BEYOND UNIT THINKING
Kimiko Suzuki
M.A. in Japanese
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Haverford College
Lecturer of Japanese
Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
I have previously taught Japanese at University of Notre Dame and Pennsylvania State University. The goal of the courses I teach is not only to enhance students’ understanding of standardized cultural norms in Japan, but also to provide students with a deeper awareness of how cultural norms and nationalistic views are socially constructed by existing powers in any cultural setting.
My research interests include language pedagogy and curriculum development. My publications include “On the goals of language education and teacher diversity: Beliefs and experiences of Japanese-language educators in North America” (2020) with Junko Mori, Atsushi Hasegawa, and Jisuk Park in the journal, Japanese Language and Literature.
I am collaborating with Neriko Musha Doerr and Jisuk Park on a project called Beyond Unit Thinking, in an attempt to challenge the prevalent unit thinking by suggesting concrete ways to overcome it.
Professional Organization Membership
American Association of Teachers of Japanese
Canadian Association for Japanese Language Education
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Is Edo Culture “Seiketsu (Pure/Unpolluted)”?: Integrating “Beyond Standardization and Beyond Unit Thinking” Framework into Classroom ActivitiesPresentation at the Annual Conference of Canadian Association of Japanese Language Education, August, 2023.
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Classroom Activity to Discuss the Boundary of Kanji's Correctness: Integrating “Beyond Standardization and Beyond Unit Thinking” Framework into Curriculum Presentation at the American Association of Teachers of Japanese Annual Spring Conference, March 2023.
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The Concept of "Global" in Foreign Language EducationPresentation at the Annual Conference of Canadian Association of Japanese Language Education, August, 2022.