国際文化学科教員による授業紹介リレー No. 7「日本紹介の英語」
2013/12/20
「日本紹介の英語」は、日本の生活習慣を外国の方に伝えるための英語を学ぶ授業です。授業の進め方、教材などについて、担当の杉長ジャッキー先生が紹介し、受講学生の感想もお伝えします。ジャッキー先生は英語コミュニケーションコースの先生ですが、この授業は2年生以上を対象にした観光文化コースの科目とし開講されています。1年次には同じくジャッキー先生担当の「観光の英語」が履修できます。
“Introduction to Japanese Culture”
English Communication Course Jackie Suginaga
About the class
When Japanese students talk to foreign people, they are usually asked questions about Japan and Japanese Culture. The ‘Introduction to Japanese Culture’ class is a valuable opportunity for students to learn how to talk about their culture in English, so that they will be able to explain about it to people from other countries. Some examples of the different discussion topics are: Japanese customs, special holidays (e.g. New Year, Coming of Age Day, Tanabata), music, and popular culture (e.g. animation). This course is recommended for students who want to go abroad, have been abroad, or for anyone interested in learning more about discussing Japanese culture using English.
Why take this class?
The world is becoming more internationalized year by year and English is the most widely used means of communication. Whether you go overseas for travel or to study, it is important to be able to tell people about your country, people, and culture. Even if you never leave Japan, it is highly probable that you will meet a foreigner visiting or living in Japan. Using English as a communication tool is a wonderful way to exchange information about each other’s cultures.
Text book – Explain It by Robert Long
In this class we use a textbook called Explain It by Robert Long. It has many interesting themes, for example, sport, food, famous people and anime. There is a survey at the beginning of each unit where students ask each other questions and also brainstorm ideas. There is also a section in the book which gives a short piece of information about Japanese culture. The textbook also has a role-play practice section where students can learn many useful phrases and expressions. In addition, the students also write their own stories about Japanese culture. The new words and phrases learned from the textbook can help them to write their own original material. This is an important part of the lesson, as it allows students to talk about Japanese culture from a personal perspective.
What do we do in class?
Each week, the students write and give a speech about a topic in their own words and from their own experience. They also ask a minimum of three questions to discuss at the end of their talk. This serves two purposes, (1) to check that people understood, and (2) to open up discussion within the group. Every week in class, the students record their speeches on a voice recorder or on their smart phones. They then listen to their speech at home, make a note of any feedback, and reflect on how they have done.
Here are some comments from Kana, who is a third year student in this class.
1. What do you usually do in this class?
We research about Japanese culture and write about it in English to introduce it to foreign people.
2. What do you think about the class?
When I went to Australia, I couldn’t explain about Japan or Japanese culture well because it was a little difficult to tell in English. So, I learned a lot of things in this class. I’m very glad.
3. What do you like about it? (e.g. the textbook, writing your own stories, the small group sizes).
I like the textbook because it’s very useful. And we all talk in a small group so we can discuss more deeply about a topic. I like this.
4. Do you feel that you can talk more about Japanese culture in English than before?
I think so. I could learn about it more than before. I’d like to be able to explain about Japanese culture to foreign people someday.
