Beloved colleagues, dear students:
For information about my regular teaching in the faculty of sociology please consult the website of the faculty itself.
For information about my past teaching, please go to the archive section.
For information about language teaching, international exchanges and ad hoc assistance, please read on.
- I am available to assist you in preparing papers, theses, and presentations in a number of foreign languages. Just send an email or drop by at the sentanken office. Please be aware that I am not usually available on Monday, Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning.
- If you wish to visit Europe for study, feel free to enquire whether I (or Sentanken) can help you.
- If you cannot make it to a class or appointment, please call the sentanken office (0798-54-6085)!
I am not a native speaker of English and have no formal degree in either English or language teaching. Nevertherless, many Japanese scholars and students claim to have benefited from my teaching and coaching. I will not, and cannot, teach you to speak English like Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth, or Liam Gallagher, but I can help you to speak and write in a way that allows you to present your work to an international audience. Depending on your skills and needs, I tend to emphasize the following:
Speaking:
- Syllables. Just like Japanese words, English words are made up of syllables (日本語：貰) . If you have learned English through katakana, identifying them correctly is likely to be your main weak point. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to correct. We use primarily modern pop music as practice material.
- Projection and volume. If your English is not very good, or your audience's English is not very good, it is important that you speak loudly, slowly, and towards your audience. This is intimidating, but you can practice in class to gain confidence. As compensation, you can enjoy laughing at my pathetic Japanese.
- Planning and preparation. International meetings and conferences usually allow less time for presentations than is common in Japan. Together, we can slim your presentation down to something you can confidently present.
Writing:
- Time permitting, I can correct your (short) English papers, provided that you show up in person and pretend to learn something from it. If all you need is correction, please consult one of the many companies that provide such services for a fee.
- If you want to learn to write English from scratch, please send me an email and join the (new) writing group.
- If you decide to write your MA or PhD thesis in English, please let me and your supervisor know as early as possible.