ABSTRACT
While learning a language in the context of culture and society is essential, Japanese textbooks tend to present an essentialized view of Japanese language and culture as a homogeneous, hierarchical, and gendered society that is embedded in language use. Such descriptions are influenced by a nihonjinron discourse (theories about what it means to be Japanese). However, the actual language practices are much more nuanced and complex. This chapter discusses how language issues in Japanese society are critically examined in an introductory-level sociocultural linguistic course at a liberal arts college. The course explores the writing system, loanwords, pronoun systems, regional dialects, and gender differences through activities that promote active and collaborative learning, and culminates in a final project. To facilitate critical thinking, reading materials are carefully selected to illustrate the differences among grammatical rules (i.e., conventions), actual language practices, and language ideologies. After describing the contextualization of this course, followed by the outline of the course, the chapter illustrates class activities that incorporate the use of the Japanese language in the unit on the pronoun systems. The chapter also provides the instruction and grading criteria for the final project in detail.
