HAYATSU Emiko
- 役職/
Position - Director of Institute of Japan Studies / Professor
- 研究分野/
Field - Japanese Linguistics(Modern Japanese Grammar / Lexicology)
A long history and an extensive track record in researching and teaching about Japan and the Japanese language
"Learning about Japan from international perspectives, learning about the world from Japan"
In April 2016, the master's programs of the Graduate School of Global Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) have undergone a major overhaul, and the above goal was set for this purpose.
The existing four master's programs will be reorganized into two programs: the Master's Program in Global Studies; and the Master's Program in Japan Studies. The Master's Program in Japan Studies is being established with the objective of giving Japan a stronger voice in the world, which is deemed necessary with the advances in globalization.
You may be wondering why a university of foreign studies researches and teaches about Japan and the Japanese language. In fact, TUFS has a long history and an extensive track record in researching and teaching about Japan and the Japanese language, including Japanese language teaching for international students from overseas.
"By making these accomplishments more visible outside of TUFS, we hope to welcome and foster the development of students who want to study here," says Prof. Emiko Hayatsu, Dean of the Institute of Japan Studies.
"Take languages for example. Japanese is no more than one of the over 6,000 languages of the world. You can compare Japanese with just English and say that Japanese has no articles or that keigo (honorific speech) is complex. However, I think it would be more fun to look at as many languages as possible so that you can identify the traits (uniqueness) of the Japanese language and the unexpected commonalities (universality) between Japanese and other languages. It is from this perspective that studies and academic programs at TUFS have treated world languages and the Japanese language equally," says Prof. Hayatsu.
In studying a foreign language or about the society and culture of the region where that language is spoken, a mastery of your native Japanese language and Japan will form an essential foundation of your understanding. Prof. Hayatsu explains as follows: "Compare and contrast are what I consider to be the keywords of research and education at TUFS. Students learn about Japan and about other countries, and then compare and contrast them. By opening your horizons to diversity, you will become capable of analyzing the issues at hand in a calm manner rather than reaching hasty conclusions. This is also the greatest strength of TUFS."
A more complete, deeper understanding of Japan by studying across four closely connected areas
The Japan Studies course consists of four study areas: Japanese Language Studies; Japanese Language Teaching Studies; Japanese Literature and Cultural Studies; and Japanese Societal Studies. These areas will be studied and taught not separately but in close connection with each other.
"For instance, your focus may be Japanese grammar or literature, but your breadth of understanding of these areas will be expanded by learning about Japan's history and society as they relate to the background that gave rise to your focus areas and the environment that developed them, or their past teaching methods. By studying the four areas in a cross-cutting manner, students can gain a deeper, more complete understanding of Japan," says Prof. Hayatsu.
If students are interested in conducting comparative studies of Japanese and another language or Japanese culture and another culture, they can now seek guidance from professors of the Master's Program in Global Studies to be established concurrently with the Master's Program in Japan Studies. Flexible options will be available for the acquisition of credits.
Another unique dimension of the Master's Program in Japan Studies is the offering of the Japanese Language Education Recurrent Course.
This course, which can be completed in one year, is designed for those who have taught Japanese in other countries. "It is not simply a program for training faculty. We hope those who had few opportunities to study Japanese as a subject of research will take advantage of this course to formally learn about Japan and the Japanese language, and that this would lead to building up their skills and helping give Japan a stronger voice in the world," says Prof. Hayatsu.
Becom highly versed in Japan and the Japanese language
The teaching faculty will be comprised of faculty who teach Japan-related courses previously for the Institute of Global Studies, as well as faculty from other divisions, such as the Japanese Language Center for International Students (JLCTUFS). They will collectively make up the restructured Institute of Japan Studies. JLCTUFS in particular has been teaching Japanese to international students from overseas for nearly half a century, and its remarkable achievements in research and education are expected to make a significant contribution to the Master's Program in Japan Studies.
In addition to these full-time faculty, researchers from member organizations of the Consortium for Asian and African Studies (CAAS) and of the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics will be teaching courses of the Master's Program in Japanese Studies. CAAS is comprised of TUFS as well as research institutes of Japan and the Japanese language at universities in France, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While the main activity of CAAS had been to promote research exchanges, faculty members will now be coming to Japan for six months to one year to give lectures, provide guidance on papers, and more.
Furthermore, new career programs have been created for students to acquire practical skills. They include the Japanese Language Teaching Applied Studies and the Multi-Cultural Coordination and Development Program. As part of the curriculum, students will practice teaching at the Global Japan Offices, which are centers of Japan and Japanese language teaching studies that TUFS has established at its partner schools around the globe.
"It would be most ideal if the Master's Program in Japan Studies fosters a learning environment in which international students from overseas and Japanese students learn by stimulating each other's interests. Even students who studied other languages or other cultures in their undergraduate years will find that the breadth of their research will further expand by formally studying about Japan. I hope students will become highly versed in Japan and the Japanese language and give Japan a stronger voice in the world," says Prof. Hayatsu.
Long-established Japanese language center continues to retain its top-tier position
All faculty members of JLCTUFS will be teaching courses of the Master's Program in Japan Studies. JLCTUFS is one of the divisions of TUFS, and has been offering a range of programs for international students with a focus on Japanese language programs.
Its forerunner, The Japanese Language Branch School of the Department of Foreign Language of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, was founded in 1970. With nearly half a century of experience in teaching the Japanese language, JLCTUFS has become a global center of Japanese language teaching studies.
Every faculty member has his or her own expertise in such areas as grammar, phonetics, and semantics, and teaches Japanese courses. In this regard, JLCTUFS has become a center of advanced Japanese language teaching studies backed by theory. In 2012, it was designated a Joint Usage Center for Education (Japanese language teaching) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), becoming one of only three schools in Japan that have earned this recognition.
In its main program, which is the Preparatory Educational Program for International Pre-Undergraduate Students under the MEXT Scholarship, JLCTUFS provides intensive preparatory courses for international students who will be enrolling in Japanese national universities with scholarships from MEXT. Students start out with zero knowledge of the Japanese language, and in just one year, acquire Japanese proficiency and expertise to be able to attend university courses conducted in Japanese. JLCTUFS develops leading-edge teaching approaches and teaching materials, and its profound knowhow is expected to benefit the Master's Program in Japan Studies.