Japanese Studies

Japanese Language Proficiency Test Results
November 13, 2011

Every year in December, some of our students take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験 or JLPT), which is a standardized criterion-referenced test to evaluate and certify the Japanese language proficiency of non-native speakers. The test is administered by Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, inside Japan, and by the Japan Foundation, outside Japan. Two years ago, BU student Kevin Aubin (2010) passed Level 2 of the test. Last December, Elliott Verreault passed Level 2 and Stephane Mercure passed Level 3. Elliott can now freely apply for any job in Japan as anything open to native speakers of Japanese is also open to those who have Level 2 certificate or higher. This year, the JLPT test will be held at York University on December 4. Merran Eby, Enrico Tremblay, Josée Savage and Marc-André Théberge will be taking the test. Good luck to all of you!

JET Program
November 13, 2011

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (外国語青年招致事業) or JET Programme is a Japanese government initiative that brings college (university) graduates—mostly native speakers of English—to Japan as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and Sports Education Advisors (SEAs) in real Japanese elementary, junior high and high schools, or as Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs) in local governments and boards of education. JET Programme participants are collectively called JETs. Lauren Smith was chosen as one of the JET Program participants last year. She is, then, the forth BU graduate last year, working in Japan. Currently in Japan, there are 2 other BU graduates working as JETs: Andrew Ha, and  Heather Coyle. There was also Simon Abbott who came back from the JET Programme last year to BU to get another degree. This is one nice way to obtain a maximum of 5-year renewable employment with the Japanese Government. Not only the experience will be an enormous investment for the future career for young Canadians, but also they will be receiving a very handsome salary as well. Congratulations to Lauren, Andrew and Heather.

Welcome to the website of the Japanese Studies Section. My name is Katsunori Hizawa, or Hizawa sensei (or just Hizawa) as my students usually call me. This is a site that I maintain in order to provide detailed information about our program. 

My students and I would like to show you what we do here in an attempt to study Japanese together. This is a rather time-consuming language (almost 3 times the effort than European languages) and the progress is consequently slow. But it is worth the effort if you are serious about it. The program is a little jewel to us and we are very proud of it. We have a lot of fun together learning the language and the culture behind it. We intend to keep this little window, the only window as a matter of fact, open for Asia on the campus of Bishop's University.

A characteristic of how my assistant Maasa Morimoto and I teach Japanese here is: team-teaching. My teaching style is a result of interacting with my gurus and friends when I was a student in Japan and later in the United States. Maasa majors in Teaching Japanese as a Second/Foreign Language at Yamaguchi Prefectural University, Yamaguchi, Japan. We try to put two different teaching styles together so that our students can get the best of both worlds. When it is done right, "one and one" is more than two. We enter the class room together and do the activities that we are best at individually. When the class is over, we go back to our office and start planning for the next class.

If there is an ounce of good stuff in what I do as instructor in charge, it is because of my students. When things don't go right as planned, it is usually because I overlooked something or misjudged something. I can immediately tell when I look at my students. It's been about 20 years of teaching, but I learn something new everyday.