Activites - TOKAI UNIVERSITY EUROPEAN CENTER

Japanese Language Education spring 2016

5/6/2016

A two-day Japanese language education workshop was held at TUEC on the weekend of April 31st & May 1st.
The workshop was the thirteenth, so far, in TUEC’s series of Japanese language education workshops aimed at Japanese language teachers in the Nordic countries, and held twice annually (in the spring and fall) since 2010. The workshop series targets institutions offering Japanese language education with primary focus being on universities with Japan studies programs. The spring 2016 workshop was organized in cooperation between TUEC and Professor Fusato Taniguchi of the Tokai Institute of Global Education and Research (TIGER).

Lecture Series 2016

3/17/2016

“Lolland and Higashi-Matsushima’s Cooperation on Sustainable Development: A New Way for Cities to Cooperate”

On March 17, Tokai University European Center (TUEC) hosted a lecture commemorating five years having passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011. Since the disaster, TUEC has cooperated with the Denmark-Japan Society on arranging annual lectures for a local Danish audience to mark the occasion. Along with being a show of sympathy and support for Japan, the “3/11 lecture series” has provided updated and in-depth information to people in Denmark on the extent of the devastation and the progress and scale of the rebuilding work taking place in Japan.
Tomoko Kitamura Nielsen, a Japanese journalist, consultant and writer based in Denmark, was invited to speak on the unique cooperation existing between Higashi-Matsushima City and the Danish municipality of Lolland on sustainable development. Lolland Municipality in Denmark has an international reputation for being a pioneer on the cutting edge of sustainable development solutions.

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2016_report_lecture_lolland_and_higashi-matsushima’s_cooperation_at_tuec_on_march_17_2016.pdf
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Lecture Series 2015

11/23/2015

On 23 November 2015, Tokai University European Center (TUEC) hosted a lecture on economic reform and team dynamics in Japan. The invited speaker was Associate Professor Lisbeth Clausen of Copenhagen Business School.
The theme of the talk was team dynamics and diversity management, and the effects of economic and political reforms on these. Assoc. Prof. Lisbeth Clausen discussed this theme based on her recent study of multinational corporations in Japan; a study which was published in book form as Team Dynamics and Diversity: Japanese Corporate Experiences in the spring of 2015.
The lecture discussed Tokyo based corporations as providing a useful platform for studying the Japanese government’s recent initiatives of including international talent and not least the female workforce, ‘womenomics’, as assets in the Japanese drive for economic progress. A one-year study of teams in multinationals in Tokyo provides examples about collaboration between traditionally Japanese ways and international corporations that bring in new inspiration and act as catalysts of change. The participating corporations in the study were Bang & Olufsen, Ecco, Coloplast, Novo Nordisk, Microsoft, Sony and Huawei.

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2015_report_lecture_lisbeth_clausens_lecture_on_nov._23_2015.pdf
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International Symposium

11/14/2015

“Civilization Dialogue between Europe and Japan”
Responsibilities of Academic Research in an Era of the ‘Clash of Civilizations’

The international symposium “Civilization Dialogue between Europe and Japan” was held at Tokai University European Center (TUEC) in Copenhagen on November 13-14, 2015.
The purpose of the symposium was to re-examine and compare the fundamental values inherent in European and Japanese civilizations, respectively, concerning human existence, society and nature.
The organizing body of the symposium was Tokai University’s Institute of Civilization Research (ICR). ICR was established in 1959 and has since its inception promoted the academic study of human civilizations throughout the world. In 2015, a research project bearing the title “Trans-Disciplinary Humanities” was launched for the purpose of conducting comprehensive research on contemporary civilization. TUEC, co-organizer of the recent symposium, has since its opening in 1970 acted as a hub for academic relations in Europe. Over the years, TUEC has conducted countless international symposia, seminars and workshops covering a wide variety of academic topics, and in doing so has accumulated a considerable network of contacts within academia and research environments in Europe.

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2015_report_international_symposium_civilization_dialogue_at_tuec_on_nov._13-14_2015.pdf
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Japanese Language Education Workshop Fall 2015

11/1/2015

A two-day Japanese language education workshop was held at TUEC on the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 1. The workshop was the twelfth, so far, in TUEC’s series of Japanese language education workshops aimed at Japanese language teachers in the Nordic countries, and held twice annually (in the spring and fall) since 2010. The workshop series targets institutions offering Japanese language education with primary focus being on universities with Japan studies programs.
The twelfth workshop, entitled “Considering Prosody in Japanese Language Education” examined approaches to prosody and related teaching methods. Little attention has been paid, so far, to the elements of accent and intonation in conventional language education. However, the prosody produced by a sequence of sounds is intimately related to the intended meaning of the utterance as well as to the emotional tenor of the speaker, and is therefore an important function in conversation and communication. In overseas Japanese language education, where native speakers and conversation partners are in short supply, it is all the more important to focus attention on this aspect of language learning.

