MLO 5: Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion
Outcomes:
5.1 Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community. Courses Taken Study Abroad: J.F. Oberlin University (Tokyo) Fall 2014: Japanese 3B (Intermediate II) Japanese Practice (Oral Presentation I) Japanese Practice (Reading Comprehension I) Women in Japan Japanese Art Spring 2015 Japanese 4A (Intermediate-Advanced I) Japanese Practice (Kanji II) Japanese Practice (Oral Presentation II) Japanese Literature Japanese Classical Dance Reflective Narrative I met the outcomes of MLO 5 by studying abroad at J.F. Oberlin University in Machida for one year, which ultimately aided me in gaining confidence in my speaking skills, especially as I studied the culture in the target language. Do do so, I took the Oral Presentation elective course during my first semester. Using the textbook "Because I am a Girl," this course allowed me to practice speaking and listening to native speakers though content-based instruction, typically group discussions and a final oral presentation. During my second semester, my core class and elective kanji and speaking elective courses helped me to reach my goal of improving my reading and writing skills. What helped me the most in my primary language courses was content-based learning, as each chapter of our textbook introduced a cultural topic or social issue, and we would build our vocabularies by having group discussions, as well as learn about each others' home countries. My elective courses helped me both inside and outside of the classroom. My kanji course taught us about radicals, pieces of kanji that could help us identify meaning without necessarily knowing the correct reading. I continued taking the Oral Presentation class; the intermediate-advanced level didn't utilize a textbook, which helped us improve our listening skills as well. Our skills were tested for our final presentation, a group project that required us to perform a live dub of an anime or Japanese drama. We had to accurately write a script based off of the original material, and then recite the script at a native speed in front of our classmates. Outside of school, being surrounded be the target language and culture really made me feel comfortable in my slowly growing abilities. Being able to leave my room and try to make conversations with complete strangers forced me to use what I had learned in the classroom, but such interactions also helped me convey information regarding my home culture as a miniature exchange. Working in the dorm helped me see just how much my language skills had improved; when I had to attend meetings or interpret presentations, I knew that I could more accurately convey information in order to help my peers. These do-or-die situations have prepared me for my future career goals and continue to fuel my passion for communicating cross-culturally and helping others. For additional insight on my study abroad experience, please check out my blog, as well as my LESCANT project. |
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