JAPAN343: Japanese Language in Society
Autumn 2013 5 Credits Final grade: 3.7 Japanese and Linguistics |
Japanese SociolinguisticsHaving satisfied the language requirements for both my major (2 years) and my minor (3 years), I now turned my eyes towards fulfilling my elective requirements. This was most easily accomplished by taking courses on Japanese Linguistics. Having already developed an interest in sociolinguistics as a general field, I chose to take a course related to specifically Japanese sociolinguistics with Professor Amy Ohta.
The course was extremely challenging. In addition to lecture, we were expected to complete a wide range of additional readings which were not necessarily discussed in class: essentially doubling the material we were responsible for knowing by the time we took our final. Topics we explored included attitudes towards Japanese deaf and hard of hearing, the influence of Korean culture, and accomodations (or lack thereof) for individuals whose heritage extended beyond Japan (notably, the large population of Brazilian Japanese). For my final, I chose to write and present on North Korean-run Chongryun schools in Japan. It was an extremely interesting topic to explore given the general mist which surrounds North Korea in general. It was quite an endeavor to find enough sources, but eventually I was able to put together a paper I was proud of. |
Image: Cherry blossoms in the UW quad as seen from Miller Hall