I started studying Japanese out of a love for music. I had wanted to know what some bands I had become interested in were singing, rather than just singing along without understanding. Through that a love of the language was born and in community college, after I took my first formal Japanese class I decided that when I transferred, I wanted to pursue a degree in Japanese.
Through my studies at CSUMB I have deepened my knowledge of the language and also the culture. Through the regular course work for the degree I completed MLO 1.1 and learned to communicate in Japanese. In Structure of Japanese Language I completed MLO 1.2 and gained a deeper understanding of linguistics in regards to the language. MLO 2.1 and 2.2, which related to the cultural part of my Japanese Language and Culture degree, were completed through a variety of courses including, but not limited to, Japanese Pop Culture, Social Issues in Japan, and Japan: Current Issues and Solutions. I completed MLO 3.1 and 3.2 through my course on Asian American Literature, and examined another culture, different from what I had been studying, to gain a deeper perspective on Japanese culture. MLO 4.1 was satisfied through Social Issues in Japan as well as through Pre-Capstone, and other courses. 4.2 and 4.3 were satisfied through Capstone, with the research survey I conducted with my partner.
Possibly what I am most proud of are some of the research projects I undertook while I was at CSUMB. Though I am very proud of completing my Capstone--and all the work it entailed, especially because I was able to research something I am deeply interested in, there are other projects that I am very happy with. I think the two that I am most satisfied with are the final research projects for Japanese Pop Culture, in which I researched fanworks and doujinshi and argued for their value, and the final research project for Social Issues in Japan, where I examined the history and current situation of LGBTQ+ individuals living in Japan. Both of these topics I expanded upon further in other coursework as well, notably fanworks in my capstone, and gay marriage in Current Issues and Solutions. I am also proud of the skills I have managed to acquire in Japanese, despite having not been able to study abroad. Reading is my strength, which is amazing considering how far I had to come just to be able to read in English. But I am also proud of what I did in Service Learning. I learned many things in that class and though it was a lot of work I gained a lot. Before it, I had neither been comfortable with kids, nor had any clue how to lead a classroom or plan lessons. Now I can do both and I am certain that it will serve me well going forward with my future job as an ALT.
In the future, I would like to go further with the data I gained from Capstone and pursue more research in the area that I felt I did not study well, or missed in the survey. I also hope to develop my Japanese language skills further, especially my speaking and writing skills, when I live in Japan. I also would like to delve further into linguistics and translation and maybe work in the future as an editor at publishing company, working to bring works from Japan to America.
Through my studies at CSUMB I have deepened my knowledge of the language and also the culture. Through the regular course work for the degree I completed MLO 1.1 and learned to communicate in Japanese. In Structure of Japanese Language I completed MLO 1.2 and gained a deeper understanding of linguistics in regards to the language. MLO 2.1 and 2.2, which related to the cultural part of my Japanese Language and Culture degree, were completed through a variety of courses including, but not limited to, Japanese Pop Culture, Social Issues in Japan, and Japan: Current Issues and Solutions. I completed MLO 3.1 and 3.2 through my course on Asian American Literature, and examined another culture, different from what I had been studying, to gain a deeper perspective on Japanese culture. MLO 4.1 was satisfied through Social Issues in Japan as well as through Pre-Capstone, and other courses. 4.2 and 4.3 were satisfied through Capstone, with the research survey I conducted with my partner.
Possibly what I am most proud of are some of the research projects I undertook while I was at CSUMB. Though I am very proud of completing my Capstone--and all the work it entailed, especially because I was able to research something I am deeply interested in, there are other projects that I am very happy with. I think the two that I am most satisfied with are the final research projects for Japanese Pop Culture, in which I researched fanworks and doujinshi and argued for their value, and the final research project for Social Issues in Japan, where I examined the history and current situation of LGBTQ+ individuals living in Japan. Both of these topics I expanded upon further in other coursework as well, notably fanworks in my capstone, and gay marriage in Current Issues and Solutions. I am also proud of the skills I have managed to acquire in Japanese, despite having not been able to study abroad. Reading is my strength, which is amazing considering how far I had to come just to be able to read in English. But I am also proud of what I did in Service Learning. I learned many things in that class and though it was a lot of work I gained a lot. Before it, I had neither been comfortable with kids, nor had any clue how to lead a classroom or plan lessons. Now I can do both and I am certain that it will serve me well going forward with my future job as an ALT.
In the future, I would like to go further with the data I gained from Capstone and pursue more research in the area that I felt I did not study well, or missed in the survey. I also hope to develop my Japanese language skills further, especially my speaking and writing skills, when I live in Japan. I also would like to delve further into linguistics and translation and maybe work in the future as an editor at publishing company, working to bring works from Japan to America.