Course teaches Japanese language and culture

Whether for work, studies or leisure many IU faculty, staff and graduate students have the opportunity to experience a valuable form of summer education. The East Asian Studies Center, for a second year in a row, is offering a free two-week Japanese language and culture class for faculty and staff interested in learning the general historical and cultural background of Japan. \n"There is an increasing recognition of the need to bring East Asia into the curriculum, and a growing numbers of East Asian nationals (are) studying, teaching and doing research at IU," said Margaret Key, associate director of the East Asian Studies Center. "The more we know about their cultures, the better we are able to help them carry out their work."\nThe course involves different interactive components introduced throughout the two weeks that cover several cultural and historical themes -- ranging from food and tea to religion and literature.\n"We are taking them through history and different historical cultures to show them how they overlap," said Susan Furukawa, graduate student and co-instructor of the course. \nIn the next week, Furukawa and her co-instructor Vance Schaefer plan to bring in musicians and traditional Japanese food and visit the Asian exhibit at the IU Art Museum.\n"We try to make it fun and not just stand and lecture," Furukawa said. "The goal is not for it to be a traditional lecture."\nShe said because there is no homework, grades or tests in this course, participants can focus more on the content and feel more comfortable to ask questions and add their personal experiences to the discussion. \nLucy Battersby, departmental coordinator for the computer science department is taking the course this summer. She said she tries to enroll in different cultural classes throughout the year and heard positive things about this course and it's instructors in previous years. \n"This was kind of neither fish nor foul for faculty and staff. It's free, short and for people who work with international students, it's wonderful," Battersby said. "It's a really open class and (there is) open exchange between the teachers and the students."\nAlthough Battersby doesn't directly teach Asian students, she does come into contact with them through her office and thinks that a lot of her peers in the class are there for different reasons besides students.\n"There are people from different backgrounds and a lot of different people who are just interested in (the culture)," she said. "It teaches me more about a culture that unfamiliar to me."\nLauren Huber, an associate instructor, enrolled in hopes to gain further knowledge in Japanese culture to help her in future classes and travel.\n"All the information could be helpful when traveling to Japan," Huber said. "Pronouncing Japanese names correctly, especially names I might refer to in the class that I teach, will be good."\nThe Japanese course falls in the middle of a three-class series offered by The East Asian Studies Center. Chinese Language and Culture, the final course, will start July 10. Registration is still available.