The Role of German High School Teachers in Japan before 1945 (original) (raw)
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Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review
The history of German-Japanese relations prior to 1914 has often been characterized by the similarities between the two newly established nations and the transfer of knowledge between them-mostly from Germany to Japan-for the sake of building a modern nation-state. This article critically reconsiders that view, particularly with regard to school and language education, by taking the colonial dimension into consideration. By focusing on reports commissioned by the colonial government in Korea and an inquiry by that of Taiwan on the eve of the First World War, the author shows that the Japanese colonial empire increasingly paid attention to Imperial Germany alongside other colonial powers such as Great Britain and France. It is striking that the Japanese search for a model or a reference point shifted between Germany's remote overseas colonies and metropole borderlands with minorities, such as Prussian Poland and Alsace-Lorraine, and that the colonial governments in Korea and Taiwan addressed them on their different agendas. After 1918, Germany was no longer a role model; however, it came to serve as a history lesson or negative foil justifying self-praise by Japan and was, at the same time, used by the colonized people to strengthen their selfassertion.
The Role of Japanese Language Education in the Asian Century
Foreign language education in Australia is going through an interesting time. The arrival of "the Asian Century" has posed the question "is Australia ready for it?", and this has drawn much attention to education in Asian languages and cultural literacy. Although many university language programs still struggle under constant financial pressure, we are observing increased political and public interest in Asian language education. In this context, I believe that it is the time for us to stop and think about the future shape of Japanese language education. This paper examines the current environment around us and explores the potential role of Japanese language educators in Asian Century Australia.
2012
This exciting journey at Minnesota set out with Professor Martha Bigelow. I would not have been where I stand now without her. Thank you, Martha, for taking me as your student and continuing to serve on my committee. I also thank Professor Diane Tedick for her support and service as a member of the committee throughout my preliminary examinations and dissertation phases. Thank you, Dee, for understanding my circumstances and timely giving me the necessary support at these times. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Professor Elaine Tarone for serving on my committee as well as giving me the opportunities to work with her at CARLA. Her constant, positive encouragement and support in words and action have always inspired and uplifted me and my family. Thank you, Elaine, for your words of wisdom. I cherish all the aha moments I had from you. Many thanks go to the four Japanese teachers at Seto Elementary School and Satsuki Laboratory School who welcomed me into their classrooms and willingly participated in this study. Special thanks go to Professor Tetsuya Kagata at Osaka Kyoiku University for offering critical support in my data collection phase. children's wellbeing. Below I name those who willingly took on my parenting responsibilities while I was off to classes, meetings, and conference presentations. Abry iii Deshong, Katie Cordes, Theresa and Chris Young, Emily and Juhwan Suh, and Alina Panhia Lee walked through the first darkest months in Minnesota with Kotaro and me.
This study discusses the roles of Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs) in contemporary Japanese society through existing literature, and the results from questionnaires. Ever since the largest wave of NESTs started to work in Japanese public secondary schools in 1987 their roles have never been satisfactorily specified. NESTs are officially employed to offer students opportunity to improve their communicative ability. However, their roles are shaped by complex professional and societal factors. Professionally, they are part of a long chain of authorities starting at the government level through MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), and down to the Japanese Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNEST) they teach with. Socially, forces stemming from Japan’s social history and rapidly evolving contemporary society mould their roles. This dissertation discusses the responses of 171 NESTs and 28 NNESTs under the paradigm of a changing society that aims to maintain traditional practices out of touch in the modern world. To assist Japan in achieving its ‘internationalisation’ goals it is suggested that the continued separation of NEST’s assistant status should be modified to that of an English teacher of equal status.
