This curriculum guide presents the components of a U.S. history course examining the causes and immediate effects of the opening of Japan to American trade and diplomacy by Commodore Matthew C. Perry's 1853-1854 Japanese expedition. The first part of the guide introduces the goals of the course. Next, the student objectives of the course are…

A university teacher of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Japan draws on teaching experience and a classroom experiment to discuss how a socio-historical analysis of culture can be combined with intercultural communication and global issues to supplement learning and teaching in the college-level EFL curriculum. Students were asked to make a…

A discussion on content-based second/foreign language instruction reviews recent literature, extracts elements of content-based instruction (CBI) felt to be critical, looks at those elements from the perspective of Japanese university instruction, and poses some questions that CBI program developers might ask before proceeding. Various kinds of…

Describes an undergraduate biochemistry course required to be taken by all students at Beijing Medical University. Provides the outline of the lectures and the specific content areas covered by them. Stresses the need for students to know the biochemical literature and to think scientifically. (TW)

Discusses some of the similarities and differences between the attitudes of Japanese and American citizens toward science. Reports on major discrepancies between the two populations' views about such things as evolution, the development of new plants and animals, and the effect of rocket launchings on the weather. (TW)

This curriculum unit introduces students to the topic of minority identity issues in the context of Japanese society, and it is expected that teachers will use this as an opportunity to segue into classroom discussions of minority issues in their own society. The curriculum unit broaches some sensitive and controversial topics that challenge…

This curriculum outline introduces the components of a Japanese language and culture course which includes a module on understanding Japanese cultural code words. First, the syllabus for the introductory course to Japanese language and culture is presented, highlighting the course objectives, texts, criteria for grading, assignments, and…

This curriculum outline introduces the components of a creative writing course which acquaints students with various forms of Japanese poetry. First, the goals and student objectives of the course are presented, emphasizing the history and different forms of Japanese poetry such as "renga," a kind of challenge poetry which will be used…

Reports on results from 260 aerospace engineers and scientists in United States, Europe, and Japan regarding their opinions about professional importance of technical communications; generation and utilization of technical communications; and relevant content of an undergraduate course in technical communications. The fields of cryogenics,…

The goal of the East Asian Curriculum Project (EACP) of Columbia University is to support education on Asia at the secondary and elementary levels. The project has developed a variety of curriculum resources and collaborated with state and local educators in designing units about Asia for teachers. Each packet contains brief resource lists along…

Focusing on the human element through a cross-cultural comparison of U.S. and Japanese modes of production, this resource guide features an assessment of the major factors that affect productivity performance. Each section contains a goal statement and an overview outline of the featured topics. The text includes primary sources, such as documents…

Reports on the views of 73 secondary school Japanese students toward the United Nations. Finds that most tend to think of the UN as relevant to conflicts. Describes how the hunger issue was used in an English-as-a-Second-Language class to teach about the United Nations. (CFR)

The East Asian Curriculum Project (EACP) of Columbia University is a national project whose goal is to support education on Asia at the secondary and elementary levels. The project has developed a variety of curriculum resources and collaborated with state and local educators in designing units about Asia for teachers. Each packet contains brief…

Discusses growing concern about negative attitudes toward Japan and Japanese people among secondary school and college students. Describes the use of quality control circles to bridge the cultural divide. Reports on the success of the program and argues that teachers have a responsibility to promote cultural understanding and diversity. (CFR)

Presents a method for teaching about cultural landscapes in introductory geography classes by comparing Italian Renaissance gardens with Japanese Zen gardens. Discusses the background and attributes of both garden types. Maintains that, by contrasting the two traditions, it is possible to illustrate cultural landscapes. (CFR)