Job Discussion Forums

[gaijinalways]

I'm teaching a conference English class in Japan. This is similar to a seminar class where I have students give group presentations on a topic within a conference format. Last year, they presented on subcultures in Japan and talked about how these same subcultures did exist in other nations in various forms.

This year, they are presenting on the theme of promoting culture. Students need to decide which aspect of culture to promote as well as how to promote it.

My question for you, how would you promote culture, and what culture would you choose?

Sports
Theater
Dance
Literature
Handicraft specialties
Cuisine
Architecture
Art
Language
Customs
Religion
Media
Fashion


Best,

GA

PS Just looking for other ideas to help students prepare, they'll be choosing teams next week.

[rusmeister]

I'd ask, what does it mean to 'promote culture' and what exactly is the goal?

I might say, as I've said elsewhere, that the philosophy (the worldview(s)) - which includes religions, as they generally come with a 'pre-packaged' philosophy) of a culture, is far and away the most important thing about it, because it is the thing that determines the development of everything else, rather than being merely an 'aspect' of it.

GK Chesterton said (in his magnificent book "Heretics") that it is important for a general to know an enemies numbers, but still more important to know the enemy's philosophy. I submit that this goes for friends as well as enemies, and if we want to teach understanding of a culture, that ought to be the first thing we learn about it ourselves. Only then, can we hope to understand the music, art, etc. You can't, for example, understand Soviet art or literature if you do not understand that it was an atheist state, and that this absolutely impacts what they see to be important. (If this life is all there is, then the individual is obviously less important than the State, and the most honored heroes will be those that, for example, sacrificed themselves for the State.)

GKC also said something about our being allowed to discuss the details of life, but not that all-important aspect of it.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

1. Who is it who is primarily talking/ writing?
2. Who is it that they are primarily talking/ writing to?
3. Why are they doing this? (What do they want to accomplish?)

Answer those three things and everything else will fall into place.

[Glenski]

Gotta know the audience, I agree. That's no. 1 in order to choose the right vocabulary. Is it for a travel expo, homestay awareness, welcome for an exchange student to school, etc.?

My contribution is to suggest a 3- to 4-week series of lessons where they build posters in small groups. Use 6 A4 pages as the final size if necessary. Give me a PM so I can suggest a paper that did this. Essentially, first 2 lessons are in-class creation of the poster. Third class is presenting as a group to the whole class (with the presenting group providing a worksheet for the audience), and then fourth class is exhibition day, with half the group going round completing the worksheet and asking questions and the other half standing at the poster doing the presentation (then they switch after a while).

[gaijinalways]

My mistake, I'm not looking for how to teach the class, I've already got that framework (though your suggestions will be noted for next year). I'm looking more for what you think would/should be promoted and how you would do it (to give students more ideas, they are mulling some now).

Every country promotes some aspects of culture, and Japan is no exception. Some of the promotion is obviously geared towards tourism. One of Japan's recent efforts is to name 3 cute ambassadors.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/article.html?Japan_picks_"cute_ambassadors"&in_article_id=578948&in_page_id=64

Students will be looking to promote some other aspects of culture.

Ruemeister,

The students are aware of this, that sometimes some cultural background is necessary to more deeply understand something. Some recent misunderstandings are related to some American teens who proudly informed arriving Japanese to an Anime Convention that they were 'otakus', not realizing the negative stereotypes of 'otakus' that generally exit in Japan.

GambateBingBangBoom,

1) Students of various majors

2) As if the presenters were working for the Ministry of Culture and presenting to a committee made up of business people, and general public members of which aspects of Japanese culture they hope to promote and how they hope to promote them

3) it's the main assignment for this class and what the class is preparing for


Glenski,

Already am doing something like that, though students will be presenting with powerpoint (we're in a pc lab, so it's fairly easy to do). The presentations come near the end of the class and are given one after another, with students required to hand in notes the following week　as well as answer presenter and teacher related questions. Also during the presntations, there are some discussion rounds (4-6 minutes usually), with members of the audience reporting back on what they discussed in their groups.

[Glenski]

[gaijinalways]

I don't think it will be that difficult. I might shorten the menu a bit, but the group selecting will be this Wednesday. I'll also have groups start thinking about which they'd like to do, and they'll have several selections to choose from.

Within in some of the categories, they can obviously choose what they want to focus on. I think I might give them some subtopic ideas, but they have done a little of this already as we discussed what they think might be something to promote. Some were manga, Japanese manners (interesting, not sure if it would be that useful), Japanese tea ceremony, theater, etc.

Students are brainstorming on fusing the two together as just like the government here is having difficulties doing it, students need to examine;

what might be interesting to people outside of Japan

what would be some ways to promote something and not break the bank

how do we reach a fair number of people

what already has a following or fans that we can perhaps build on

what kind of demographics are we looking at for the people who might be interested in it (would only old people be interested in this, only art minded people, etc..)

[gaijinalways]

Some ideas I thought of as a prompt;

set up exchanges with sister high schools/universities to do cultural exchanges

do drama festivals with plays that promote some specific aspect of your culture

offfer traditional music lessons as part of an official school promotion or larger festival

offer a cooking expo where people can study and/or taste various foods

offer eating contests with featured foods

fly a hot air ballon with an attractive 'cultural' shape

offer picture puzzles in the newspaper to promote some particular visual form such as manga or animation

establish a 'cultural corner' in a department store or park to promote seasonal events and offer cultural information

tie in cultural events with a travel agency specilizing in tours to your country

stage cash prize contests to encourage want-to-be sumo wrestlers

have a Japanese themed ice sculpting contest

use music groups to do sidewalk promotions wearing traditional outfits as well playing traditional music

offer "design your own manga" contests

sponsor video screens atop buildings displaying cultural videos in busy shopping areas or at public transport stations

stage fashion contests with street fashion as part of a larger cultural event


Any more ideas along these lines?