I know, this "hybrid" model of faculty-led study abroad has never been used in the past, but both our department chair and the director of the Padnos International Center are excited about it. We'll have to see how things go as I get deeper into the project.
So, as I said, not much of this willl impact our current students in the short term... but at least I'm excited about it.
First, I got approval from our department chair to add a section of JPN 101 to the schedule for the winter semester next academic year. Then, if enrollments are strong, we will continue the pattern by adding a section of JPN 102 to the following fall and offer both JPN 101 and 201 in the following winter. Being able to take lower-level Japanese in either semester rather than only on a fall-winter track adds much more flexibility to the program. First, it allows better integration with study abroad programs, which generally proceed at twice the pace of our program and thus make study for a single semester difficult. Also, it allows more flexibility for students who either end up dropping the course mid-semester or who aren't quite ready to move on to the next level of language study. Retaking a semester immediately rather than waiting a full year is a much more appealing option for most of these students, and increases the likelihood that they will stick with Japanese rather than switching to one of those
Second, we will also be offering JPN 101-102 during the spring and summer semesters next summer. This is the other half of the same equation, allowing students who don't decide to take Japanese as freshmen the chance to get in at the "ground floor" and continue as though they had done so. Now, whether these classes actually get taught next summer depends entirely on enrollment numbers, and it took German five years to build enough of a base to offer summer courses regularly. Still, I think there's enough interest to make it a possibility... and if nothing else it will give me a better sense of just how much demand there is for it at this point. Eventually I want to be able to offer 201-202 during the summer as well, making it possible to jump from first- to third-year from one year to the next, but that's a bit more difficult in terms of staffing. With only two Japanese faculty, that means both committing to spring and summer classes every year, which just isn't going to happen. Once we have three full-time faculty members, though (hopefully beginning with the 2012-13 academic year), it's a possibility. Not a huge incentive for those of you who are already studying here, but all part of building a sustainable program.
One last thing I have been working on recently is planning a faculty-led study abroad program to Japan. I've mentioned to some of you that such a program probably wouldn't be offered until the summer of 2011, and that's still the schedule we're looking at, but there have been a few developments. First, I have been doing a bit of research into our study abroad partners, and will probably be going to Japan to observe them in more detail either this December or next summer. But one thing that has become clear is that the three programs approved by the Padnos International Center do a pretty good job of fulfilling our summer language study abroad needs already. All three have summer programs in place, in which the equivalent of a year of study at Grand Valley can be completed in 8-10 weeks. Most of the forms I could imagine for leading a group of students to Japan myself to study the language would have been less efficient, less flexible, and more expensive than the existing options. But rather than discard the faculty-led program model altogether, I decided to think out of the box a bit. I still need to do a lot of the legwork, but here's what I have in mind:
I would coordinate with one of our partner institutions to use their facilities to teach a course in Japan during our spring semester. The course would be taught in English, so it would be open to all GVSU students, but it would take advantage of the setting. For example, I might teach a course in traditional Japanese theater, accompanied by trips to view live performances. Or I might do a course such as "Literature of Kyoto" or "Historical Culture of Tokyo" including trips to important sites, participation in local workshops, etc. After the course is complete, students would then have the option of either going back home or staying on at that school to study language during the summer semester. Students would get the equivalent of a full year of language and, unlike any language course I could teach myself, Japanese could be taken at any level depending on the level of individual students. As far as I know, this "hybrid" model of faculty-led study abroad has never been used in the past, but both our department chair and the director of the Padnos International Center are excited about it. We'll have to see how things go as I get deeper into the project.
