2012 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 3-16
Recently, the remarkable increase in the number of international students at Japanese universities has drawn attention to the need to create a supportive environment for them. This paper discusses situations and issues faced by the Japanese language department with regard to the experience of first-year international students. It focuses on Global 30 (G30) students who utilize English for their major subjects. Although their core studies are in English, these students still need opportunities for using Japanese in order to forge relationships with Japanese people. Other non-G3O foreign students also show the same need. However, this paper finds that G30 students are a special case because they study in English even though they live in Japan. This paper points to the need for cooperation among international student organizations both on and off the campus to provide special support for these students. It also describes how the Japanese language department can be helpful in this effort.
