GSC Scholarship – Study at Tokyo University!
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Passed on by Eden Law JETAA NSW President and Australian Country Representative.
The Global Science Course (GSC) is a new undergraduate 2 year-long transfer program. It was designed to enhance cross-cultural interactions among young minds from around the world coming together to learn science. All GSC classes are conducted in English by world-leading professors who are pursuing cutting-edge research in the most advanced fields, while also focusing on the fostering of students who will lead the next generation in science communities.
By giving students the opportunity to study abroad in Tokyo, they will not only get the chance to make the most of our world renowned facilities but will also be able to experience Japanese lifestyle and culture first-hand. This is an invaluable opportunity for those looking to expand their worldviews and experience something unique during their time as an undergraduate student.
Furthermore, successful applicants to our program are rewarded with a generous scholarship. This includes 150,000 Japanese yen per month to aid in paying tuition fees and support living expenses. It additionally includes fully supported rent.
Here is a link to the course website: http://www.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/GSC/
Here is a link to our informational booklet: http://www.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/GSC/about/files/booklet.pdf
Information about our program can also be shared through Facebook and Twitter:
https://www.facebook.com/globalsciencecourse/
https://twitter.com/GSC_UTokyo
Good luck!
JETs in Academia: Understanding Privacy in Japan
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Nathaniel Simmons (Nara-ken, 2007-2009) is currently a communication professor at Western Governors University and lives in Columbus, OH, USA. He teaches a variety of intercultural, interpersonal, and health communication courses. He has researched and published several scholarly articles regarding privacy management between foreign English teachers and Japanese co-workers in Japan and is currently working on turning his research into a book.
What is private in Japan?
If I tell my co-workers I have hemorrhoids, diarrhea, or need to go to the OBGYN will they tell everyone else?
These may not be questions JETs think about when they first go to Japan. It also may not be something JETs consider when they are ill and trying to gain medical care or just discussing information (i.e., relationship status) about themselves with their co-workers.
The reality is Japanese cultural conceptions of privacy might be different than many JETs’ expectations. Depending upon how individualist or collectivist your home country is will influence how privacy is interpreted, expected, and maintained. The concept of “what is private” or “privacy” differs cross-culturally, as do the ways in which privacy values are expressed.
Japan is no exception.
Japan has been largely classified as a collectivistic culture. As you know from your own experiences in Japan, the group matters more than the individual. In other words, in Japan the “we” wants and goals come before the “I” or “me” wants and goals. For collectivists, the very notion of privacy might be viewed as selfish due to an individual’s wants and goals taking precedent over the group’s desires.
Ever notice that privacy is in katakana, the Japanese syllabary used for foreign words? Puraibashi, or プライバシー, is taken directly from the English word for “privacy.” Since traditional Japanese language has no word for privacy, a unique cultural conception of privacy emerged. For example, the idea that one has “the right to be left alone” might signal a lack of cooperativeness with the group and an inability to work well with others. Additionally, controlling one’s privacy information might be perceived as an excess of mistrust. Even Japanese scholars have commented that gaijin might perceive the group interdependence of Japanese people as “suffocating.”
Japanese language use two distinct, yet interrelated meanings of Japanese privacy: shakai ( 社会), or “public,” and seken (世間), or “world/society.” Such terms stress the importance of relationships, interdependence, and group harmony. Shakai contributes to negative aspects of crimes being withheld from the media in order to protect victims and their families. If one was to “break shakai” it would involve speaking publically about private matters which might harm another’s reputation. Seken emphasizes human relations and allows Japanese people the ability to “understand” or at least “explain” what went wrong in a given situation. To the foreign eye, this might look intrusive, or like “gossip,” as one tries to understand one’s home life or culture to explain a tragic event.
As JETs operate on differing values of privacy, this might result in individuals feeling “violated” or “exposed.” Perceived privacy violations can lead to relationship withdrawal, isolation, and negative assumptions/stereotypes about one’s co-worker or Japan in general. Throughout my research, gaijin English teachers reported feeling that their co-workers invaded/violated their privacy expectations. In other words, if they told someone something, it was then told to someone else, who then told someone else…etc. You get the point. In my research, gaijin felt victimized when people knew things about them that they didn’t disclose (i.e., So and so sensei told me you went to the doctor and are on X medication), even if it was something positive (i.e., I heard your dental checkup went well!). My participants felt like “celebrities” because “everyone (i.e., Japanese people)” in their communities knew “everything” about them.
Critics of my participants’ stories have said “Well, they should know it will be different from their home country.” It is easy to say “expect things to be different.” To what extent should this responsibility be shared? No recruiting organizations discuss privacy in their trainings. Perhaps privacy is something so engrained in one’s culture that it is perceived to be “common sense?” Perhaps that “common sense” is where the most difficulties exist when what one “commonly” thinks doesn’t work.
