Charles University
KAWASHIMA Makiko

The Japan Foundation (hereinafter “JF”) began dispatching Japanese-Language Specialists (hereinafter “Specialists”) to Charles University in the Czech Republic in 1991; it’s been nearly 28 years since then.

During this time, there have been various historical events that have impacted students’ education, including the separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia due to the Velvet Revolution, the Czech Republic becoming a member of the EU, and the reformation of education through the Bologna Declaration. At the moment, the duties of Specialists like myself are broadly split into three categories. First, in this report I want to introduce the support we give to Japanese-language education in Charles University, which is our most important duty.

Exploring Sustainable Activities

When it comes to Japanese-language education in Charles University, the Czech teachers mainly explain grammar and vocabulary in Czech, and it is my responsibility to improve students’ operative and creative abilities in Japanese through conversation and composition. It is thanks to cooperation between the teaching team at Charles University and past Specialists that the development of students’ capabilities has been streamlined through this collaboration.

In the middle of a test walking tour

Students do not only study the Japanese language in the Japanese Studies; social studies, Japanese thought, and linguistics are also included in students’ learning, as well as Japanese history and literature. As these are specialized subjects, lectures are given in Czech by Czech teachers.

Charles University’s Department of Philosophy does not have a campus; its buildings are spread out within the city according to their specialty. The building where I work is located in a tourist area, so if I take one step outside the premises, I get caught up in a wave of tourists. Looking at this environment, I remembered a Specialist who once shared students’ learning outcomes outside the University. The Specialist set up a blog, and introduced Czech culture in Japanese. However, unfortunately, this blog was last updated in 2016, and apparently doesn't really function anymore.

This semester, the master’s program students have turned their attention to creating walking tours for Japanese tourists. They are trying to convey the charms of Prague that are not written in any guidebooks, including places that they themselves value and places that are well known to the people of the Czech Republic but haven’t really been introduced to Japan. The students and I are just about to test the walking tours that each member of the class has created; I think from my perspective as a Japanese tourist that it would be great if the completion of this activity could help to resurrect that blog.

A Desire to Update Our Activities

As I stated above, Specialists have been dispatched to the Czech Republic for 28 years. However, because the Specialist personnel change places semi-regularly, it’s unexpectedly difficult to continue their activities. On the other hand, we do need flexibility and ingenuity that corresponds to the passage of time.

The interior of the oldest building of
Charles University (the Carolinum)

At Charles University, we hold an exchange meeting with the Japanese School in Prague once a year. A Japanese School is a full-time school that offers an education equivalent to the education received in Japan, and there is an elementary and junior high school in the Czech Republic.

This exchange meeting was the first big activity since I took up my post at Charles University in October 2018, so I was in high spirits. In fact, the goal was for the students of Charles University to learn the use of honorific language (keigo) through interactions with members of the PTA for the exchange meeting, but I realized that I had changed that because I took the lead. As this was part of their Japanese-language education, I should have just worked behind the scenes when giving guidance.

Hypothetically, if I said that we’re cancelling the exchange meeting next year, the meeting would likely simply cease to be, because to the students, their teacher just forced them into it. I sincerely apologize to the students of the Japanese school, who look forward to it. I have reflected carefully on my actions. And so, next time, I will make sure the students are with me from the very first preliminary discussion so they can act with autonomy. I understand that the true charm of this activity lies in the fact that this is a forum in which they can put their everyday Japanese-language learning into practice, and so can actively participate and accomplish something. Even if they will study in Japan after this, there are challenges available for them here and now in Prague. This kind of diverse experience doesn't just help the students maintain their motivation for learning. I think it is highly meaningful to update the activities of past Specialists. Something that continues for a long time without interruption is the very definition of “sustained,” but it’s actually meaningless to just continue doing the same thing; we must adapt to change as we pass down activities. In order to make this possible, I want to learn and grow with the students as I enjoy each day.