Limitations and possibilities of the digital archive from the viewpoint of the Japanese language education field Our efforts toward Japan’s 2011 disaster and future possibilities Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies ( IUC ) Ari Sato
Feb 13, 2016
Limitations and possibilities of the digital archive from the viewpoint of the Japanese language education field
Our efforts toward Japan’s 2011 disaster and future
possibilities
Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies ( IUC ) Ari Sato
Outline of presentation
The significance and viewpoint behind our treatment of 3.11 at IUC
The approach to 3.11 at IUCLimitations and possibilities from the
viewpoint of IUC students and teachers
The significance and viewpoint behind our treatment of 3.11 at IUC
What is IUC ?→An organization to nurture Japanese specialists and businesspeopleAdvanced intensive Japanese language education for 10 monthsWhy do we deal with 3.11?→It was an unprecedented disaster and its influence cannot be ignored by Japanese researchers
The viewpoint on 3.11 at IUC
We want to grasp 3.11 using not only mainstream media but also from diverse viewpoints
Similarities between the digital archive and IUC’s approach to 3.11
The approach to 3.11 at IUC
1. Materials currently in production2. Materials used as texts in the past
Materials currently in production
Online materials for future use, including by high school studentsFirst section: factual articlesSecond section: ① entire newspaper from the day after 3.11 ② materials organized by topicThird section: influence on specific fields
First section: factual articles
Use of photos and articles from newspapersTopics: 「地震と津波」「原発事故」「救援活動」「帰宅難民」「海外の反応」
Second section: entire newspaper from the day after ①3.11
Click on a section to see an explanation
Second section: materials organized by topic②
Topics: 「漫画」「奇跡の一本松」 「うわさ・デマ」「瓦礫処理」
Third section: influence on specific fields
Course name: Elective course A ( 政治・経済 )When: Elective courses in second half of
programHow: Reading and discussion
Materials used as texts in the past ①
Topics: 「地震と津波」「原発事故」「救援活動」「帰宅難民」「海外の反応」
・ Course name: Applied Japanese Skills I (newspaper and news)・ When: Toward beginning of 10-month program, used by all students・ How: Articles used in “First section: factual articles” News from the time when the earthquake happened
Materials used as texts in the past ②
Course name: Applied Japanese Skills Ⅲ ( ビジネス・社会 ) When: Elective courses in second half of program How: After learning about founders of various companies, study
how companies reacted to 3.11 Each student chooses one company president to present
Materials used as texts in the past ②
Student G’ s presentation
Materials used as texts in the past ②
Student G’s presentation
Materials used as texts in the past ③
Course name: Applied Japanese Skills Ⅲ ( 大衆文化 )When: Elective courses in second half of programHow: After studying consumerism and commercials,
study post-3.11 public service announcements
Materials used as texts in the past ④
Course name: Elective course A ( 文化人類学 )When: Elective courses in second half of
programHow: Reading and discussion
Limitations and possibilities from the viewpoint of IUC students and teachers
Student A’s comments about the archive Limitations ・ Social media users do not represent all of society ・ People in some Asian nations do not have same access ・ Dominant narrative may emerge based on included sources ・ Large volume of Twitter posts need to be organized in a
rational mannerPossibilities ・ More human-focused study of disasters ・ Guard against fallible human memory ・ How new technologies change how history is written ・ Contrast narratives from during and after events ・ Compare with other events around the world
Limitations and possibilities from the viewpoint of IUC students and teachers
Teachers’ comments about the archiveLimitations ・ At present, the site is somewhat hard to use ・ Difficult to locate desired information
Limitations and possibilities from the viewpoint of IUC students and teachers
Difficult to search for materials that are easily comprehensible from an educational viewpoint
Limitations and possibilities from the viewpoint of IUC students and teachers
Teachers’ comments about the archiveLimitations ・At present, the site is somewhat hard to use ・Difficult to locate desired information ・Students without background cannot use it well ・Need to nurture their awareness of the disaster
Most students lack the necessary background, and even when they have one, they cannot search the archive effectively
Limitations and possibilities from the viewpoint of IUC students and teachers
Teachers’ comments about the archivePossibilities How can it collaborate with present activities at IUC ?
Key points are “search” and “link”?
Possibilities and suggestions
Search: ・ Add more images and video e.g. : Kirin Beer Factory, evacuees, broadcast PSAs
・ Search Twitter posts by keyword e.g. : “ comments about PSA”
• Link: ・ Link to online materials created by IUC
• Suggestion: Explain how the archive can be used clearly on the site, including examples such as “Collections”, etc.
Special thanks:
IUC teachers & studentsMichael AbeleKristi GovellaLisa Onaga (Teach3.11)Kazumi Hatasa (Project to add subtitles to "Kyo-o mamoru")William Dunbar
Lake Inawashiro
Thank you for your attention