Understanding the Hopes of the Ainu in Japan
May Term 2015
Application Deadline: October 15, 2014
Dates: May 13 – June 3, 2015
Program Description
This is a three-week experiential learning course in which we will learn the culture, traditions, and
language of the Ainu (an indigenous people of Japan). We will meet with various people who
have been involved in the ethnic movement of the Ainu in Tokyo and Hokkaido to understand the
history of the Ainu, their culture and traditions that have been carried on, their present condition,
and their hopes for the future. In addition to course-related activities such as journaling, research,
and lectures, we will visit museums, learn some Ainu language, and participate in hands-on
activities to experience Ainu arts-and-crafts and musical instruments. We will also have
opportunities to converse with groups of young Ainu descendants.
Faculty
Akiko Kakutani, professor of Japanese and Linguistics has led several off-campus programs in
Japan. Her research interest is the relationship between language, culture and society. Her latest
project was to travel to the northeast in Japan and follow in the footsteps of poet Matsuo Basho's
Narrow Road to the Deep North. Observing social/cultural and language variations and changes,
she kept a travel journal and composed haiku which were accompanied by watercolors sketched by
her husband.
Yasumi Kuriya, Associate Professor of Japanese, has led several off-campus programs such as SICE
and Japan May Term. She teaches Japanese language and foreign language pedagogy among other
topics. Her research interest is language acquisition. Her current interest has been the
revitalization of the Ainu language and culture. She spent the spring (her sabbatical) and summer
of 2013 to study the Ainu and the Maori in New Zealand to prepare for this May Term.
Location
Many descendants of the Ainu people still live in Hokkaido, northern Japan, and the Tokyo area,
and have worked for the revitalization of their culture and language with support from the Japanese
and Hokkaido governments. There are now many to support the revitalization. More young
descendants have come to be aware of the importance of the movement. The program will be
based primarily in four locations Akan, Nibutani, Sapporo, and Shiraoi) in Hokkaido where there
are museums, research archives, and governmental culture centers offering cultural and traditional
activities and Ainu language classes. We will also be in Tokyo where more than 2,500 people
identify themselves as Ainu descendants, and many participate in the ethnic movement to appeal
against ethnic discrimination and work to have better living conditions outside Hokkaido.
Course: JAPN399, 3 credits
Can the Ainu culture, traditions and language survive, and can be revitalized? What are the hopes
that the Ainu people have for their future? What is it like to live as the Ainu in this modern Japanese
society? Through this trip, we will seek to gain clearer visions of their hopes for the future by being
physically at those sites, and interact with the people who have been involved in Ainu studies and
revitalization. This course is based on experiential learning.
1. Participating in all orientation meetings on campus and activities in Japan (10%)
2. Reading assignments (15%)
3. Academic journal or photo journal (20%)
4. Projects on local sites in Hokkaido: qualitative or quantitative; ethnographic survey; individual or
group projects with written reports (40%)
5. Oral presentations of projects (15%)
This course has no prerequisites, but it is advisable to have some knowledge of Japanese language.
Participants must be capable of being independent and respectful to others and diverse culture, and
of working with others in harmony.
Living Arrangements
The group will be housed in the Tokyo Central Youth Hostel in Tokyo during the first three days
and the last three days of the program. In Sapporo we will stay in a business hotel near the
Sapporo Station where we will walk or take subways to Hokkaido University, Sapporo University,
and the Ainu Cultural Center for lectures, activities, and interaction with students who are studying
the Ainu culture and traditions. In other places we will stay in small hotels and walk to the
facilities where we will learn their traditions and participate in hands-on activities. The Program
will cover all expenses for food, housing, and travel in Japan.
Orientation
There will be 4 required orientation sessions during spring semester 2015. These sessions will
cover logistics, give you background information on the course topic and on the Ainu through
videos, readings and discussion, and get you launched on your research project.
Charges
The course fee for this May Term is $3,425.00, which covers all room and board, travel in Japan,
museum and cultural visits, international student ID cards, and all costs associated with the course.
You are responsible for air travel to Tokyo, Japan and for additional expenses such as passport,
personal expenses or books. You will also be charged a non-refundable enrollment fee of $385.00.
Earlham tuition fees apply if applicable.
Applications
Applications are available in the International Programs Office in LBC 131 and online at
https://wildmanscience.wufoo.com/forms/ipo-may-term-application. The deadline is October 15,
2014. Students will be interviewed individually as part of the application process.
Further Information
Contact Akiko Kakutani (akikok@earlham.edu), x 1336, CH233) or Yasumi Kuriya
(kuriyya@earlham.edu,) x1409, CH236)
May Term Policies:
http://earlham.edu/academics/off-campus-study/program-policies/for-may-terms/
Program Plans Subject to Change