Izumi Funayama

BA, Waseda University, Japan. MA, Ohio University. PhD, The University of Texas-Austin. Doctoral Dissertation: Intercultural experiences and practices in a Chinese-Japanese joint venture: A study of narratives and interactions about and beyond “Chinese” and “Japanese.” Associate professor, Kumamoto University, Japan; certified professional co-active coach, Coach Training Institute; certified designer and facilitator of LEGO Serious Play Method; certified instructor, Omotesenke tea ceremony. Recipient of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Interests include intercultural communication, ethnography, narrative analysis, discourse analysis, intercultural training, and intercultural coaching. SLC, 2014–

Undergraduate Courses 2024-2025

Japanese

Japanese II

Intermediate, Seminar—Year

JAPN 3510

Prerequisite: Japanese I or its equivalent and permission of the instructor

Students will continue to develop basic skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing while expanding their vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. At the end of the course, students should be able to effectively handle simple communicative tasks and situations, understand simple daily conversations, write short essays, read simple essays, and discuss their content. In addition to classes with the faculty instructors, there are weekly, one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.

Faculty

Japanese III

Intermediate/Advanced, Seminar—Year

JAPN 3700

Prerequisite: Japanese II or equivalent and permission of the instructor

The aim of this seminar is to advance students’ Japanese language proficiency in speaking and listening, reading (simple essays to authentic texts), and writing in various styles (emails, essays, and/or creative writing). In addition to classes with the faculty instructor, there are weekly, one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.

Faculty

Previous Courses

Japanese

Advanced Beginning Japanese

Open, Seminar—Year

This course is for students who have completed Beginning Japanese or its equivalent. Students will continue to develop basic skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing while expanding their vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. At the end of the course, students should be able to handle simple communicative tasks and situations effectively, understand simple daily conversations, write short essays, read simple essays, and discuss their content. In addition to classes with the faculty instructors, there are weekly one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.

Faculty

Beginning Japanese

Open, Seminar—Year

Beginning Japanese is an introduction to Japanese language and culture, designed for students who have had little to no experience learning Japanese. The goal of the course is to develop four basic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing (hiragana, katakana, and some basic kanji) in modern Japanese, with an emphasis on grammatical accuracy and socially appropriate language use. In addition to classes with the faculty instructor, there are weekly, one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.

Faculty

Intermediate Japanese

Intermediate, Seminar—Fall

Prerequisite: Advanced Beginning Japanese or equivalent

The aim of this seminar is to advance students’ Japanese language proficiency in speaking and listening, reading (simple essays to authentic texts), and writing in various styles (emails, essays, and/or creative writing). Students will meet with the instructor for classes and conferences and with a language assistant for weekly individual tutorials.

Faculty

Japanese I

Open, Seminar—Year

This introduction to Japanese language and culture is designed for students who have had little or no experience learning Japanese. The goal of the course is to develop four basic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing (hiragana, katakana, and some basic kanji) in modern Japanese, with an emphasis on grammatical accuracy and socially appropriate language use. In addition to classes with the faculty instructor, there are weekly, one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.

Faculty

Japanese III

Intermediate/Advanced, Seminar—Year

Prerequisite: Japanese II or equivalent and permission of the instructor

The aim of this seminar is to advance students’ Japanese language proficiency in speaking and listening, reading (simple essays to authentic texts), and writing in various styles (emails, essays, and/or creative writing). In addition to classes with the faculty instructor, there are weekly, one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.

Faculty

Japanese III/IV

Intermediate/Advanced, Seminar—Year

This course is for students who have completed Japanese II or Japanese III (or their respective equivalents). The aim of the seminar is to advance students’ Japanese language proficiency in speaking and listening, reading (simple essays to authentic texts), and writing in various styles (emails, essays, and/or creative writing). Students will meet for classes and conferences with the instructor and for weekly individual tutorials with a language assistant.

Faculty