Regardless, this is a collective issue that requires further dialogue and research to better understand how to cultivate meaningful relationships. Several of my participants chose to cut their contracts short or to not renew because of their interpersonal privacy experiences.
That’s costly – it costs financially and personally.
This blog post is an adaptation of the scholarly article: Simmons, N. (2012). The tales of gaijin: Health privacy perspectives of foreign English teachers in Japan. Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research, 11, 17-38. Retrieved from http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/kaleidoscope/vol11/iss1/3/
JQ Magazine: JQ&A with James Rogers on Smart Smart Language Apps
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“Some in government suggest that the path to citizenship includes learning English. What we intend to do is provide all of our apps to these learners, but entirely for free. It is a big dream of mine to give back to society in such a way.” (Courtesy of James Rogers)
By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.
For many of us, our time teaching Japanese people the finer aspects of English was limited to…well, the JET Program. But that hasn’t been the case for James Rogers (Aichi-ken, 2003-06).
As the president of Kyoto JALT and the founder and editor of the Kyoto JALT Review, Rogers has utilized his comprehensive knowledge of English-language education to develop Smart Smart, a series of apps containing materials geared towards Japanese learners of English and vice versa (as well as other language learners). Among their features, the apps contain more than 100,000 words of content, a textbook using modern music to study English, and pronunciation exercises for native Chinese, Korean and Japanese speakers.
To learn more about how Smart Smart has thrived and what’s ahead, JQ caught up with Rogers, who also happens to be a Ph.D. candidate doing corpus linguistics research.
How did your experience as a JET inspire you to launch Smart Smart?
The JET Program certainly was my first foot in the door in regards to English education in Japan—without it, I do not think any of this would have been possible. So, in that regard, I view my experience on JET as an essential aspect to my current successes with Smart Smart and my career teaching English at the university level. I think the JET Program is a wonderful opportunity for foreign teachers and Japanese students.
What inspired you to create Smart Smart?
Well, we really are still just in the beginning stages of really taking advantage of technology in education, and I just looked at what is currently available and realized that I could totally improve upon it drastically. Also, since I am a real teacher/researcher and do not depend on this to make a living, I could provide it for nearly ten times cheaper than some technology that is currently available. For example, over 30 volunteer researchers and translators helped me to create the content for over five years. Just the apps existing and the papers we’ve all published together helps all of our careers, so that is the benefit for the team. In addition, some team members already have tenure and Ph.D.s and just wanted to be part of something that truly had the potential to improve upon English education. Since I didn’t need to pay anyone to create the resources, the price we can sell them at can be kept at the bare minimum. Originally, I intended to actually release everything for free, but then I had the opportunity to collaborate with Ernie Thomason, the creator of the best-selling Flashcards Deluxe, and realized that not only can I provide the best quality content, but also the most cutting edge technology as well for mere pocket change. Without Ernie, none of this could have been possible.
Your apps contain well over 150,000 words of content. How often is the content updated?
We update the apps themselves—in fact, just last week we added a great new feature to the quiz function in the app. But the content, other than finding typos, is fixed. For example, the app 英語マスター１万/English Master 10,000 itself has over 100,000 words of example sentences. Each sentence highlights how to use one of the chunks it teaches (all chunks and sentences have translations as well). My Ph.D. research looked at years’ worth of corpus data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English to identify these chunks. So, basically, these are the high-frequency chunks of English according to the corpus. That’s a fact that doesn’t change, and thus no updating of content is really necessary. You know, chunks like “along those lines,” or “to make a statement,” or “a big deal”…these chunks aren’t going anywhere.
Nathaniel Simmons (Nara-ken, 2007-2009) is currently is currently a communication faculty member at Western Governors University and lives in Columbus, OH, USA. He teaches a variety of intercultural, interpersonal, and health communication courses. He has researched and published several scholarly articles regarding privacy management between foreign English teachers and Japanese co-workers in Japan.
“Something of and in Japan, [is that] it doesn’t matter about who you are. Your health is never private. They [Japanese] don’t see health as a privacy thing. So you know, if you want to keep it private, don’t talk to anyone about it.” – Alice
After having my own interesting health experiences in Japan, I remained curious as to what other ALTs experienced. Therefore, I went back to Japan and interviewed 10 ALTs (5 women and 5 men) about their medical encounters. I quickly learned that it wasn’t “just me.” I heard a lot of strong comments such as Alice’s. In fact, everyone managed their medical privacy to some extent. I share one story below:
“There were no barriers. Every person in the village, every school, you know everyone in the Board of Education, the whole school knew that I broke my leg and what days I was going to the hospital, and medication I’ve been given. There’s no quiet, patient confidentiality.”
Meet “Jamie.”
An ALT in rural Japan like most of the ALTs employed by ALT organizations. She loved her job, teachers, and students. She worked hard and was enthusiastic about English education.
