Institute Director Dr. Maggie Childs, Associate Professor of Japanese at the University of Kansas, has over twenty years of experience teaching Japanese language and literature. She also was the director of the first Summer Institute in Hiratsuka in 1990 and later headed the Institute in 1996 and 2000. Prerequisites are an open mind, good manners and a cooperative spirit. JPN 100 Beginning Japanese . This class stresses the basic vocabulary and structural patterns of the language needed to navigate daily life in Japan.
Students also learn to read hiragana and katakana syllabary, and some essential Japanese characters.
This class offers practice and improvement of language skills in classroom lessons and through direct experience in interviews and guided practical applications on campus and in the city of Hiratsuka. Japan remains a beguiling mixture of old and new as it recovers from the recession that followed the economic successes of the 1970's and 1980's, and as it seeks an appropriate role for itself in the new global order. In addition to traditional academic activities, each student will select a topic for independent study based on interviews and observation. Possible topics include business practices, education, envrionmentalism, gender roles, health care, sports, religion, technology, etc. Course requirements include active participation in the classroom and field trips, and oral and written report of the results of the independent study yopic.