Summer in Japan

For those interested in studying in Japan at a relatively low rate, consider going on a GW exchange summer program at Akita University.

Click here for more information.

I will write more soon.

Summer at GW

The events in Japan have made it difficult to study in Japan Study abroad canceled spring semester for those studying in Japan, and they recently canceled the summer programs. This means that many students who were thinking of going to study in Japan can no longer do so.

Well, the Japanese program is running a Summer Institute this year for Japanese language and Culture. The Institute is an intensive 11 credit program for eight weeks that offers Beginning or Intermediate Japanese learners as well as the Culture through Film course. This 11 credit program is being offered at a discount of over 30%. In other words, it's like paying for the language and getting the film class for free! (Yes, this is a GW program...)

If you already took First or Second year Japanese language, you can still take the film class by itself--although there is no discount for this. :-( You all know how hard it is to get into the Film class, and I will be teaching it for the first (and maybe only) time since 2006.

If you are interested in the Institute or have any questions, please contact me. (Contacting me does not obligate you to take the courses so please feel free with any questions.) You can also come and talk to me in my office. I office hours are always posted online at:
http://leohanami.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-schedule.html

Hopefully, this may help some of you in your degree program since many were thinking of getting credit from Japan.

Spring 2011

How is it that I teach one less class but feel busier (and not posting)? Oh yeah, I'm coordinator of the Japanese program now. But the start of semester rush and other responsibilities have more or less settled down and it's time to do... more work.

Number One Priority: Promote our Summer Institute for Japanese Language and Culture. Please contact me if you have any questions. I will have more on this soon.

Priority Two: Request a full time position. Our colleague, Shoko Hamano, continues her duties as Language Center Director, which is good for her, but leaves the Japanese Program minus one full time professor--and a good one at that. So while I've requested a one-year extension for our visiting full-time position--Mitsuyo Sato, another good one--a visitors position is only for two years max, so we've got to do something for the following year, perhaps a solution that is a bit more permanent and, hopefully, helpful for the development of our program.

Priority Three: Finish up a paper I'm working on and submit it to a journal. I don't want to perish, but sometime I wonder if its not inevitable. Burning candles at both ends is more than demanding--teaching a full load, administrative work as coordinator, and publishing. Hmm, am I burning that candle from the middle, too?

Priority Four: Oh yeah, prepare for class and grade... Wait, shouldn't that be priority number One?