JAPN 420: Maximizing Study Abroad
Description
Your study abroad experience is potentially a rich opportunity for you to enhance your language skills and deepen your understanding of other cultures, people and their practices. This course provides the resources to help you prepare for your study abroad experiences. This course is taught in English.
Reflective Narrative:
I could meet the MLO 5 requirement. Through my experience with studying abroad, I found many cultural differences between Japan and America, and I sometimes experienced culture shock. However, I could overcome it by using cultural learning strategies such as: “Keep a journal or a diary about my experiences” and “Find someone from my own culture to talk to about my cultural experiences”. Keeping a journal enabled me to understand my situation objectively and talking and sharing my experience with my Japanese friends made me feel relieved. Then I realized the experience gave me opportunities to reconsider my own culture and made me strong.
Through this course, I have learned how to enhance my study abroad. Language strategy and culture learning strategies are very helpful to review my study abroad not only during, but also after going back to Japan. For example, one post-study strategy says to “Volunteer for an international organization or work with international students”. In fact, I have already decided to join a NGO program which is going to Philippines as an internship this summer. Therefore, this course encourages me to develop a personal understanding and new perspectives of the study abroad and it leads me to open other opportunities.
Your study abroad experience is potentially a rich opportunity for you to enhance your language skills and deepen your understanding of other cultures, people and their practices. This course provides the resources to help you prepare for your study abroad experiences. This course is taught in English.
Reflective Narrative:
I could meet the MLO 5 requirement. Through my experience with studying abroad, I found many cultural differences between Japan and America, and I sometimes experienced culture shock. However, I could overcome it by using cultural learning strategies such as: “Keep a journal or a diary about my experiences” and “Find someone from my own culture to talk to about my cultural experiences”. Keeping a journal enabled me to understand my situation objectively and talking and sharing my experience with my Japanese friends made me feel relieved. Then I realized the experience gave me opportunities to reconsider my own culture and made me strong.
Through this course, I have learned how to enhance my study abroad. Language strategy and culture learning strategies are very helpful to review my study abroad not only during, but also after going back to Japan. For example, one post-study strategy says to “Volunteer for an international organization or work with international students”. In fact, I have already decided to join a NGO program which is going to Philippines as an internship this summer. Therefore, this course encourages me to develop a personal understanding and new perspectives of the study abroad and it leads me to open other opportunities.
Evidence of Material within Course: Flickr Project, Journal Project
I visited Fisherman's wharf last weekend and I saw many wild animals such as see lions, sea otters and birds. I could not take pictures of sea otters because it was too far to take pictures, but I could saw sea lions very closely. They were so big and looked sleepy. It was my first time to see sea lions such a close distance so it was impressive for me.
I visited Fisherman's wharf last weekend and I saw many wild animals such as see lions, sea otters and birds. I could not take pictures of sea otters because it was too far to take pictures, but I could saw sea lions very closely. They were so big and looked sleepy. It was my first time to see sea lions such a close distance so it was impressive for me.
I saw the green fire truck last weekend at the parking lot in Fisherman's wharf in Monterey. In the class, one student mentioned the green fire truck and I found it the next day. So I took the picture. Japan has only red fire trucks, so the green color is interesting for me.
This is my first time to get Otoshidama, New Year's gift money from my friend in America. In Japan, it is common that older people give Otoshidama to younger people. But I got it from my friend who is the same age. It was cool.
I often see this kind of flyer on the ground on campus. But I have never seen such a flyer in my home university. It is interesting for me. It is creative and we can write the flyers anywhere. It is fun!