Professor Mari Noda directed CLS-Japan Institute

Summer 2013
Professor Mari Noda of DEALL directed the CLS-Japan Institute at the Himeji Dokkyo University in Himeji, Japan.

Critical Language Scholarship is a program of the Department of State. OSU received funding to create six intensive language institute, four in China, one in Japan, and one in Korea, and to work with Ohio University to create an institute in Indonesia. Each institute hosted approximately 30 students from across the nation. 

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LS-Himeji hosted 29 students at the intermediate to advanced levels. DEALL lecturer Ai terada was the academic director in charge of the instruction, and DEALL graduate student Stephen Luft was the Resident Director. As the Director of the Japan Institute, Noda worked with Terada and other DEALL personnel to develop the curriculum, create a new set of materials. She worked with the on-site Director, Professor Hiroshi Okuda of Himeji Dokkyo University, to ensure a smooth local administration of the program. During the summer, Noda was in Himeji for the first four weeks of the program, welcoming students, orienting them for the intensive study, working with the local administrative office, visiting the key individuals at the host institution, and sharing the experience with the students.

The institute was highly intensive with activities designed to connect student learning in class and student experience outside of class. In addition to 20 hours of classes each week, students were required to actually use what they practice in the field through a set of specially designed assignments. They also had special lecturers by local experts in different areas, optional cultural activities, visitations, and trips (see some photos and Japanese media coverage). More than half of the participants in the Japan institute demonstrated their progress by being ranked at least one level higher on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview.

OSU is expected to administer the seven CLS-institutes for two more summers. Noda will continue to work on program design and material development for the next summer.