So, as I said, not much of this willl impact our current students in the short term... but at least I'm excited about it.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Meet Abe Sensei
Well the semester has ended and I'm finally getting around to all those tasks I put aside until I had more time. But that actually isn't the reason it's taken me this long to make a post about the new Japanese teacher. There are numerous restrictions on revealing information about an ongoing job search until it is complete, so I wasn't able to say anything until a final decision was made. There's good reason for this, I suppose. If we don't get our first choice, for example, we want to make an offer to the second person on the list but don't necessarily want them to know they weren't our top candidate in the first place. Of course, if you've been following this blog for long, you know that I'm pretty big on transparency, but I guess I understand the need to be tactful. Still, it feels like waiting so long has the potential to give false hope to candidates who have already been eliminated. At the same time, I wouldn't want any candidates to find out they didn't get the job from this blog before they'd been informed officially. And in fact, I found during the interview process that many of the candidates actually did locate this blog, along with my course websites, syllabi, etc. in the course of their preparation. For some candidates, this worked as an advantage in that they knew my teaching philosophy and style already and could play this up in the interview. For some, though, they took it a bit too far and it was clear that many of them were telling me what they thought I wanted to hear rather than what they really felt. Among the ten candidates we interviewed there were some good candidates, some bad candidates, and a few who really stood out. I'm happy to say that one of our top choices accepted the position and next year Sayaka Abe will be joining our department. (and I hope nobody reading this site needs to be told this, but Abe is a Japanese name (あべ) and is thus NOT pronounced like "Honest Abe" but rather like "Baa" in Pig Latin. i.e. Ah-bay)
Abe Sensei has a PhD in linguistics and is currently teaching in a one-year visiting position at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She will be handling all three sections of first year Japanese for the 2009-10 academic year, which means that most of you who are already studying here won't have her as a teacher but I'm sure you will feel her presence. Unfortunately, teaching first-year Japanese doesn't exactly take full advantage of her specialization in linguistics, but I am hopeful that we'll be able to use her experience to expand our program sometime after the first year, if she stays on. Perhaps adding an additional course in her area of expertise (phonology? sociolinguistics? etc.?) for upper level Japanese students in her second year might be a possibility. I'm not sure how likely that is at this point, but both the chair of MLL and I are both very excited about the possibility of that happening... of course there are always limitations on our freedom to act. And as usual, I am getting ahead of myself even assuming that there will be a second year...
The position for which she has been hired is that of a visitor, which means that her official contract is for one year but that she has the option of renewing for up to a total of three years. Ideally, if both she and we are happy with the situation, it would be great if she were here for the full three years. I can tell you from personal experience, though, that there are advantages and disadvantages to being in a multi-year visiting position such as this one. For the two years prior to coming to GVSU, I was a visiting assistant professor at Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, VA. Like the position here, it was a visiting position with the possibility of renewing each year but with a set maximum number of years (five years max in my case). It was a bit of a mixed blessing, in that I could be assured of having a job for the next year so I didn't need to knock myself out applying to other jobs I didn't really want, but at the same time I knew it wasn't permanent so I did have to stay on the job market in the hopes of finding a tenure-track position. What does tenure-track mean? Well, it basically means an ongoing position requiring tenure review after a certain number of years (typically six) after which the job becomes more or less "permanent." So it's like being in limbo, teaching a regular assistant professor course-load, assured of having a job the next year, but unable to think of yourself as permanent. I couldn't really settle down, buy a house, or fully become part of the community because I didn't really know if I'd still be there the next year. It may be even worse in Abe Sensei's case, since she won't even be teaching what she does best: linguistics. At least in my former position, I had the freedom to teach a balance of language and literature. There is one possible advantage here at Grand Valley that I did not have, however; there was never a possibility of my staying on at Washington and Lee permanently.
Now here I'm really going out on a limb in talking about this, since we can't promise anything to anyone at this point... but as you know I like transparency. And if Abe Sensei were to read this (as she almost certainly will, since I'm going to tell her about this blog in the next e-mail I send her), she will have to interpret it as my hopeful speculation rather than any kind of "plan." As I've mentioned before, in another two years we (that is, the chair of MLL and I) are planning to propose a second tenure-track position in Japanese. We will probably have need of a third person to teach a course or two before then, but hopefully by that time the enrollments in both old and new courses will be strong enough to warrant both a tenure-track position and another full-time visitor. I had originally envisioned this being a modern literature position, to complement my pre-modern literature specialization, but now I am thinking more about making it linguistics-oriented. After all, I can teach (and have taught... and WANT to teach) modern literature, but I couldn't teach a linguistics course for the life of me. When and if that happens, we will have to run a formal search for the position, of course, but Abe Sensei would be welcome to apply for it. And although we certainly can't say she'd have the "inside track," a proven record teaching our students well is a HUGE plus. So, that's a lot of "ifs" -- IF she signs on for another year, and IF she doesn't get a tenure-track offer elsewhere, and IF she likes us and we like her, and IF we get the position approved, and IF we make it linguistics oriented, then maybe... just maybe... Of course, you see why I'm not making any promises. There are just too many factors to seriously consider anything at this point. But these days I tend to see everything in terms of how it fulfills my goal of building the Japanese program, and for that we need the kind of stability you can't build on the backs of visitors. And unlike many of the candidates we had for this position (many of whom did not have a PhD and were solely language instructors), Abe Sensei at least has the potential to be a solid part of the department.
