Are ‘advanced’ Japanese language programs sustainable? A look at Australia, New Zealand and Singapore

Economic, strategic and cultural connections to Japan have never been stronger and more students across the breadth of our education system, primary through to tertiary, continue to be interested in studying Japanese. But what, beyond Demon Slayer and Pokemon, motivates them and how can that knowledge help universities to build effective and engaging language programs? Japanese is one of the most popular Asian languages taught at tertiary institutions around the world. According to the Survey Report on Japanese-language Education Abroad 2018 (Japan Foundation, 2020), the number of learners outside Japan reached 3,851,774, the second highest on record, and the number of institutions and teachers was the highest since the Foundation’s 1979 survey. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, enrolment in Japanese language subjects has remained relatively strong, even in 2021. Oceania (the majority from Australia and New Zealand) has the highest number of learners per 100,000 population globally. However, as the authors of this article, we have become increasingly concerned about the sustainability of advanced Japanese language programs in our region—specifically Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Language education policies (at the governmental and institutional level) and diminishing investment into language education in the higher education sector have put many Japanese Studies/language programs under strain. Advanced-level subjects generally have lower enrolment numbers than beginner- and intermediate-level subjects, and so are most at risk of being merged, cut back or dropped altogether. According to the US Foreign Services Institute (FSI), Japanese is considered to be one of the ‘super-hard languages’ that require English native speakers three times as long as French or Italian to attain ‘professional working proficiency’. This means that without students’ long-term commitment (retention to advanced levels) and well supported, quality education, there can be no sustainable future for Japanese language programs producing highly advanced users of Japanese in those nations. Against this backdrop, we recently launched the Network for Teaching Advanced Japanese Project (上級日本語Network), supported by a Japan Foundation Sakura Mini Grant 2020. This project provides a platform to collect data through surveys and interviews to better understand the current state of advanced Japanese language programs at university level in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, and advocate for communities of practice and ongoing support across the sector. This collaboration involves countries that are members of the Commonwealth. Not only are their universities’ medium of instruction English, but they also share similar program structures. The Network for Teaching Advanced Japanese Project approached colleagues from universities in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in 2020, gathering data on Japanese language programs at 25 institutions in total (Australia 19, New Zealand four, Singapore two). In total, 76 participants responded to the survey and among those respondents, 38 teachers (34 from Australia, two from New Zeland and two from Singapore) participated in online interviews between December 2020 and January 2021. Our survey results show that the ‘advanced’ level was broadly defined by: the stage of progression at the institution, a proficiency level equivalent to external criteria such as the Japanese Language Proficiency Test or the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; and the demonstration of specific skills through engagement with types of learning activities or resources (eg progression through language textbooks). What emerged from this is that there is a disparity in what is categorised as constituting the ‘advanced level’ within different institutional frameworks. Although this may seem merely a comparison with European languages these definitions have significant impact on institutional support for Japanese language. If institutions only support languages through to what we as teachers define as intermediate then it becomes harder for us to graduate advanced users of Japanese. We found that there are subjects with similar content and resources (for example the same textbook) that are called ‘advanced’ by some universities and ‘intermediate’ by others. It is common practice that in a three-year university degree program, students who start as beginners can progress to an ‘advanced’ level in their final year of study, but in many cases, realistically speaking, this ‘advanced’ level of study is nevertheless perceived as an ‘intermediate’ level of language acquisition by tertiary teachers of Japanese. The majority of students from the institutions we surveyed usually have three to four hours of class per week (five to six hours at most) during the semester or term. This gives them an average of around 100 class hours per year, and a total of around 300 over their three-year university degree program. It is clear this is insufficient when compared with 2,200 class hours deemed necessary to reach ‘professional working proficiency’ for Japanese in the aforementioned FSI estimate (for French and Spanish 600-700 and for German 900 class hours). It should be noted that ‘class hours’ here may assume that language learning does not occur beyond the classroom. Thus, the need to take account of the fact that tertiary students in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore increasingly engage in language learning outside the classroom, for example doing online tasks as part of a blended-learning curriculum, watching Japanese dramas or participating in in-country studies. Our project also found that there is a tendency for the teaching of Asian languages to be adapted to the framework used in the teaching of European languages. It is for example, common practice for universities to offer Levels 1 – 6 in each language with Levels 5 – 6 defined as ‘advanced’. This ignores the fact that students progress differently in different languages. The proficiency level reached by students in Japanese language programs at the official ‘advanced’ level may well be behind those in European language programs. All three countries involved in this project—Australia, New Zealand and Singapore—operate in an English-speaking context associated with the UK tradition of language education which may explain why European languages (which share the Roman alphabet based writing system with English) tend to be privileged in the institutional frameworks. There has been enthusiastic promotion of Asian language education (including Japanese) by the Australian and New Zealand governments since late 1990s, and the ongoing social commitment to multiculturalism. Australia, for example, has released several strategic plans such as the National Asian Language Studies in Australian Schools Strategy (NALSAS, 1995-2002) and recommendations on Asian language studies in the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper (2012). The New Zealand government implemented the Asian Language Learning in Schools (ALLiS) program in 2014, and have committed to a total of $10 million over five years, aiming to support schools by setting up new Asian language learning programs, or strengthening existing ones. In Singapore, mainly in response to industrial demand, the Ministry of Education established their Foreign Language Centre in 1978 to offer couses of French, German and Japanese for secondary school students (the Centre expanded to Ministry of Education Language Centre to offer language couses in wider age groups). Universities and polytechnics in Singapore also established Japanese language programs from the1980s. The development of Asian literacy can be better supported with a less Eurocentric and less English-monolingual mindset. A recent report (May 30, 2021) on the current state of school language programs and assessment in the Australian state of New South Wales suggests European languages such as French are advantaged over Japanese and Arabic, pointing to just such a bias. Further, the dominance of English in the global arena is creating a societal apathy for learning languages other than English. Despite acknowledgement that languages provide a key pathway to fostering ‘generalised national multilingualism, social harmony, and economic prosperity’ as noted by scholars Shannon Mason and John Hajek, representations of language education in the media can often exacerbate the precarious position of language education in Australia by presenting only superficial, narrow and negative editorial debate

