Teaching Japanese Language in Tertiary and Secondary Education: State and Private Institutions in Romania

Abstract

In Romania, Japanese language, literature and culture are taught at university level in two private universities and two state universities. Japanese departments are part of either a Faculty of Letters or a Faculty of Languages and Literatures. Students have to choose another language to study, in addition to Japanese. This gives them a dual major / dual specialization. A large number of graduates decide on pursuing a teaching career in one of their specializations. My paper looks at the way in which university provides an educational background for teachers at lower and upper education. It also looks into the way it shapes secondary education through its curriculum. This refers to compulsory education in an integrated national system of education. But, in the last ten years, this perspective has broadened. Language schools, which are not part of this integrated system, have appeared. Some of them teach exclusively Japanese language and Japanese culture classes. In the beginning, the students were mainly adults, age 18+ but in the last several years, more children have started to be interested in attending classes in these language schools. My paper also discusses this new perspective. A questionnaire and its results will also be presented on this topic. It will show not only the increasing number of young learners but also, their very young age, which goes as far as primary school. This tendency, in studying Japanese as a foreign language, could provide a preview into its development at the secondary level.