Boy, that was a lot of speculation for one post. It's the kind of thing one used to say in private behind closed doors rather than leaving a paper trail... or posting in a public place accessible by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Oops.
Abe Sensei has a PhD in linguistics and is currently teaching in a one-year visiting position at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She will be handling all three sections of first year Japanese for the 2009-10 academic year, which means that most of you who are already studying here won't have her as a teacher but I'm sure you will feel her presence. Unfortunately, teaching first-year Japanese doesn't exactly take full advantage of her specialization in linguistics, but I am hopeful that we'll be able to use her experience to expand our program sometime after the first year, if she stays on. Perhaps adding an additional course in her area of expertise (phonology? sociolinguistics? etc.?) for upper level Japanese students in her second year might be a possibility. I'm not sure how likely that is at this point, but both the chair of MLL and I are both very excited about the possibility of that happening... of course there are always limitations on our freedom to act. And as usual, I am getting ahead of myself even assuming that there will be a second year...
The position for which she has been hired is that of a visitor, which means that her official contract is for one year but that she has the option of renewing for up to a total of three years. Ideally, if both she and we are happy with the situation, it would be great if she were here for the full three years. I can tell you from personal experience, though, that there are advantages and disadvantages to being in a multi-year visiting position such as this one. For the two years prior to coming to GVSU, I was a visiting assistant professor at Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, VA. Like the position here, it was a visiting position with the possibility of renewing each year but with a set maximum number of years (five years max in my case). It was a bit of a mixed blessing, in that I could be assured of having a job for the next year so I didn't need to knock myself out applying to other jobs I didn't really want, but at the same time I knew it wasn't permanent so I did have to stay on the job market in the hopes of finding a tenure-track position. What does tenure-track mean? Well, it basically means an ongoing position requiring tenure review after a certain number of years (typically six) after which the job becomes more or less "permanent." So it's like being in limbo, teaching a regular assistant professor course-load, assured of having a job the next year, but unable to think of yourself as permanent. I couldn't really settle down, buy a house, or fully become part of the community because I didn't really know if I'd still be there the next year. It may be even worse in Abe Sensei's case, since she won't even be teaching what she does best: linguistics. At least in my former position, I had the freedom to teach a balance of language and literature. There is one possible advantage here at Grand Valley that I did not have, however; there was never a possibility of my staying on at Washington and Lee permanently.
Now here I'm really going out on a limb in talking about this, since we can't promise anything to anyone at this point... but as you know I like transparency. And if Abe Sensei were to read this (as she almost certainly will, since I'm going to tell her about this blog in the next e-mail I send her), she will have to interpret it as my hopeful speculation rather than any kind of "plan." As I've mentioned before, in another two years we (that is, the chair of MLL and I) are planning to propose a second tenure-track position in Japanese. We will probably have need of a third person to teach a course or two before then, but hopefully by that time the enrollments in both old and new courses will be strong enough to warrant both a tenure-track position and another full-time visitor. I had originally envisioned this being a modern literature position, to complement my pre-modern literature specialization, but now I am thinking more about making it linguistics-oriented. After all, I can teach (and have taught... and WANT to teach) modern literature, but I couldn't teach a linguistics course for the life of me. When and if that happens, we will have to run a formal search for the position, of course, but Abe Sensei would be welcome to apply for it. And although we certainly can't say she'd have the "inside track," a proven record teaching our students well is a HUGE plus. So, that's a lot of "ifs" -- IF she signs on for another year, and IF she doesn't get a tenure-track offer elsewhere, and IF she likes us and we like her, and IF we get the position approved, and IF we make it linguistics oriented, then maybe... just maybe... Of course, you see why I'm not making any promises. There are just too many factors to seriously consider anything at this point. But these days I tend to see everything in terms of how it fulfills my goal of building the Japanese program, and for that we need the kind of stability you can't build on the backs of visitors. And unlike many of the candidates we had for this position (many of whom did not have a PhD and were solely language instructors), Abe Sensei at least has the potential to be a solid part of the department.