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2015_fall_report_japanese_language_education_workshop_at_tuec.pdf
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2015_fall_proceedings_japanese_language_education_workshop.pdf
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Japanese Language Education Workshop Spring 2015

5/4/2015

A two-day Japanese language education workshop was held at TUEC on the weekend of May 2-3. The workshop was the eleventh, so far, in TUEC’s series of Japanese language education workshops aimed at Japanese language teachers in the Nordic countries, and held twice annually (in the spring and fall) since 2010. The workshop series targets institutions offering Japanese language education with primary focus being on universities with Japan studies programs.
The eleventh workshop, entitled “Considering the Form and Content of Grammar Education Aimed at Achieving Behavioral Objectives,” was a call to re-examine the claims of a “new Japanese grammar education” that breaks with the traditional approach of giving primary attention to sentence structure, and instead places emphasis on communicational objectives. The workshop endeavored to uncover which aspects of this ‘new approach’ can actually be considered original contributions to the field of Japanese grammar education.

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2015_spring_report_japanese_language_education_workshop.pdf
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2015_spring_proceedings_japanese_language_education_workshop.pdf
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Japanese Language Education Workshop Fall 2014

11/15/2014

A two-day Japanese language education workshop was held at TUEC on the weekend of November 1-2. The workshop was the tenth, so far, in TUEC’s series of Japanese language education workshops aimed at Japanese language teachers in the Nordic countries, and held twice annually (in the spring and fall) since 2010. The workshop series targets institutions offering Japanese language education, with the primary focus being on universities with Japan studies programs.
The title of this tenth workshop was “Rethinking Beginner Level Teaching Methodology” and examined the dynamics and processes at this initial stage of learning. The theme was particularly relevant in a Nordic context, where a large portion of Japanese language education is performed at the beginner level, hence attracting an all-time high of 22 participants to the workshop. The record number of participants and the vigorous discussions generated was a fine way of marking the tenth workshop in this series.

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2014_fall_report__japanese_language_education_workshop_at_tuec.pdf
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2014_fall_proceedings_jle_workshop.pdf
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Japanese Language Education Workshop Spring 2014

5/1/2014

A two-day Japanese language education workshop was held at TUEC on the weekend of May 3-4. The workshop was the ninth, so far, in TUEC’s series of Japanese language education workshops aimed at Japanese language teachers in the Nordic countries, and commenced in the spring of 2010. The workshop series targets institutions offering Japanese language education, with the primary focus being on universities with Japan studies programs.
The thematic focus of this workshop was on examination and evaluation, often considered necessary evils by language teachers. With the title, “Constructing Evaluation Methods with Motivational Factors for Learning” the workshop aimed at rethinking examination and evaluation methods so as to allow students more accurately to grasp their actual level of language ability, stimulate study with a firm sense of purpose, and instill motivation by providing tangible results of study effort. In order to maximize the effects of evaluation in education, the workshop identified key points of importance and formulated a relevant evaluation methodology.

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2014_spring_report_japanese_language_education_workshop_at_tuec.pdf
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2014_spring_proceedings_jle_workshop.pdf
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Japanese Language Education Workshop Fall 2013

11/12/2013

A two-day Japanese language education workshop was held at TUEC on the weekend of November 2-3. The workshop was the eighth, so far, in TUEC’s series of Japanese language education workshops aimed at Japanese language teachers in the Nordic countries, and commenced in the spring of 2010. The workshop series targets institutions offering Japanese language education, with the primary focus being on universities with Japan studies programs.
Listening comprehension was the theme of the fall 2013 workshop. Effective listening exercises are integral and necessary in order to attain proficiency in a foreign language. Under the title, “Listening Comprehension Material as Spoken Language Audio Input Material: Considering Application and Instruction Methods,” the workshop examined and discussed teaching methods in Japanese language education from the perspective of listening comprehension.

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2013_fall_report_japanese_language_education_workshop.pdf
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2013_fall_proceedings_jle_workshop.pdf
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Japanese Language Education Workshop Spring 2013

11/10/2013

A two-day Japanese language education workshop was held at TUEC on the weekend of April 27-28. The workshop was the seventh, so far, in TUEC’s series of Japanese language education workshops aimed at Japanese language teachers in the Nordic countries, and commenced in the spring of 2010. The workshop series targets institutions offering Japanese language education, with the primary focus being on universities with Japan studies programs. The theme of the spring 2013 workshop was collaborative learning processes, and aimed at examining the validity and applicability of newly emergent teaching techniques that endeavor to break away from the much criticized passive learning methods of the past. Under the title, “Designing Processes for Collaborative Learning: Collaborative Reading in the Classroom,” the workshop examined and discussed new approaches to teaching that are taking a fresh new look at the fundamental elements of the learning process, while highlighting the importance of concepts such as ‘interaction’ and ‘process’.

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2013_spring_report_japanese_language_education_workshop.pdf
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2013_spring_proceedings_jle_workshop.pdf
File Size:	4188 kb
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