After breaking her leg, everyone knew. But how? She explained:
“It starts off with the supervisor who tells the Board of Education, they then informed the schools, and well, the schools tell the teachers, and the students ask, they tell the students, the students tell the parents, the parents go to the restaurant down the road and tell them, and the whole village knows.”
For Jamie, living in rural Japan meant that she wasn’t able to obtain her desired privacy levels. Suddenly, she was not just the “foreigner,” but the “foreigner with the broken leg.” She was the talk of the town. Even her prescribed medication wasn’t a secret. At the same time, Jamie was a “good sport.” She laughed about the spectacle of her situation. However, this somewhat uncomfortable experience influenced later health encounters.
After having appendicitis, Jamie didn’t want to go to the hospital as her doctor suggested. She told her Board of Education (BOE) that she just needed to go home and “sleep it off.” However, her tale doesn’t end there.
Although somewhat comical to Jamie, she saw this as a privacy violation. After-all, this isn’t a situation Jamie would have experienced in her home country. People now knew information she didn’t want them to know. She attempted to not have her school involved, but things didn’t go the way she planned. In reality, the doctor’s decision potentially saved her life, but, at the same time, Jamie perceived her privacy to be violated.
This sentiment was echoed throughout stories of ALTs’ health experiences. Someone told someone, who told someone else…and before they knew it, everyone knew information about them and, yet, they didn’t know much about anyone else.
How did ALTs manage their privacy in this study?
Withdrawing from workplace relationships (i.e., not talking to co-workers), lying, intentionally or through omission, and relying on the help of a non-workplace related friend (i.e., another ALT, Japanese friend, etc.) were the three most common strategies shared. For example, if an ALT was on medication that they didn’t want their co-workers to know about, they might say it was an “allergy” pill. If any ALT felt their privacy was violated, they stopped talking to co-workers…sometimes about everything.
Questions for you:
- To what extent was privacy a concern for you? Why/why not?
- How did you protect your secrets? (It doesn’t just have to be health!)
- What do you recommend to current ALTs regarding their private health information? Future ALTs? Do you agree with Alice?
This blog post is an adaptation of the scholarly article: Simmons, N. (2012). The tales of gaijin: Health privacy perspectives of foreign English teachers in Japan. Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research, 11, 17-38. Retrieved from http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/kaleidoscope/vol11/iss1/3/
Emily Metzgar’s op-ed: “The JET Program and the US-Japan Relationship”
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A great summary of the long-term value of the JET Program (i.e., Return on JET-vestment) by University of Indiana journalism professor (and JET alum) Emily Metzgar:
The JET Program and the US-Japan Relationship: Alumni of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program are an important part of bilateral ties.
As official Washington prepares for the late April visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his scheduled address to a joint session of Congress, many aspects of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Japan will rightly be feted, including a robust strategic alliance and significant economic ties between the two nations. The visit also presents an opportunity to consider a less discussed but increasingly important aspect of the U.S.-Japan relationship writ large: The extensive – and growing – network of American alumni of Japan’s long-standing Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.
Click here to read the rest of the op-ed: http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/the-jet-program-and-the-us-japan-relationship/
Be interviewed for a book about the JET Program!
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Dear American JET Alumni,
I’m writing a book about American alumni of the JET Program and the growing influence of this community on the broader US-Japan relationship. I’m a professor at Indiana University and a JET alum (Shimane, 1993-1995). I’ve already published some research about American alumni of JET and the tremendous potential of this pool of college educated people with on-the-ground experience in Japan. My book will document that influence in a variety of contexts — political, cultural, educational, corporate, etc.
As I work on this book I need your help. I’m interested in talking with American alumni about the various ways they remain involved with Japan after finishing their tenure with JET. Would you be willing to be interviewed for this project?
I’ve set up an online data collection site and am asking that alumni who are willing to be interviewed use that link to provide a few details about themselves so I can determine whom to contact and when, based on my research timeline. This project is authorized by my university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and as the first item at the link below indicates, all safeguards associated with such university-approved research are in place.
If you’re willing to share your post-JET experiences and your insights about the growing influence of the American JET alumni community please click on this link (http://bit.ly/1Fvjvof) and provide the requested information (name, contact info, years & position on JET, current job, and nature of continued involvement with Japan). I will follow up with you soon to set up a phone or Skype interview.
If you have any questions about this request or if you’d just like to know more about this book project — I’m always happy to talk about it! — please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Thanks so much for any insights you can share. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Emily
JALT Shinshu-AJET Conference-18th of April 2015
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JALT and AJET have teamed up bring you the JALT Shinshu-AJET Conference in Matsumoto City, Japan.
Featuring lectures from Morten Hunke and Yumiko Miyamoto the conference will focus on Can-do Statements & Assessment in a Japanese Context.