Boy, that was a lot of speculation for one post. It's the kind of thing one used to say in private behind closed doors rather than leaving a paper trail... or posting in a public place accessible by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Oops.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
What would we need for Japanese minor?
Things are moving forward with the new Japanese visiting position, and we have set up interviews with ten different candidates at a major Asian studies conference a couple of weekends from now. Plus, with the new third-year language and Japanese civ courses on the schedule for next year, I've begun to once again get the question, "So does this mean we're getting a Japanese major or minor?" Well, probably... but not yet. I've talked with you before about the challenges involved in getting a Japanese minor set up, and I thought now was a good time to put some concrete numbers out so we all know exactly what we're dealing with.
First, a quick comparison with the other minors offered through the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures shows that most of them require about 20-22 course hours beyond the 201 level. That would mean 4 credits for 202, then 6 for the third-year sequence, plus 10-12 additional course hours in linguistics, literature, etc. For all the European languages, this also includes literature in the original language, which is usually taken in the third year, often at the same time as third-year language. This is not generally a requirement for Japanese minors at most US institutions, though, as it is very difficult for students to approach real Japanese literary texts until at least after three years of language study. Fortunately, the faculty in MLL appear to understand this and there would probably be only a few objections raised to a minor that included Japanese literature only in translation. I would, though, like to eventually add a Japanese language through literature course at the 4th year level
Chinese is a bit different from the other MLL languages, in that there is no actual Chinese minor or major offered through MLL. Instead, they are offered through East Asian Studies, the same avenue that is currently open to those who want a minor related to Japanese. As many of you have found, though, even if you take Japanese to fulfill the EAS minor language requirements, the other courses are mostly Chinese-oriented (including those that claim to cover all of East Asia). Due to limited faculty in Chinese language, the Chinese major that was just begun this year actually had to be created by making it a Chinese studies rather than a Chinese language model, which means it includes many courses about China taught in English outside the MLL department. As I've said before, there are many Chinese-focused faculty in other departments and no Japanese-focused ones. And while I am working to change that, for now we can't really rely on East Asian Studies to supply a real Japanese minor.
So that leaves us with the MLL model. The way I see it, we will need a bare minimum of four additional courses on the books besides the third-year language course, and we will need to offer them with enough regularity that someone can expect to be able to complete the non-language requirements in less than two years (say, one class per semester offered over the course of a two-year cycle). This will not happen in the next few years, and here is why:
The new visitor will be taking over all three sections of JPN 101-102 for the coming three years, leaving me free to teach second year (2 sections in fall and 1 in winter) and any new courses we might add. Even if we don't expand at all, that only leaves me the time to teach third year and a single literature/civ/culture class per year. And if we do increase our numbers, that will just create the need for additional sections of first and second year before we will be able to expand to higher levels of language. Those additional sections will be taught by whatever adjunct lecturers we are able to find to cover a class or two, or by increasing the workload for the visitor (which isn't necessarily a problem, since visitors are often willing to take on additional sections... and are paid for them far better than tenure-track faculty are for teaching an overload -- grrr!). However, getting additional sections of existing classes approved is far easier than adding entirely new courses, and the college tends to respond to demonstrated need rather than anticipate growth. At any rate, it is doubtful that we will get an additional tenure-track position approved before the year the visitor is due to leave in three years. If by that time enrollments have remained strong, we may be able to replace the visitor with another tenure track position. And at that point we can also start talking about hiring yet another full-time visitor to take on three sections of language and allowing both me and the new tenure-track hire to teach more content courses in addition to language... and that's when we might be able to start discussing a minor. Even if everything goes our way, it will probably take at least three years.
There are reasons to feel encouraged, and if nothing else an increase in the number of Japanese courses means an increase in the type of courses that can be applied to the EAS minor with Japanese focus, but I'm afraid it is still too soon to start counting on a Japanese minor coming through in the next few years.
