The History of Developing Japanese Language Education
The History of Developing Japanese Language Education

The Case of Japanology at the University of Warsaw

Author(s): Okazaki Tsuneo
Subject(s): Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Japanese Studies at the University of Warsaw; Japanese language education; transformation in Poland
Summary/Abstract: In my article, I give an overview of how attempts towards developing Japanese language education have changed over the years. For that purpose, I describe the last fifty years of teaching Japanese at the University of Warsaw from the perspective of my own, personal experience. I also try to demonstrate that the teaching environment has changed significantly after the 1989 transformation in Poland. Among others, I describe two examples of activities that let our students be continually exposed to the Japanese language and people and help them improve both their language skills and knowledge of Japanese culture: the Language Camps and the exchange program with Japanese residents in Warsaw that has been taking place for over twenty years. Finally, comparing the times before and after the 1989 transformation, I point out the crucial differences between the learning environment and available opportunities in the past and nowadays.

• Details
• Contents