Diversity & Inclusion: Challenges and Practices in College English Education

Abstract

English education in “Society 5.0” requires not only teaching language, but also fostering students who, as their own problems, seriously face complex social challenges of the new era. This paper proposes practical methods of English education to raise students’ awareness of Diversity & Inclusion and SDGs. We did a questionnaire survey on “English and society” among university students at five universities and a junior college, and saw that there was a relation between students’ attitude toward Diversity & Inclusion and their willingness to learn English. This paper also discusses, as examples of complex and changing situations of English, positive and negative roles of English in multi-lingual India and spread of automatic English translation in English classes in Japan. We conclude we need “inclusive college English education” in classes.