First, a quick comparison with the other minors offered through the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures shows that most of them require about 20-22 course hours beyond the 201 level. That would mean 4 credits for 202, then 6 for the third-year sequence, plus 10-12 additional course hours in linguistics, literature, etc. For all the European languages, this also includes literature in the original language, which is usually taken in the third year, often at the same time as third-year language. This is not generally a requirement for Japanese minors at most US institutions, though, as it is very difficult for students to approach real Japanese literary texts until at least after three years of language study. Fortunately, the faculty in MLL appear to understand this and there would probably be only a few objections raised to a minor that included Japanese literature only in translation. I would, though, like to eventually add a Japanese language through literature course at the 4th year level
Chinese is a bit different from the other MLL languages, in that there is no actual Chinese minor or major offered through MLL. Instead, they are offered through East Asian Studies, the same avenue that is currently open to those who want a minor related to Japanese. As many of you have found, though, even if you take Japanese to fulfill the EAS minor language requirements, the other courses are mostly Chinese-oriented (including those that claim to cover all of East Asia). Due to limited faculty in Chinese language, the Chinese major that was just begun this year actually had to be created by making it a Chinese studies rather than a Chinese language model, which means it includes many courses about China taught in English outside the MLL department. As I've said before, there are many Chinese-focused faculty in other departments and no Japanese-focused ones. And while I am working to change that, for now we can't really rely on East Asian Studies to supply a real Japanese minor.
So that leaves us with the MLL model. The way I see it, we will need a bare minimum of four additional courses on the books besides the third-year language course, and we will need to offer them with enough regularity that someone can expect to be able to complete the non-language requirements in less than two years (say, one class per semester offered over the course of a two-year cycle). This will not happen in the next few years, and here is why:
The new visitor will be taking over all three sections of JPN 101-102 for the coming three years, leaving me free to teach second year (2 sections in fall and 1 in winter) and any new courses we might add. Even if we don't expand at all, that only leaves me the time to teach third year and a single literature/civ/culture class per year. And if we do increase our numbers, that will just create the need for additional sections of first and second year before we will be able to expand to higher levels of language. Those additional sections will be taught by whatever adjunct lecturers we are able to find to cover a class or two, or by increasing the workload for the visitor (which isn't necessarily a problem, since visitors are often willing to take on additional sections... and are paid for them far better than tenure-track faculty are for teaching an overload -- grrr!). However, getting additional sections of existing classes approved is far easier than adding entirely new courses, and the college tends to respond to demonstrated need rather than anticipate growth. At any rate, it is doubtful that we will get an additional tenure-track position approved before the year the visitor is due to leave in three years. If by that time enrollments have remained strong, we may be able to replace the visitor with another tenure track position. And at that point we can also start talking about hiring yet another full-time visitor to take on three sections of language and allowing both me and the new tenure-track hire to teach more content courses in addition to language... and that's when we might be able to start discussing a minor. Even if everything goes our way, it will probably take at least three years.
There are reasons to feel encouraged, and if nothing else an increase in the number of Japanese courses means an increase in the type of courses that can be applied to the EAS minor with Japanese focus, but I'm afraid it is still too soon to start counting on a Japanese minor coming through in the next few years.
Friday, February 20, 2009
New Japanese teacher, new textbook?
Things are finally starting to happen with the new visiting Japanese teacher position for next year. It felt like we should have been moving on this a long time ago, but I've finally been allowed to post an announcement about the new position in all the relevant places. Apparently the position still hasn't been officially approved (I have no idea how these things are supposed to work) but our department chair doesn't seem to be in doubt that we'll be able to do it so I'm bowing to her experience on this one. We'll start looking at candidates right away and interview them at the Association for Asian Studies conference (the major annual Asian studies venue) at the end of March. If all goes well, I'm hoping to have someone committed to the position by the end of the semester. Officially, it's only a one-year position, but it can be renewed for up to three years and the last two people who have taken a position like this (including Emoto sensei) were in the position for the full three years.
So what does this mean? Well, basically, it means we'll have a bit more stability in the program. The visiting person will be teaching all three sections of first-year Japanese over the next few years (hopefully), which leaves me free to expand our current offerings a bit. The courses for next year are already on the books of course: I'll be teaching two sections of second-year and one of third-year (yay!) in the fall. In the winter, second-year usually drops to one section, so I'll be teaching second-year, third-year, and a Japanese culture/civ course. But if JPN 202 enrollments start getting stronger (as I'm hoping they will), there will be an impetus to expand that out to two sections in the winter semester... meaning we will need yet another teacher... meaning we may be able to add still more courses.
