This publication offers excerpts from the National Courses of Study revised by the Ministry of Education in Japan. The first section discusses curriculum for kindergarten. It states that lessons must be presented at least 39 weeks a year and the standard number of class periods per day should occupy four hours. Content is classified into four…

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…

This paper describes curriculum content in two areas--mathematics and international studies--in the secondary schools of Canada, Japan, West Germany, the USSR, and the United States. Relevant background on teacher preparation and on the structure and organization of secondary schooling in each country is introduced to provide a context for the…

The following is a review of creativity courses and programs offered at universities in Europe, North America, Japan, and China. Creativity courses and programs occur in a variety of disciplines, but are found most frequently in fields such as business; education and psychology; and engineering, science, and technology. This paper provides…

A Japanese university course in English as a Second Language is described. The course focuses on developing students' independent learning skills. It consists of a series of learning modules, each focusing on a particular learning resource available to anyone in Japan. The resources recommended for independent acquisition of different language…

The purpose of this manual is to provide a course development method that deals with all aspects of intercultural communication, not just the linguistic aspect. The first chapter orients the reader to the approach of the manual. Chapters 2 and 3 provide specific steps that guide the developer through all stages of course development. Chapter 4…

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…

Reviews the changes in the Japanese social studies curriculum during the past 40 years. Summarizes the goals for a new curriculum as set forth by the Council for School Curriculum (Japan). Reports reaction to this proposal and points out inadequacies in the suggested scope and implementation of materials. (KO)

Traditional Buddhist education centered solely around the monasteries, since the Buddhist world did not offer educational opportunities apart from its monasteries. All education, religious as well as secular, was controlled by the monks, and involved the initiation ceremony into the Buddhist Order, the education of the monk, the viharus or…

This paper looks at the demographic distribution of campus and distance students of an MA TEFL/TESL course offered by a British University. An examination of the mother tongue of all students between 1994 and 2003 shows that non-native speakers on campus have increased from 60% to 90%. At the same time, native speaker campus students have…

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,…