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The Internet tutorial is designed in a series of modules, which you can move through at your own pace. |
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Each section of this site builds on the information presented before it. The last section won’t make sense unless you have already grasped the “basics” presented in parts 1 and 2. It is very important that you move through this site in sequence, although you can retrace your steps back through the site as much as you like. |
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This site is too large to finish in a single sitting. While we estimate that Part 1 takes approximately an hour, Parts 2 and 3 take longer, and they are open-ended because the learning is situated. There are many threads you can draw between the pages and cases of the tutorial, and you are the meaning builder in this site. You can (and should) spend time on this tutorial, so please plan accordingly. |
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The tutorial can be used either independently by students, or as a part of a classroom teaching curriculum, for a variety of different audiences. Potential Users Include:
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Students abroad (or those working abroad) in Japan, before, during, and/or after their stay abroad. |
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Japanese language teachers, either in Japan or abroad. The tutorial provides students with a lived cultural context for language use. |
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Teachers of Japanese culture and society (especially at university or high school levels, and including those in study-abroad programs in Japan). |
About the Creators: The tutorial was created by a core group of people with extensive experience in Japan. The members also shared perspectives on cultural learning as interactive.
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The producer and content creator is Jane Bachnik, Ph.D., an anthropologist who has lived, worked, and taught in Japan for 15 years, and who began her experience there on a longterm homestay. She also taught for 16 years in U.S. universities, and published books and articles on a variety of subjects including family, self, intercultural communication, and teaching on the Internet. She is a Professor at the National Institute of Multimedia Education in Japan. |
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The web designer, Thomas O'Connor, is a performer, performance teacher and long-term student of Japanese culture. O'Connor applied his skills in composition, and his experience navigating cultural minefields in Japan, to the design of this site. |
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The content consultant, Barbara Ito, Ph.D., is an anthropologist who taught at U.S. universities for eight years. Her professional interests include the Japanese family, women entrepreneurs in Japan, and intercultural communication.She has lived, taught, and done research in Japan for 16 years in Shikoku, where she resides permanently with her Japanese husband, son, and Japanese in-laws. |
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Navigating the tutorial:
A number of aids exist to help you navigate through the site. All of the navigation aids are on the frame illustrated below, which will be available after this page.
Now please proceed through the following, which will take you to the start of the tutorial. |
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