CJR Lunchtime Lecture series

Promoting Positive Attitudes for Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Higher Education in Japan

Dr. Yumi Sugihara Yoshida

Tuesday, February 26, 12:30-1:30

Asian Centre, room 604

Japanese society is changing rapidly toward having more linguistic and cultural diversity since the Japanese government is strongly promoting a system where more international workers and students stay in Japan. In order to promote a linguistic and culturally inclusive society, Japanese people need to change their outlook and overcome their attitude of dealing with ethnic minorities by either total assimilation or exclusion, as they have in recent history.

In this talk, I will focus on higher education in Japan, and discuss how people with linguistic and cultural differences can live together, focusing on the Japanese majority. I will present an overview of English-medium instruction courses which MEXT leads to promote internationalization in higher education in accordance with the government's "300,000 International Students Plan" policy of 2008. I will also present an overview of  yasashi nihongo, which is a simplified Japanese language, used initially in the aftermath of the Hanshin Earthquake but now used as a common language between linguistically diverse residents in local communities. I will focus on a lecture mainly targeting Japanese students used to promote positive attitudes for linguistic and cultural diversity and to teach how to communicate with linguistic others in a university campus.

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Hokkaido 150

14 March, 5:30 pm- 

15 March 2019 5:30 pm

Coming off the sesquicentennial of the Meiji Restoration in 2018, the 2018-2019 Academic Year marks another significant 150th anniversary in Japanese history: that of the settler colonization of the northern island of Hokkaidō, or Ainu Moshir as it was known to the Indigenous Ainu peoples.  In the spirit of continuing the national moments of commemoration that occasioned Canada 150 and Meiji at 150, the Centre for Japanese Research proudly presents "Hokkaidō 150: Settler Colonialism and Indigeneity in Modern Japan and Beyond." This event will mark the 150th anniversary of the 1869 incorporation of the island of Ainu Moshir, by gathering academics, artists, musicians, and community members from Japan, Canada, and the United States to revisit shared histories of settler colonialism.  We invite members of the UBC and larger Vancouver community to reflect on the history of settler colonialism and its impacts on Indigenous peoples, while celebrating the local culture, art, and music of BC and Hokkaidō as we renew our mutual commitment to international cooperation and Truth and Reconciliation.