The game is all about proving to the college that there is a need for courses before they are allowed to be officially put on the books. Right now both sections of third-year Japanese and the culture/civ course are all listed as JPN 380, since they are all "test courses." Once we establish that such a course can draw students (that's where you all come in), then we can put them in the catalog... and then we'll NEED someone to teach them regularly. Hopefully within a couple of years we can establish not only the need to replace the visitor with a permanent position but also expand enrollments enough to warrant another visitor (or at least a one- or two-class affiliate). It's a slow process, but it seems to be heading in the right direction.
In other news, I'm thinking about changing textbooks. As you all know, I have issues with the Genki series, and a textbook I like far more just came out with a new edition that corrects many of the problems in the previous version. I think it is a better textbook and it includes access to many online resources, including audio and video files. In the meantime, I've found that the Genki series will no longer be updated... which means it will just keep getting less and less relevant to modern Japan as time goes on. There are only two things stopping me from taking the plunge: 1) the fact that several of our study abroad partners use Genki, making for easy transition from study here to study abroad; and 2) the fact that Genki is so much cheaper than the alternatives. I don't know what the bookstore charges, but you can buy the Genki textbook on Amazon for around $35 and the workbook for about $25... and that's for the whole year! Compare that to Nakama (the series I'm considering), which runs for $70 plus another $40 for the workbook... and that's just for one semester. That's actually comparable with what many language textbooks go for, but it's so much more expensive than what we're currently using that I feel the need to think it through before committing to the change. There is a substantially greater value in terms of both textbook and additional materials... but I need to decide whether it is significant enough to warrant the higher cost to the students.
If I do make a change, it will start with just JPN 101-102. JPN 201-202 next year will continue with the Genki series, then the following year we'd transition the second year students to the new series as well. That means none of you current students have a financial stake in this... so you can tell me honestly what you think. Does that textbook price seem excessive? Or worse yet, would it have made you reconsider taking Japanese altogether? As you can see above, I've got to fill these classes!
So what does this mean? Well, basically, it means we'll have a bit more stability in the program. The visiting person will be teaching all three sections of first-year Japanese over the next few years (hopefully), which leaves me free to expand our current offerings a bit. The courses for next year are already on the books of course: I'll be teaching two sections of second-year and one of third-year (yay!) in the fall. In the winter, second-year usually drops to one section, so I'll be teaching second-year, third-year, and a Japanese culture/civ course. But if JPN 202 enrollments start getting stronger (as I'm hoping they will), there will be an impetus to expand that out to two sections in the winter semester... meaning we will need yet another teacher... meaning we may be able to add still more courses.
The game is all about proving to the college that there is a need for courses before they are allowed to be officially put on the books. Right now both sections of third-year Japanese and the culture/civ course are all listed as JPN 380, since they are all "test courses." Once we establish that such a course can draw students (that's where you all come in), then we can put them in the catalog... and then we'll NEED someone to teach them regularly. Hopefully within a couple of years we can establish not only the need to replace the visitor with a permanent position but also expand enrollments enough to warrant another visitor (or at least a one- or two-class affiliate). It's a slow process, but it seems to be heading in the right direction.
In other news, I'm thinking about changing textbooks. As you all know, I have issues with the Genki series, and a textbook I like far more just came out with a new edition that corrects many of the problems in the previous version. I think it is a better textbook and it includes access to many online resources, including audio and video files. In the meantime, I've found that the Genki series will no longer be updated... which means it will just keep getting less and less relevant to modern Japan as time goes on. There are only two things stopping me from taking the plunge: 1) the fact that several of our study abroad partners use Genki, making for easy transition from study here to study abroad; and 2) the fact that Genki is so much cheaper than the alternatives. I don't know what the bookstore charges, but you can buy the Genki textbook on Amazon for around $35 and the workbook for about $25... and that's for the whole year! Compare that to Nakama (the series I'm considering), which runs for $70 plus another $40 for the workbook... and that's just for one semester. That's actually comparable with what many language textbooks go for, but it's so much more expensive than what we're currently using that I feel the need to think it through before committing to the change. There is a substantially greater value in terms of both textbook and additional materials... but I need to decide whether it is significant enough to warrant the higher cost to the students.
