[The Japanese Mind]
[The Japanese Mind]
Common Course ID: JAPN 3100
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait
Abstract: This open textbook is being utilized in an asynchronous online Japanese course for undergraduate students by Makiko Amaya at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). The open textbook The Japanese Mind provides key concepts in Japanese culture with in-depth yet easily accessible information on prevailing cultural values, attitudes, behavior patterns, and communication styles in modern Japan. The main motivation to adopt an open textbook was because the online version is free to students. Most student access the open textbook online using ProQuest Ebook Central through CSUSB's John M. Pfau Library website.
COOLforED is a service of the California State University-MERLOT program.
Partial funding provided by the State of California, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Questions? Email cool4ed@cdl.edu
Description: The book provides students with an informative overview of Japanese culture from the perspective of the Japanese people themselves. Among the topics explored: aimai (ambiguity), chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverance), giri (social obligation), sempai-kohai (seniority), wabi-sabi (simplicity and elegance), and zoto (gift giving), as well as discussions of child-rearing, personal space, and the roles of women in Japanese society. It includes discussion topics and questions after each chapter.
The online ProQuest Ebook Central version of The Japanese Mind is at the appropriate level for undergraduate students. It contains 28 chapters, each of which is comprised of a short essay and a set of discussion activities. The essays have different lengths, are not designed to be read in order, and do not require background knowledge in Japanese culture since they have been written with the goal of explaining complex concepts in easy-to-understand language.
Authors: Roger Davies - PhD, Professor of Applied Linguistics and Academic Director of the English Education Center at Ehime University, Japan
Osamu Ikeno - Associate Professor of English Education in the Faculty of Education at Ehime University.
Formats: The book can be read directly online through CSUSB's John Pfau Library website. A digital version can be purchased through Kindle. It can also be purchased as a print copy ($16.95).
Cost savings: This course is offered annually to about 75 students. The total potential savings for students is $1,271.25.
Accessibility and diversity statement: According to the ProQuest Support Center website, "ProQuest is committed to providing all our users with a fully accessible experience for research, teaching and learning. At ProQuest, we make every effort to ensure that our platforms – including Ebook Central – can be used by everyone. Ebook Central is continually designed and developed to meet Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act for features and functions."
License: Davies, Roger J. Ikeno, Osamu. The Japanese Mind, Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture. Tuttle Publishing, 2002.
Accessed through ProQuest Ebook Central. (Terms and Conditions).
JAPN 3100: Analysis of Japanese Culture through the Study of Film
Description: Analysis of selected classical and contemporary Japanese films. Taught in English, students will watch Japanese films with English subtitles. Explores Japanese culture as well as significant directors and their unique use of photography, music, literature, and scripting. This is an asynchronous online course.
Prerequisites: None
GE credit: 3 units
Learning outcomes: The following are learning outcomes:
- Identify and describe key concepts in Japanese culture, including cultural values, attitudes, behavior patterns, and communication styles in modern Japan.
- Discuss diverse aspects of Japanese culture in a clear and coherent fashion.
- Analyze the changing nature of Japanese society from the perspective of contemporary issues in intercultural communication.
- Apply new knowledge associated with Japanese culture in a practical way, such as in business, in a social setting, etc., and predict what mistakes can be avoided with this knowledge.
- Integrate key concepts in Japanese culture and propose/develop practical applications in a variety of social settings.
Teaching and learning impacts:
Collaborate more with other faculty : Yes
Use wider range of teaching materials: Yes
Student learning improved : Yes
Student retention improved : Unsure
Any unexpected results: No
Sample assignment:
SyllabusThis is the syllabus I used for JAPN 3100 for Fall 2020.
Assignment This is one of the assignments that were given in the course.
Rubric This is the rubric used for this assignment.
OER Adoption Process
During 2015 I reviewed several textbooks for this course. I selected The Japanese Mind because it describes key concepts in Japanese culture, including cultural values, attitudes, behavior patterns, and communication styles in modern Japan in easy-to-understand language. This was helpful given the asynchronous online nature of this course.
In June 2020, I was notified by the campus Affordable Learning Solutions Coordinator that the e-book version of this textbook was available free of charge to our students. From that moment on, I notified students taking this course of the availability of the e-book version, with the goal of saving students money. The textbook is supplemented with various free- of- charge articles, videos, and other online resources.
Student access: Students can access the online version of this textbook using any electronic device that has access to the internet. Students can also purchase a print copy through online vendors.
Student feedback or participation:
- I really liked all the different movies we watched and seeing how the different concepts of Japanese culture related to those, as well as being able to relate it to real life. I also liked the book we had to read. We weren't required to buy it…it is extremely interesting.
- The strength of this course are key concepts and learning the meanings of scenes in Japanese movies through key concepts learned in the book.
- Learning about the Japanese cultures and the social concepts, mainly from the "Japanese Mind", and clarification from the peers and the professor.
- I liked that I was able to learn Japanese key concepts and be able to identify them in the films that I was assigned to watch.
- Professor provided all the necessary materials needed in order to participate in the course.
- The course was very well put together I never had problems finding assignments and did not have an issue with any of the material.
- The professor provided clear directions for each assignment and supplied the class with the resources needed to complete each assignment.
- I felt that I actually learned new things about Japanese culture through films and I have gained a new perspective in general. The professor did a really great job in providing the class with concepts that were attainable to learn and acknowledge.
- Professor Amaya was very clear about the expectations for this course. All the materials were available for the students.
- Learning about Japanese values and customs helps us understand why some of the characters in the films acted certain ways.
- I think the strengths of the course is that each of the Japanese concepts were explained clearly.
I am a full-time lecturer in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at CSUSB. I have taught a wide range of Japanese language and culture courses at CSUSB, and have played a major role in establishing the curriculum for Japanese classes and in developing the Japanese Minor and Certificate programs. These include all first to third-year Japanese language courses, Japanese conversation courses, other Japanese elective courses for the Japanese Minor and the Japanese Language and Culture Certificate programs including JAPN 370 (currently JAPN 3100) “Analysis of Japanese Culture through the Study of Film”, JAPN 210 (currently JAPN 2100) “Japanese Calligraphy”, JAPN 399 “Community Service Project”), HUM 578 “International Experience: Asian Studies”, among others. I led the “Quarter to Semester (Q2S) Conversion/Transformation” project for CSUSB’s Japanese programs, which entails curriculum development, a new assessment plan, and new students learning outcomes.
As a Japanese language instructor, my educational philosophy in second language acquisition is to foster students’ communicative competence and independent learning. I believe it is essential for them to learn four language skills (i.e., reading, listening, writing, and speaking) using a step-by-step process that includes a meaningful series of contexts that will stimulate learners’ curiosity and that will motivate them to study Japanese. I especially think it is effective to introduce to students adequate learning strategies and metacogtinive strategies to enhance their self-learning and critical thinking skills and to help students successfully solve problems throughout their lives. Given that integrating computer technology is also essential in and outside the classroom, I incorporate a variety of software, applications, and online resources, tools, and platforms in my teaching.