BEYOND UNIT THINKING
Jisuk Park
M.A. in Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy
University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Toronto
Assistant Professor
Teaching Stream
Department of East Asian Studies
Prior to joining the University of Toronto, I taught Japanese language courses for all levels at Columbia University in New York (2002-2019). In the summer I also taught at Princeton University’s Ishikawa Summer Intensive Program as well as Hokkaido International Foundation.
I am an executive board member of the Canadian Association for Japanese Language Education.
My research interests include language pedagogy, project-based learning, curriculum design, and the application of the Social Networking Approach to foreign language education, as well as assisting students with learning difficulties in recent studies.
Nikkei Spotlight Series “They Don’t Use Our Language Right”: Examining the Impact of “Standard” through the Lens of “Beyond Unit Thinking”
Video Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slV2vM1IHFk Why do people often assume the language you speak by your appearance? Why do some of the language assessments often focus on “accuracy” over effective communication? This talk will challenge the assumption behind these occurrences that “Japan” and “Japanese language” are both homogeneous and overlapping. The talk will thus shed light on the effects of the language standardization, nation-state ideology, and native speakerism. The presentation further analyzes them critically as results of "unit thinking" ― the problematic perception of the world as consisting of discrete, bounded units instead of fluid spectrum (Doerr 2022) and explores ways to overcome such unit thinking.
Tohsaku, Yasu-Hiko, Fumiko Nazikian, and Jisuk Park, eds. Social Networking Approach to Japanese Language Teaching : the Intersection of Language and Culture in the Digital Age, London ; Routledge, 2021. https://www.routledge.com/Social-Networking-Approach-to-Japanese-Language-Teaching-The-Intersection/Tohsaku-Nazikian-Park/p/book/9780367430733
Publication
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"Imagining an Alternative: ‘What If?’ Project: Novice to Intermediate Level" (Routledge : 2021)
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Social Networking Approach to Japanese Language Teaching: The Intersection of Language and Culture in the Digital Age (Routledge : 2021)
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“On Goals of Language Education and Teacher Diversity Beliefs and Experiences of Japanese-Language Educators in North America” (American Association of Teachers of Japanese : 2020)
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“How to Develop ‘21st Century Skills’ in Foreign Language Education” (American Association of Teachers of Japanese : 2016)
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Hiyaku: An Intermediate Japanese Course (Routledge : 2011)
Grants and Awards
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2019 Faculty Distinction Award of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University
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2018 Faculty Distinction Award of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University
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National Research Centers/Foreign Language and Area Studies Grant with F. Nazikian for “Working at the Intersection of Language and Culture in the Digital Age: Social Network Approaches (SNA) to the Pedagogy of Language Teaching,” 2018
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Consortium Workshop Award 2017-2018 with F. Nazikian for “Working at the Intersection of Language and Culture in the Digital Age: Social Network Approaches (SNA) to the Pedagogy of Language Teaching”
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National Research Centers Grant 2017-2018 with S. Eguchi for the development of fourth year Japanese course materials
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Language Resource Center Funds from Arts & Sciences at Columbia University, 2011-12 with F. Nazikian for “Global Issue Project”
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Shirato Fund from the Donald Keene Center and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University, 2008 with S. Eguchi, F. Nazikian, M. Nittono, K. Okamoto for the project to create Hiyaku: An Intermediate Japanese Course
Invited Talk The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning Workshop Social Networking Approach, Second Year Japanese Project, "Imagining an Alternative: What if?" Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc1CeDrtO2Q This presentation is part of a workshop exploring the application of SNA (Social Networking Approach) in language classrooms and focusing on examining the intercultural components with which students engage global issues.