If I do make a change, it will start with just JPN 101-102. JPN 201-202 next year will continue with the Genki series, then the following year we'd transition the second year students to the new series as well. That means none of you current students have a financial stake in this... so you can tell me honestly what you think. Does that textbook price seem excessive? Or worse yet, would it have made you reconsider taking Japanese altogether? As you can see above, I've got to fill these classes!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Upcoming Japan-Related Events
There are a number of Japan-related events coming up in the next several months, and I’ll post reminders and additional information as the time for each draws close, but for now I’ll just post all the information I have.
First, the next film in our Japanese film series will be this coming Thursday, Febuary 5th. Because many people have class until 2:15, I’ll be starting a bit later than last time, at around 2:30... and because the film is a bit shorter than the last one, we should still finish up by 4. The film will be Tokyo Godfathers, an animated feature by Satoshi Kon. And yes, I am still trying to find a room in order to allow us to alternate between Wednesdays and Thursdays for those who are unable to attend.
On February 7th, the Grand Rapids Public Museum will be hosting the DTE Ethnic Heritage Festival to celebrate the various ethnicities living here in western Michigan. I’m not sure how much of a role Japan plays in this, but I know it does include a showcase of costumes from various cultures, including Japan.
A new student group, the Japanese Culture Association, has been formed, and the first official meeting will be held on Monday, February 9th at 5pm. The first meeting will be in Kirkhof Center room 1104 and it will basically be for introductions and thinking about the direction of the club. Anyone interested in joining should log into Stuey, watch the brief video about student groups, and take the quiz to become an official member. But even if you haven’t yet become official, feel free to attend the official first meeting. Anyone interested in Japanese culture (and hey, who isn’t?) is welcome.
On February 10th, there will be an Asian New Year celebration from 6-9pm in the Grand River Room of the Kirkhof Center. While Japan now observes only the Western solar calendar rather than the Lunar New Year, much of the cosmology associated with it still informs the Japanese conception of the new year. The celebration will feature food samples and performances from various Asian cultures. The celebration is a part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration which will be going on throughout the semester.
The Japanese Language Group (J-Chat) meets once a month, every third Monday at 7pm at Schuler’s Books on Alpine. Each meeting features a presentation on some aspect of Japanese culture followed by conversation practice. Anyone interested in Japan is welcome, regardless of ability level and the next meeting will be on February 16th.
On March 11th the Omihachiman Committee will be hosting “Konbanwa GR,” a silent auction, raffle, and Japanese dinner accompanied by traditional music at the Tokyo Grill. As many of you know, The town of Omihachiman in Shiga prefecture is one of Grand Rapids’ five sister cities, and the Omihachiman Committee is involved in quite a few Japan-related events in the area, including J-Chat and Ethnic Heritage costumes mentioned above. “Konbanwa GR” is a fundraiser that will help them to continue to host such events.
On April 14th, the Japanese composer Uematsu Nobuo will be coming to the DeVos Performance Hall, where his music will be performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony. Uematsu is best known as the composer of the music from the Final Fantasy series. And for an additional fee, it is also possible to meet Uematsu in person after the performance. See here for additional information.
First, the next film in our Japanese film series will be this coming Thursday, Febuary 5th. Because many people have class until 2:15, I’ll be starting a bit later than last time, at around 2:30... and because the film is a bit shorter than the last one, we should still finish up by 4. The film will be Tokyo Godfathers, an animated feature by Satoshi Kon. And yes, I am still trying to find a room in order to allow us to alternate between Wednesdays and Thursdays for those who are unable to attend.
On February 7th, the Grand Rapids Public Museum will be hosting the DTE Ethnic Heritage Festival to celebrate the various ethnicities living here in western Michigan. I’m not sure how much of a role Japan plays in this, but I know it does include a showcase of costumes from various cultures, including Japan.
A new student group, the Japanese Culture Association, has been formed, and the first official meeting will be held on Monday, February 9th at 5pm. The first meeting will be in Kirkhof Center room 1104 and it will basically be for introductions and thinking about the direction of the club. Anyone interested in joining should log into Stuey, watch the brief video about student groups, and take the quiz to become an official member. But even if you haven’t yet become official, feel free to attend the official first meeting. Anyone interested in Japanese culture (and hey, who isn’t?) is welcome.