Bosonic t-J Model in a stacked triangular lattice and its phase diagram

In this paper, we study phase diagram of a system of two-component hard-core bosons with nearest-neighbor (NN) pseudo-spin antiferromagnetic (AF) interactions in a stacked triangular lattice. Hamiltonian of the system contains three parameters one of which is the hopping amplitude $t$ between NN sites, and the other two are the NN pseudo-spin exchange interaction $J$ and the one that measures anisotropy of pseudo-spin interactions. We investigate the system by means of the Monte-Carlo simulations and clarify the low-temperature phase diagram. In particular, we are interested in how the competing orders, i.e., AF order and superfluidity, are realized, and also whether supersolid forms as a result of hole doping into the state of the $\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3}$ pseudo-spin pattern with the $120^o$ structure.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, Version to appear in J.Phys.Soc.Jp

Pore-blockade Times for Field-Driven Polymer Translocation

We study pore blockade times for a translocating polymer of length $N$, driven by a field $E$ across the pore in three dimensions. The polymer performs Rouse dynamics, i.e., we consider polymer dynamics in the absence of hydrodynamical interactions. We find that the typical time the pore remains blocked during a translocation event scales as $\sim N^{(1+2\nu)/(1+\nu)}/E$, where $\nu\simeq0.588$ is the Flory exponent for the polymer. In line with our previous work, we show that this scaling behaviour stems from the polymer dynamics at the immediate vicinity of the pore -- in particular, the memory effects in the polymer chain tension imbalance across the pore. This result, along with the numerical results by several other groups, violates the lower bound $\sim N^{1+\nu}/E$ suggested earlier in the literature. We discuss why this lower bound is incorrect and show, based on conservation of energy, that the correct lower bound for the pore-blockade time for field-driven translocation is given by $\eta N^{2\nu}/E$, where $\eta$ is the viscosity of the medium surrounding the polymer.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, slightly shorter than the previous version; to appear in J. Phys.: Cond. Ma