Many teachers are under immense pressure to prepare Can-Do statements that specify what aspects of communicative competence their courses are designed to develop, and clarify how students are assessed in relation to these statements. To explore this issue, Morten Hunke will discuss how the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) can be applied at the university level in Japan, and Yumiko Miyamoto will discuss assessment at the Senior High School level.
When:Sat 18th of April, 2015.14:00-17:00
Venue: Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture
Price:JALT members: Free; Non-members 1000 yen
For latest details, see JALT.org event page.
For any inquiries please contact:
Chris Low(AJET Director of Professional and educational Development)
or Gregory Birch (JALT)
Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
DePaul University in Chicago, IL, is currently accepting applications for the position of Program Manager within our Study Abroad Program Office.
Please visit https://jobs-depaul.icims.com/jobs/18278/program-manager/job for the full position description and application details.
Brief Position Summary: The Program Manager (PM) position manages a program portfolio of faculty-led programs and serves as the primary point of contact for faculty directors, students, vendors, providers, and other key stakeholders. The PM develops and implements regular program assessment procedures in collaboration with staff and faculty, and also evaluates the viability of new programs with the Associate Director Program Management. This position also participates in first level crisis response, led by the Associate Director Program Management, within the study abroad office. This position has both administrative and management responsibilities and plays a key role to ensure the success of program implementation for both students and faculty.
Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies is continuing the search for an advisor for faculty-led study abroad programs. The successful candidate will join a dynamic team and be directly responsible for designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating a full range of services and programs to meet the international objectives of the university and the needs of students seeking, engaged in, or who have returned from education abroad programs. Application review will begin on October 6th.
You can view this posting at:
https://cmsweb.cms.sdsu.edu/psp/HSDPRDF/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=5353&SiteId=1&PostingSeq=1
Please direct questions to SDSU’s Center for Human Resources rather than to the hiring department.
Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
An opening in the Study Abroad Office at North Carolina State University for a full-time Regional Coordinator for Latin-America and Sub-Saharan Africa. A full job description can be found at https://jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/42118.
*RESPONSIBILITIES*
In designated geographic regions (currently the Americas, Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa), serve as the lead contact and advisor for NC State study abroad programs. Manage student exchange agreements for designated region, including facilitating renewals and initiating new agreements, as well as maintaining balance of enrollment numbers. Research programs and communicate with colleagues at partner institutions and program providers in the United States and abroad regarding academic opportunities, costs, housing options, support services, and exchange agreements.
Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Stanford University is pleased to announce the following position:
*Special Programs Coordinator (64192), BING Overseas Studies Program*
The Special Programs Coordinator is responsible for managing and coordinating overseas seminars and other short-term, faculty-initiated programs. The Special Programs Coordinator exercises a high degree of independence and judgment in solving problems, executing and completing projects, interacting with colleagues and managers throughout the University, as well as faculty, students, and parents.
To Apply*:
– Access the Stanford Careers website at http://stanfordcareers.stanford.edu
– Click on Job Search
– Enter “64192” the Job Number Search field (the search result will appear)
**Please Note: *Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume via the Stanford University website. Applications submitted directly to BING Overseas Studies Program office will not be considered.
Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
The University of Georgia at Oxford Study Abroad Program seeks an Associate Director for the University’s Residential Center Study Abroad Program in Oxford, England. This position is based primarily at the UGA campus in Athens, Georgia, with significant travel duties to the U.K. The Associate Director assists the Director in the administration of the Oxford programs and Center and serves as the second-in-command for the UGA at Oxford Program. Duties include program and facilities oversight, communications and development, and IT development and support. The Associate Director will be responsible for marketing the UGA at Oxford Program, organizing Alumni events, planning special extension events such as lectures and debates, and preparing the Program’s annual newsletter. The Associate Director is also expected to remain active in research and academic life at the University of Georgia through teaching and curriculum development. Read More
A nice JET-relevant opportunity, received directly from the Council on Foreign Relations which requested that it be shared with the JET alumni community.
Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Overview:
Thanks to JETAANY Board member Mark Flanigan, himself a former Rotary Peace Fellow, for sharing this. Mark also mentioned that 6 JET alums in total have received Rotary Peace Fellowships. Please note the July 1 deadline.
Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Overview:
Are you looking to make a significant impact on the world by promoting tolerance and cooperation? Each year, Rotary funds some of the world’s most dedicated and brightest professionals to study at our Rotary Peace Centers. These fellows are committed to the advancement of peace, and often go on to serve as leaders in national governments, NGOs, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations such as the United Nations and World Bank.
Thanks to Pamela Fields of CULCON for passing on this unique and JET-relevant opportunity, which came to her originally from Vickey Best, Executive Director of the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources. Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
2014-15 HARVARD FELLOWSHIP IN JAPANESE DIGITAL HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
