OSAKA UNIVERSITY SHORT-TERM STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM _

02f-02
THE CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN JAPANESE EDUCATION

Yoko NORITA (Faculty of Human Sciences)

Objective
The course is designed to give students an understanding of the current issues in Japanese Education, and ranges from higher education to the secondary and elementary levels. It will begin with an introduction to the Japanese education system and move on to consider issues at the forefront, such as: what problems schools are facing and trying to solve; and what assumptions they make about how schools, teaching and learning work. Topics to be addressed in this module include current - and sometimes controversial - issues such as: the entrance examination system; learning English as a second language; computer literacy; the decline in scholastic ability, in particular in math and science; and changes in school culture at all levels. Students will have an opportunity to make presentations about educational situations in their own countries.

Lecture Outline
A detailed syllabus will be distributed at the first lecture.

Grading
Evaluation will be based on participation in section (50%), and a final project (50%).