Japanese Area program offers COIL projects in the upper-level language courses and the culture courses to collaborate with students at Nanzan University and Nagoya University of Foreign Studies in Japan.
COIL stands for Collaborative Online International Learning and students can experience language and cultural exchange without traveling to Japan. All COIL projects are with Nanzan University unless it is indicated.
Past COIL courses include
Fall 2024
- JPNS301 – Academic COIL = Create a presentation video of your topic choice that is chosen among the following topics in the U.S. and Japanese contexts: 1) Diversity, 2) Language and communication, 3) Gender roles, 4) Work culture, 5) Educational systems, and 6) Microaggressions. The 6-8 minute video should reflect your experiences and opinions about the topic.
- JPNS309 – Project-based Learning COIL (PBL-COIL) = Create a presentation video to suggest a trading plan for JETRO Nagoya. Choose a food item to trade from Japan to the U.S. market. Students survey the U.S. market for the product’s needs and prospective target groups. Consider the following points; 1) Survey results, 2) Transportation, 3) Branding story, 4) Contribution to the target group, 5) Contribution to Japan, and 6) Remaining challenges.
- MLL317 – Basic COIL = Watch a short clip of Japanese films and share and exchange your responses to the questions given in your group. Meet once a week for six weeks. Record the meeting and submit a note of what you discussed for each meeting.
Spring 2024
- MLL333 – Create a presentation video of your topic choice that is chosen among the following topics in the U.S. and Japanese contexts; 1) Discuss differences in food cultures between Japan and the U.S. considering your own background, 2) Discuss differences in food promotion (food related commercials) between Japan and the U.S. considering your own background, 3) Discuss regional differences in Japanese/American food culture considering your own background, and 4) Discuss differences in meaning between food-related expressions in English and Japanese. Produce a 6-8 minute group video including slides.
Fall 2023
- JPNS 301 with Nagoya University of Foreign Studies – Create a presentation video of your topic choice that is chosen among the following topics in the U.S. and Japanese contexts;
Choose one of the following topics. In your video you will need to discuss common perceptions related to your chosen topic in the U.S. and Japanese contexts: 1) Food culture, 2) Language and communication, 3) Gender, 4) Social norms, and 5) Educational system. Then identify, investigate, and bust two myths (something that is commonly thought to be true but is not actually true) – one for each country. Create an 8-10 minute group video including slides. - JPNS 309 – Project Based Learning COIL (PBL COIL) – Create a presentation video to suggest a new product/service related to SDGs that Brother, a Japanese company, can develop for the future considering their existing products/services and their business policy.
- MLL 316 – Create an 8-10 minute video about the following topic. Based on your experiences, explain one of the following situations, and include a few scholarly articles to support your claim; 1) Explain what you need to pay attention to when communicating with those who have different cultural backgrounds, 2) Explain similarities and differences between English and Japanese including cultural background by giving a few examples and the reasons, and 3) Explain similarities and differences between English conversation and Japanese conversation in a specific situation by creating conversation in both languages. Share each of your individual stories related to the topic. and include the reason(s) why you choose the topic.
Spring 2023
- JPNS 302 with Yokohama City University – Create a presentation video of an analysis of Japanese culture that people consider in the U.S. and American culture that people consider in Japan to be accurate.
- MLL327 – Create a presentation video of your choice of cultural point in the U.S. and in Japan.
Fall 2022
- JPNS 301 with Nagoya University of Foreign Studies – Create a presentation video of your topic choice that is chosen among the following topics in the U.S. and Japanese contexts; 1) Food culture, 2) Language and communication, 3) Gender, 4) Individuality, and 5) Educational system. Then identify, investigate, and bust a myth/myth (something that is commonly thought to be true but is not actually true) in each country. The main focus of the video should be on your own experiences and opinions related to the topic.
- JPNS 309 – Project Based Learning (PBL COIL): Create a presentation video to suggest a new product/service related to SDGs for brother, a Japanese company, can develop for the future considering their existing products/services and their business policy.
- MLL 317 – Created a presentation video of your cultural topic choice after choosing a section for two films (one from America and the other from Japan) that depicted the other culture. Analyze whether the description is accurate or not. Explain what role the cultural point plays in the film.
Spring 2022
- JPNS 302 with Nanzan University and Aichi Gakuin University – Created a presentation video about the social issue(s) surfaced by COVID-19 in Japan and in the U.S.
- MLL 333 – Created a presentation video about Japanese Food Culture.
Fall 2021
- JPNS 301 with Nagoya University of Foreign Studies – Created a presentation video after choosing one topic from 1) What is diversity and how does it manifest in your society? 2) What is discrimination and how does it manifest in your society? and 3) What are stereotypes and what stereotypes are evident in your society?
- JPNS 309 – Project Based Learning (PBL COIL): Created two trip plans for the Summer Anime course at Nanzan University. This project is consulted by the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB), Central Japan Tourism Association, and Koseikan.
- MLL 316 – Created a presentation video about similarities/differences of how two English articles about the same topic were reported in two newspapers; one is published in Japan and the other in the U.S.
Spring 2021
- JPNS 302 – Created a presentation video about an environmental issue in Japan/U.S. by comparing how each country is handling the issue
Fall 2020
- JPNS 301 – Created a presentation video after choosing one topic from 1) What is diversity and how does it manifest in your society? 2) What is discrimination and how does it manifest in your society? and 3) What are stereotypes and what stereotypes are evident in your society?
- MLL 317 – Created a presentation video about How characters communicate in Japanese and American films. What are the similarities/differences and why do those exist?
Spring 2020
- JPNS 302 – Created a presentation video after choosing one topic from 1) How has the Japanese government been handling COVID-19, the process and rationale of the government’s policy, and comparison to the American system, 2) How should the governments handle the social issues caused by COVID-19?
Fall 2019
- MLL 316 – Wrote a summary of the reasons for similarities/differences between two English articles on one topic (one article is published in Japan while the other is in the U.S.)
Spring 2019
- JPNS 302 – Exchanged feedback to small group presentations that the partner’s institution created in their foreign languages