Learning masculinities in a Japanese high school rugby club

This paper draws on research conducted on a Tokyo high school rugby club to explore diversity in the masculinities formed through membership in the club. Based on the premise that particular forms of masculinity are expressed and learnt through ways of playing (game style) and the attendant regimes of training, it examines the expression and learning of masculinities at three analytic levels. It identifies a hegemonic, culture-specific form of masculinity operating in Japanese high school rugby, a class-influenced variation of it at the institutional level of the school and, by further tightening its analytic focus, further variation at an individual level. In doing so this paper highlights the ways in which diversity in the masculinities constructed through contact sports can be obfuscated by a reductionist view of there being only one, universal hegemonic patterns of masculinity

Weak itinerant ferromagnetism in Heusler type Fe2VAl0.95

We report measurements of the magnetic, transport and thermal properties of the Heusler type compound Fe2VAl0.95. We show that while stoichiometric Fe2VAl is a non-magnetic semi-metal a 5% substitution on the Al-site with the 3d elements Fe and V atoms leads to a ferromagnetic ground state with a Curie temperature TC = 33+-3 K and a small ordered moment ms = 0.12 mB/Fe in Fe2VAl0.95. The reduced value of the ratio ms/mp = 0.08, where mp = 1.4 mB/Fe is the effective Curie-Weiss moment, together with the analysis of the magnetization data M(H,T), show magnetism is of itinerant nature. The specific heat shows an unusual temperature variation at low temperatures with an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient, g = 12 mJK-2mol-1. The resistivity, r(T), is metallic and follows a power law behavior r(T) = r0+AT^n with n = 1.5 below TC. With applying pressure, TC decreases with the rate of (1/TC)(dTC /dP) = -0.061 GPa-1. We conclude substitution on the Al-site with Fe and V atoms results in itinerant ferromagnetism with a low carrier density.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figure

Cauchy's infinitesimals, his sum theorem, and foundational paradigms

Cauchy's sum theorem is a prototype of what is today a basic result on the convergence of a series of functions in undergraduate analysis. We seek to interpret Cauchy's proof, and discuss the related epistemological questions involved in comparing distinct interpretive paradigms. Cauchy's proof is often interpreted in the modern framework of a Weierstrassian paradigm. We analyze Cauchy's proof closely and show that it finds closer proxies in a different modern framework. Keywords: Cauchy's infinitesimal; sum theorem; quantifier alternation; uniform convergence; foundational paradigms.Comment: 42 pages; to appear in Foundations of Scienc

Optimizing and evaluating protein microcrystallography experiments: strengths and weaknesses of X-rays and electrons

Recently, significant technological innovations have enabled the measurement of both X-ray and electron diffraction from protein microcrystals. These new microcrystallography experiments are useful when large crystals cannot be obtained, but also in other cases, such as when large crystals suffer from long-range disorder, or when uniform perturbations need to be applied rapidly to the entire crystal volume. Optimizing the preparation of protein microcrystals for this new class of experiments presents new challenges for crystallographers, who have traditionally sought to grow large, single crystals. To better understand these new challenges, we optimized the production of microcrystalline samples of cyclophilin A (CypA), starting from conditions that produced millimeter scale crystals. Next, we used these microcrystals to determine CypA structures by serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) at two XFEL lightsources, and by microcrystal electron diffraction (microED) in an electron cryomicroscope. Here, I will present our optimization strategy for protein microcrystallization, and compare the results of X-ray and electron microcrystallography experiments with CypA. I will focus on the unique caveats of sample delivery for each method, and compare the resulting structures. The goal will be to provide insight into which microcrystallography experiment is most appropriate for which types of samples, and to share our experience with sample preparation and delivery for each type of experiment

A Mutation in the Gene Encoding Mitochondrial Mg2+ Channel MRS2 Results in Demyelination in the Rat

