FRS 004 — Sec. 006 — (2 unit) — CRN 73090 — M 3:10 – 5:00 pm — 123 Wellman
Communicating with Japanese: Introduction to Intercultural Communication

Instructor: Noriko Iwasaki, Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures, College of Letters and Science

Description: This course will help students develop an understanding of the problems which may occur when persons from different cultures or ethnic backgrounds interact, highlighting Japanese culture as the example. The course also gives students a hands-on experience on interacting with Japanese students (in English). Students will learn about Japanese culture with the emphasis on verbal and non-verbal behavior, while also learning some principles of intercultural communication. The ultimate goal is to help students become open-minded to different cultures and be an understanding communicator by becoming aware of how values and communication styles diverge and how the differences may cause misunderstanding. The course also emphasizes diversity within a culture to make students be cautious of the danger of forming a stereotype of any culture.

Format: The students are asked to meet a Japanese student at least twice outside the class to discuss assigned topics that are either related to values or verbal behavior (e.g., how to address people, when and how to express politeness, when to how to disagree; family, orientation towards group or individuals, etc.). The students then are required to write a journal and submit it to the instructor. The students will write two journals based on their personal meetings with Japanese and two journals regarding in-class discussions with Japanese students. In addition, the students will write their questions and reactions related to assigned readings to facilitate their class participation. Grading: Classroom participation: 20%; Journal writing: 40%; Presentation: 20%; Final Essay: 20%.

About the Instructor: Professor Iwasaki joined the faculty in the Department of East Asian Languages and Culture in 2003. Her research interests include language production processes (how Japanese speakers put sentences together while speaking) and language acquisition. Current projects include studies of Japanese onomatopoeia and other mimetic words. She currently teaches Japanese language courses.