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.
Through a countless number of experiences at home and abroad, in English as well as Japanese, as an observer as well as a participant, I have actively sought to enrich my own personal understanding of what Japanese culture really means to those taking part in its creation.
Really beginning to understand the Japanese language (and consequently the culture) has taken a considerable amount of time, as those familiar with the process of cultural adaptation can relate. With this being said, I do not claim myself to be an expert nor do I claim to be at a fluent level when operating in a number of different discourse. However, what I can say based on self awareness is that I have reached a point in some areas of Japanese related discourses that I can understand and make use of subtle, emotive communication in a Japanese context, but I cannot always explain in concrete terms why I understand. In short, I think its safe to say that I have begun to understand Japanese based discourses on an instinctual level.
To add further, I have begun to think of Japanese culture less as a foreign element and more as one aspect of my own person. Coinciding with the fact that some aspects of the language I feel are beginning to feel natural to me, my demeanor, my reactions, the way I look at certain issues and aspects of life as a whole have undoubtedly been deeply influenced by my language and cultural studies. With that being said, I personally feel that I have met the goals specified under MLO 5.
If you would like to read a few blog posts that touch upon my own experiences with Japanese and Japanese culture, please click the link to my study abroad blog below!
Study Abroad Blog
Through a countless number of experiences at home and abroad, in English as well as Japanese, as an observer as well as a participant, I have actively sought to enrich my own personal understanding of what Japanese culture really means to those taking part in its creation.
Really beginning to understand the Japanese language (and consequently the culture) has taken a considerable amount of time, as those familiar with the process of cultural adaptation can relate. With this being said, I do not claim myself to be an expert nor do I claim to be at a fluent level when operating in a number of different discourse. However, what I can say based on self awareness is that I have reached a point in some areas of Japanese related discourses that I can understand and make use of subtle, emotive communication in a Japanese context, but I cannot always explain in concrete terms why I understand. In short, I think its safe to say that I have begun to understand Japanese based discourses on an instinctual level.
To add further, I have begun to think of Japanese culture less as a foreign element and more as one aspect of my own person. Coinciding with the fact that some aspects of the language I feel are beginning to feel natural to me, my demeanor, my reactions, the way I look at certain issues and aspects of life as a whole have undoubtedly been deeply influenced by my language and cultural studies. With that being said, I personally feel that I have met the goals specified under MLO 5.
If you would like to read a few blog posts that touch upon my own experiences with Japanese and Japanese culture, please click the link to my study abroad blog below!
Study Abroad Blog