On February 10th, there will be an Asian New Year celebration from 6-9pm in the Grand River Room of the Kirkhof Center. While Japan now observes only the Western solar calendar rather than the Lunar New Year, much of the cosmology associated with it still informs the Japanese conception of the new year. The celebration will feature food samples and performances from various Asian cultures. The celebration is a part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration which will be going on throughout the semester.
The Japanese Language Group (J-Chat) meets once a month, every third Monday at 7pm at Schuler’s Books on Alpine. Each meeting features a presentation on some aspect of Japanese culture followed by conversation practice. Anyone interested in Japan is welcome, regardless of ability level and the next meeting will be on February 16th.
On March 11th the Omihachiman Committee will be hosting “Konbanwa GR,” a silent auction, raffle, and Japanese dinner accompanied by traditional music at the Tokyo Grill. As many of you know, The town of Omihachiman in Shiga prefecture is one of Grand Rapids’ five sister cities, and the Omihachiman Committee is involved in quite a few Japan-related events in the area, including J-Chat and Ethnic Heritage costumes mentioned above. “Konbanwa GR” is a fundraiser that will help them to continue to host such events.
On April 14th, the Japanese composer Uematsu Nobuo will be coming to the DeVos Performance Hall, where his music will be performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony. Uematsu is best known as the composer of the music from the Final Fantasy series. And for an additional fee, it is also possible to meet Uematsu in person after the performance. See here for additional information.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Bi-weekly Japanese Films
The first film in this semester's bi-weekly Japanese film series will be on Thursday, January 22nd from 2-4pm in Mackinac Room B-1-118. I have reserved the same room for every other week after that, with one exception, so the tentative schedule is below:
Jan. 22nd - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Feb. 5th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Feb. 19th - - MAK B-1-116 - - 3-5pm
Mar. 19th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Apr. 2nd - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Apr. 16th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Apr. 30th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
For those who can not make it on Thursday afternoons there was, unfortunately, no consistent alternative time that was available, though those who would be able to make it to a Wednesday afternoon session instead should contact me and if enough people express interest I will try to vary the schedule.
The film for Thursday will be Twilight Samurai, the story of a low-ranking samurai struggling to get by in the late Tokugawa period. All films after that are undecided at this point, though I have lots of ideas and would welcome feedback about desired films. I have ordered a lot of films for the LRC, many of which I have not yet seen and thus can not speak to the quality, but I would be happy to include them in the rotation. I'm thinking of mainly contemporary films, though I would also be happy to do a session of either traditional Japanese theater or Japanese classic cinema if anyone is interested. Some possibilities include:
Taste of Tea
Linda Linda Linda
Ping Pong
Tekkon Kinkreet
Paprika
Jump Ko-Gals
After Life
Metropolis
Funky Forest
Densha Otoko
Hana: The Tale of a Reluctant Samurai
Book of the Dead
Ghost in the Shell (1 or 2)
etc.
Let me know what you think about the films, how the schedule works for you, etc. I hope to see you on Thursday!
Jan. 22nd - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Feb. 5th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Feb. 19th - - MAK B-1-116 - - 3-5pm
Mar. 19th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Apr. 2nd - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Apr. 16th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
Apr. 30th - - MAK B-1-118 - - 2-4pm
For those who can not make it on Thursday afternoons there was, unfortunately, no consistent alternative time that was available, though those who would be able to make it to a Wednesday afternoon session instead should contact me and if enough people express interest I will try to vary the schedule.
The film for Thursday will be Twilight Samurai, the story of a low-ranking samurai struggling to get by in the late Tokugawa period. All films after that are undecided at this point, though I have lots of ideas and would welcome feedback about desired films. I have ordered a lot of films for the LRC, many of which I have not yet seen and thus can not speak to the quality, but I would be happy to include them in the rotation. I'm thinking of mainly contemporary films, though I would also be happy to do a session of either traditional Japanese theater or Japanese classic cinema if anyone is interested. Some possibilities include:
Taste of Tea
Linda Linda Linda
Ping Pong
Tekkon Kinkreet
Paprika
Jump Ko-Gals
After Life
Metropolis
Funky Forest
Densha Otoko
Hana: The Tale of a Reluctant Samurai
Book of the Dead
Ghost in the Shell (1 or 2)
etc.
Let me know what you think about the films, how the schedule works for you, etc. I hope to see you on Thursday!
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