The rat demyelination (dmy) mutation serves as a unique model system to investigate the maintenance of myelin, because it provokes severe myelin breakdown in the central nervous system (CNS) after normal postnatal completion of myelination. Here, we report the molecular characterization of this mutation and discuss the possible pathomechanisms underlying demyelination. By positional cloning, we found that a G-to-A transition, 177 bp downstream of exon 3 of the Mrs2 (MRS2 magnesium homeostasis factor (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)) gene, generated a novel splice acceptor site which resulted in functional inactivation of the mutant allele. Transgenic rescue with wild-type Mrs2-cDNA validated our findings. Mrs2 encodes an essential component of the major Mg2+ influx system in mitochondria of yeast as well as human cells. We showed that the dmy/dmy rats have major mitochondrial deficits with a markedly elevated lactic acid concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid, a 60% reduction in ATP, and increased numbers of mitochondria in the swollen cytoplasm of oligodendrocytes. MRS2-GFP recombinant BAC transgenic rats showed that MRS2 was dominantly expressed in neurons rather than oligodendrocytes and was ultrastructurally observed in the inner membrane of mitochondria. Our observations led to the conclusion that dmy/dmy rats suffer from a mitochondrial disease and that the maintenance of myelin has a different mechanism from its initial production. They also established that Mg2+ homeostasis in CNS mitochondria is essential for the maintenance of myelin

Cannabinoid Regulation of Nitric Oxide Synthase I (nNOS) in Neuronal Cells

In our previous studies, CB1 cannabinoid receptor agonists stimulated production of cyclic GMP and translocation of nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive guanylyl cyclase in neuronal cells (Jones et al., Neuropharmacology 54:23–30, 2008). The purpose of these studies was to elucidate the signal transduction of cannabinoid-mediated neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) activation in neuronal cells. Cannabinoid agonists CP55940 (2-[(1S,2R,5S)-5-hydroxy-2-(3-hydroxypropyl) cyclohexyl]-5-(2-methyloctan-2-yl)phenol), WIN55212-2 (R(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl)methyl]pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazinyl]-(1-naphthalenyl)methanone mesylate), and the metabolically stable analog of anandamide, (R)-(+)-methanandamide stimulated NO production in N18TG2 cells over a 20-min period. Rimonabant (N-(piperidin-lyl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide), a CB1 receptor antagonist, partially or completely curtailed cannabinoid-mediated NO production. Inhibition of NOS activity (NG-nitro-l-arginine) or signaling via Gi/o protein (pertussis toxin) significantly limited NO production by cannabinoid agonists. Ca2+ mobilization was not detected in N18TG2 cells after cannabinoid treatment using Fluo-4 AM fluorescence. Cannabinoid-mediated NO production was attributed to nNOS activation since endothelial NOS and inducible NOS protein and mRNA were not detected in N18TG2 cells. Bands of 160 and 155 kDa were detected on Western blot analysis of cytosolic and membrane fractions of N18TG2 cells, using a nNOS antibody. Chronic treatment of N18TG2 cells with cannabinoid agonists downregulated nNOS protein and mRNA as detected using Western blot analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Cannabinoid agonists stimulated NO production via signaling through CB1 receptors, leading to activation of Gi/o protein and enhanced nNOS activity. The findings of these studies provide information related to cannabinoid-mediated NO signal transduction in neuronal cells, which has important implications in the ongoing elucidation of the endocannabinoid system in the nervous system

Second Order Perturbations in the Randall-Sundrum Infinite Brane-World Model

We discuss the non-linear gravitational interactions in the Randall-Sundrum single brane model. If we naively write down the 4-dimensional effective action integrating over the fifth dimension with the aid of the decomposition with respect to eigen modes of 4-dimensional d'Alembertian, the Kaluza-Klein mode coupling seems to be ill-defined. We carefully analyze second order perturbations of the gravitational field induced on the 3-brane under the assumption of the static and axial-symmetric 5-dimensional metric. It is shown that there remains no pathological feature in the Kaluza-Klein mode coupling after the summation over all different mass modes. Furthermore, the leading Kaluza-Klein corrections are shown to be sufficiently suppressed in comparison with the leading order term which is obtained by the zero mode truncation. We confirm that the 4-dimensional Einstein gravity is approximately recovered on the 3-brane up to second order perturbations.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, comment and reference added, typos correcte