Course Description:
This course gives students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Japanese language and culture from the perspective of social justice and responsibility through their community service. Students develop advanced level communication skills through discussions, reflection essays, and presentations. Taught in Japanese.
My Experience:
I took JAPN 320S in the semester of Fall 2019. During this course, I taught Japanese Language & Culture to elementary school students in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD). Working alongside four other Japanese majors and one exchange student from Japan, we collaboratively designed and executed weekly lesson plans and reflected on them via writing in Japanese. Additionally, we worked to improve our pedagogy by examining various different written works and reflecting on them in English. We also frequently presented our own experiences in Japanese. Personally, this course served as an intersection of previously learned methods and knowledge while interweaving it with a real world practice: teaching. This course tested both my spoken and written Japanese via classwork, but it also tested my knowledge of Japanese history and culture via creating educational content for the elementary school students. Outside of my Japanese education, this class strengthened my ability to collaborate with others and my teaching abilities. One of my biggest challenges in this class was adapting my knowledge to elementary school classes.
Beyond my immediate interactions with the students and supervisors, I gained a new connection to the local area of Monterey, and came to understand many of the challenges that underprivileged school districts face.
Beyond my immediate interactions with the students and supervisors, I gained a new connection to the local area of Monterey, and came to understand many of the challenges that underprivileged school districts face.