Imaging Imaginings

I must be the slowest grader on the face of the planet, but I've reached the home stretch, down to my last class. Grading is not so much fun usually, unless I make my students use their imagination. In one story--チーズケーキのような形をした僕の貧乏 (My Poverty in a Shape Like a Cheesecake)--Murakami Haruki asks his readers to imagine a piece of property of a house he once rented by comparing it to the shape of a slice of cheesecake. Understanding text often requires the reader to image what's going on, but how do I see if students are doing this? Translating is fine and it's something I usually ask them to do in a literal and grammatically precise manner (thanks Epp sensei), but since Haruki asked his readers to imagine his explanation of the property, I asked the students to convey their understanding of his explanation through images. Tell me: Don't you think these might be more fun to grade? :-)
BTW: "My Picasso" at the bottom of the sheet is not meant represent my expectations of students' artistic abilities. In fact, I might even be the exact opposite. (^^;)

B-Day Presents

I feel pretty lucky to have such thoughtful students. Shandao knows that I'm lactose intolerant so instead of cake she dropped by to wish me a happy birthday with egg foo young. Shandao graduated a year ago. Senior Alicia knows my favorite cookies are peanut butter and she dropped by with a home-made batch--she used as little butter as possible, she said. Shirley also came by with some Ghirardelli caramel and milk chocolate. Yum. Bad for my stomach but still tasty. She's a freshman so wouldn't know about my dietary situation (she does now), but I'm eatin' them anyway! Thanks guys. It was really thoughtful of you!

It's nice to think that I have students who appreciate my classes, especially when they represent a nice range of students from freshmen who are just getting to know me, to seniors who have known me for a few years, and graduates who have yet to forgot me. Of course, the student who graduated comes with a caveat: she also asked for a letter of recommendation.

JAPN 3111: Heian Newsletter

It's end of semester and I'm down to grading, grading and grading. And I have photographic proof! Here are students' submissions of their Heian Newsletters (group project): After reading a number of prose pieces in translation--Tosa nikki, Ise monogatari, Genji, etc.--they take that info as "facts" and create a newsletter reporting on happenings during the Heian period. Best article was a reflection by Michitsuna (Kenny Hoffman) after having read his own mother's diary (Kagero nikki) years later. Best advertisement was for fence repairs (Samuel Chan) to prevent "peeping"! (You know how those Heian guys are...)

FLAVA

This past weekend, with colleague Takae Tsujioka and Georgetown's Kumi Sato, we held a workshop at the Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA) 2015 held in Williamsburg. We presented Murakami Haruki as a viable tool in learning Japanese at the advanced level. Many times instructors find Haruki's material too esoteric or even incomprehensible. So we presented a couple of stories--"Coffee" and "High Heel"--to show how we may use them not only as stories to promote Japanse language learning, but as literature to promote discussion on matters beyond a huge store sign that says coffee (think Text with a capital "T") and an elephant wearing high heels on the subway (think marginalized people). I'm not sure how many people we convinced, but our presentation was received well, if the evaluations are any indications. I hope to take this to a larger audience, but we will see.

SIDE NOTE: I think that FLAVA is pronounced in a way that rhymes with "guava", but I want to pronounce it like "flavor" but in a more urban way: flay-vuh.

New School Year

School will be starting soon. Due to the college's financial situation, we are required to implement austerity measures. Sound ominous? Well, yeah.

We have had to make tough decisions, including canceling a course that might have had more new students enrolled once the the new semester begins. 

Case in point: Second year Japanese had only 13 students--one of the drill sections had only 4--when we were being asked cut cost. Fortunately, the powers that be allowed us to carry this course for one more year. Now 10 more students have added the course for a total of 23. Where would we have been had they told us we had to cut a drill section? Tell them, "Sorry, no room"?

Anyway, we had to cancel an advanced level course and now we may have to offer more Directed Readings for students who need courses to graduate as a Japanese major. FYI: Directed Readings does not count toward our teaching load; in effect, we are offering the course pro bono. Of course, we could refuse by claiming we are too busy, but then what would happen to the students?

Unfortunately, to non-Japanese majors who want to take this advanced course: ごめんなさい

*sigh*