The Generalist’s Dilemma: How Accidental Language Teachers Are at the Center of Japanese Pedagogy

Authors

  • Brian C. Dowdle University of Montana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jll.2020.136

Abstract

This article introduces the role and issues of generalist in Japanese-language education. Generalists teach both Japanese- and English-language courses, across the curriculum. They may be “accidental” Japanese teachers, who were trained in other fields but find themselves teaching language due to the nature of the job market. Hence, unlike specialist Japanese language educators, generalists may lack an academic identity of language teacher. This article shows how the generalist’s dilemma provides a window into larger problems of diversity in Japanese language instruction and its relationship to Japan studies, more broadly. It shows how the place generalists may help us: reconsider the divided between “content courses” and Japanese-language courses; understand the structural disincentives for generalists to identify as language teachers; and appreciate the modes of interdisciplinary learning and language competency modeled by generalsits.

Author Biography

Brian C. Dowdle, University of Montana

Associate Professor of Japanese

Department Co-Chair

World Languages and Cultures

References

Douglas, Masako O. “Assessing the Effectiveness of Content-Based Language Instruction (CBLI) in Japanese at the College Advanced Level.” Japanese Language and Literature, vol. 51, no. 2, 2017, pp. 199–241. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44508415.

Gyogi, Eiko. “From Following Norms to Choosing Styles: Awareness of Indexical Properties of Speech Styles among Intermediate Japanese Students.” Japanese Language and Literature, vol. 50, no. 2, 2016, pp. 375–403. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24892017.

Mori, Junko, Atsushi Hasegawa, Jisuk Park, and Kimiko Suzuki (this volume). On Goals of Language Education and Teacher Diversity Beliefs and Experiences of Japanese-Language Educators in North America. Japanese Language and Literature XXX, XXX-XXX.

Samuel, Yoshiko Yokochi. “A Survey of the Status of Native and Non-Native Instructors of Japanese in Higher Education in North America.” The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese, vol. 21, no. 2, 1987, pp. 133–147. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/489310.

The Japan Foundation. 2017. Survey Report on Japanese-language Education Abroad 2015. https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/survey/result/dl/survey_2015/Report_all_e.pdf.

Downloads

Published

2020-09-25

Issue

Vol. 54 No. 2 (2020): Japanese Language and Literature

Section

SPECIAL SECTION LANGUAGE AND PEDAGOGY

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licenseor its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a pre-publication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
  9. The Author agrees to digitally sign the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work.