MLO 2: Culture
MLO Facets:
2.1 Students develop a comprehensive understanding, appreciation, and knowledge of Japanese culture: perspectives (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), practices (patterns of social interactions) and products (both tangible and intangible, for example, art, history, literature, music).
2.2 Students develop analytical and critical thinking in areas such as how Japan’s cultural background influences modern Japanese life, how to compare their own culture with the Japanese culture, or how Japanese culture relates to other world cultures in an age of global inter-relatedness.
2.2 Students develop analytical and critical thinking in areas such as how Japan’s cultural background influences modern Japanese life, how to compare their own culture with the Japanese culture, or how Japanese culture relates to other world cultures in an age of global inter-relatedness.
MLO Narrative:
Although most people think of the language as the biggest challenge to overcome when learning about Japan, culture is just as large of a hurdle. Due to the particularly strong tie between the culture and language of Japan, it is nearly impossible to learn one without the other.
My completion of MLO 2.1 mostly comes from different Japanese history and culture classes, with my first being JAPN 212. This class helped form my basic understanding of Japanese history through exploring the multi-faceted image of samurai through the early modern and modern eras. A large amount of cultural knowledge was imparted to me during my year abroad, in which I took multiple culture classes in both Japanese and English. In Japan, it was most helpful to learn about culture by watching certain traditions or common practices and attempting to understand where each one originates from. In all of these classes, my most common assignment/measure of progress was often synthesizing information and arguing or presenting a certain idea about the cultural aspects I learned about throughout the semester via a final paper and/or presentation.
My MLO 2.2 experience consists of taking previously gained knowledge from a class or study abroad experience and comparing it to aspects of American culture. The earliest example of this is my work in JAPN 307. By delving into a history that showcases several combined elements of Japanese and American culture, I was able to identity areas of influence and further understand how cultures interact and the different values that each country promotes. I also achieved parts of MLO 2.1 when studying abroad and connecting the aspects that I learned about in MLO 2.1 with the daily practices of Japanese young adults that I observed.
My completion of MLO 2.1 mostly comes from different Japanese history and culture classes, with my first being JAPN 212. This class helped form my basic understanding of Japanese history through exploring the multi-faceted image of samurai through the early modern and modern eras. A large amount of cultural knowledge was imparted to me during my year abroad, in which I took multiple culture classes in both Japanese and English. In Japan, it was most helpful to learn about culture by watching certain traditions or common practices and attempting to understand where each one originates from. In all of these classes, my most common assignment/measure of progress was often synthesizing information and arguing or presenting a certain idea about the cultural aspects I learned about throughout the semester via a final paper and/or presentation.
My MLO 2.2 experience consists of taking previously gained knowledge from a class or study abroad experience and comparing it to aspects of American culture. The earliest example of this is my work in JAPN 307. By delving into a history that showcases several combined elements of Japanese and American culture, I was able to identity areas of influence and further understand how cultures interact and the different values that each country promotes. I also achieved parts of MLO 2.1 when studying abroad and connecting the aspects that I learned about in MLO 2.1 with the daily practices of Japanese young adults that I observed.