Mari Yamauchi Seminar (Intercultural Communication and Language Learning)

Compared to communicating with like-minded friends, communicating with people you don't know well or with whom you have some difficulty is not easy, but it can be stimulating and provide an opportunity to discover new perspectives. By observing the differences in values and common sense at various levels, such as between Japan and other countries, between regions within Japan, and between generations, students learn about the mechanisms by which communication with people who have different values and common sense can lead to situations where "you can't communicate even if you understand the language" or "you can communicate even if the language is insufficient." We want students to become interested in different values and new perspectives, to have the flexibility to not be bound by preconceptions, and to develop the attitude of trying to communicate using the means available to them.

In Research I and Research II (especially the first half), we will build a solid foundation of language skills that support intercultural communication, an attitude of trying to understand others, and the ability to express oneself in a way that makes others understand oneself. The goal is to improve one's language skills, communication skills, research skills, and presentation skills through practical exercises, and from 2023, the goal of acquiring the ability to "communicate" with ChatGPT has been added. Another feature is that online tools are actively used for various purposes, such as English training, information sharing and dissemination, and checking reports and English presentations. Although the English abilities of seminar students vary, students who are good at communication, students who are good at IT, and students with leadership skills will work together and grow by making use of their respective strengths. We also plan to resume overseas intercultural exchanges (seminar trips) that were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome people who are highly motivated to participate in intercultural exchanges, including personal use of iSquare and overseas training.

"I want to be someone who can speak English." I had this dream since I was in junior high school, and I wanted to join a seminar related to English. I didn't know about Professor Yamauchi, but a senior in my club introduced me to him, so I went to meet him right away. Even though it was our first meeting, I was curious and thought, "You and I are similar!", so I immediately decided to join Yamauchi's seminar. The only thing the seminar students have in common is that we are all students at the University of Commerce, so we are all very different and unique. However, we were able to get along quickly because we were all interested in the theme of the seminar, "intercultural communication." Another feature of the professor is his sense of speed and empirical nature, which is always a good thing that I joined. During my time abroad, I was able to make friends with many international students by using what I learned in the seminar, "proactively speak to others."

Department Department of Economics Yuta Daikuhara
I decided to join this seminar because I wanted to learn as much as possible of the professor's lively and energetic attitude as I did in my first year of university. The seminar provides opportunities to use English on a daily basis, so it encourages those who want to interact with foreigners but are hesitant to do so. In addition to learning a foreign language, the communication techniques we learn from the professor are all very interesting. We were especially blessed with the opportunity to put them into practice during the seminar trip. I would like to work hard to be able to speak more English before my next trip abroad.