Organizer and Chair: Mutsuko Endo Hudson, Michigan State University
Discussants: Keiko Chevray, Columbia University; Kimiko Kabutomori, Japan
Foundation Language Center; Ruth A. Kanagy, University of Oregon; Mari Noda,
Ohio State University; Nobuo Ogawa, Middlebury College; Robert A. Russell,
Brigham Young University
The recent burst of the economic bubble in Japan seems to have had a ripple effect on Japanese language programs at colleges in the United States in terms of enrollment figures, attrition rate, the size and content of study-in-Japan programs, and fund raising, among others. This round table panel addresses such issues affecting the programs at present and explores solutions for the future.
Enrollment in Japanese language courses at colleges in the U.S. doubled in just five years between 1986 to 1991. In the last couple of years, however, the upward trend seems to have subsided, and many schools are experiencing a plateau or a downward turn, and at some schools the attrition rate is climbing. Furthermore, the recent weakening of the dollar against the yen has made it more difficult than ever for American students to participate in a year-in-Japan program, thereby forcing us to devise more economically feasible programs. The economic depression has also made it harder for programs to obtain grants from Japanese foundations and companies for projects such as material development, workshops, and conferences.
The participants on the round table represent a diverse group of people; from private colleges (Brigham Young, Columbia, Middlebury), state colleges (Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon) and a foundation (Japan Foundation Language Center), and from the east and west coasts and the Midwest. They will present facts and figures and discuss ideas from various points of views, to be shared with the audience.