Intellectual and Cultural Exchanges between Japan and Germany until 1945
"Japanese-German relations have a long tradition of intellectual and cultural exchanges, which go back to the 1870s when many Germans scholars arrived in Japan as “oyatoi gaikokujin” either to advise the Meiji government or to teach subjects like geography, Western history, law or medicine. Until 1945, German language publications were popular in Japan, where many academics and members of the armed forces could at least read the language; many had spent some time in Germany or Austria and were able to speak German as well. In my presentation, I intend to begin with a synopsis of Japanese-German relations between the late 19th century and WW II to prepare the audience for two case studies of exchanges between Japan and Germany during the first half of the 20th century. Depending on the time allotted to each speaker, I might not be able to present both case studies, though. Yet, for the written version of the paper, I want to include both topics because they show different aspects of bilateral relations. Case Studies While Karl Haushofer’s role within Nazi-Germany is common knowledge, the details of his sojourn in Japan in 1909/10 is much less known. But even with regard to his Nazi-connections, his influence on Germany’s approach to Japan (and the USSR) has not attracted much research. Similarly, the influence of his ideas on Japanese concepts for a “Greater East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere” has been mentioned in Japanese works but is not covered in Western works on the topic. In my paper, I will elaborate on Haushofer’s stay in Japan and the reception of his ideas in Japan as a case-study of intellectual exchanges between Germany and Japan. Even though the German East Asiatic Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens, OAG) looks back on nearly 140 years of history, its role within Japanese-German relations has largely been overlooked. Yet, for a long time the association was a place where academic as well as political questions were discussed. Among its members were highly influential Japanese such as Konoe Atsumaro (president of the house of peers), Katsura Tarō (tree-time prime minister), Gotō Shinpei (home and foreign minister) and Tōgō Shigenori (top diplomat and foreign minister). During the 1930s and early 40s, the OAG expanded its activities so that the association boasted local chapters in Batavia (Jakarta), Berlin, Kobe, Leipzig, Shanghai and Manchukuo, making it an integral part of contemporary Asian-European exchanges."
Asia Pacific Education Review, 2003
Asian countries, the utilization of native speakers of foreign languages as assistants in team-taught classes has become an increasingly familiar, if not established component of national education curricula. The recent proliferation and growth of large-scale, nationally funded teacher 'exchange' programs testifies to an intensifying effort throughout the region to improve students' linguistic competence, communication skills and crosscultural awareness to facilitate integration into a rapidly shrinking world. Examples of such programs include the English Program in Korea (EPIK),
Master Project Investigating the Presence of Foreign Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers in Japan
Abstract Recently, the Japanese Exchange Teacher (JET) Program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has opened its doors not only for native English speaking teachers (NEST) but also foreign non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). This paper addresses the presence of the latter group by analyzing their perceived traits, status and issues. The digest of literature suggests that their strengths and weaknesses are indefinite and nongeneralizable. Also, they are ascribed with a lower status as evidenced in the huge gap between the number of NESTs and NNESTs in the JET program. Not enjoying a privileged status, foreign NNESTs in Japan struggle with issues in relation to accent, credibility and stereotypes. In spite of a strong native-speaker orientation in Japan’s English language education, non-Japanese NNESTs are more of a boon than bane. The linguistic and cultural repertoires that they bring in the classroom can make Japanese students become more effective consumers and producers of English in today’s globalized world. Likewise, they can bring about the realization among Japanese learners that English is an Asian language. Having said this, the paper concludes that the presence of foreign NNESTs is highly relevant to the growing norms and multilingual needs of the Japanese learners of English. Keywords: non-native English-speaking teachers, English as an International Language
1993
This paper seeks to identify invisible factors influencing language institutions in Japan that consciously or unconsciously treat non-Japanese teachers in a totally different way from the way they treat their Japanese counterparts. Among the factors are the social, organizational, and legal parameters surrounding non-Japanese teachers in Japan. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) describe these social and legal factors of language education in Japan that might lead to a conflict between foreign language teachers and each institution; (2) delineate the overall organization of language education; (3) assess the government policies effecting language education; and (4) describe the classroom environment and management styles. The study also addresses conflict response and resolution as it relates to the factors described. The problems non-Japanese people face in education at any level are rooted in the Japanese business and governmental communities' deep abiding regard for political, national, racial, and commercial priorities that usually contradict or fail to accommodate educational prerogatives. These priorities are rooted deeply in historical attitudes toward education. The problems can be articulated by educators in general and non-Japanese in particular, but until the Japanese communities begin to demand responsible administration as a whole and quality language education specifically, there is little hope for any real change in the near future. Contains 20 references.