Theme: Intercultural Communicative Competence and English Language Education in a Globalized World

Dates: From August 29 (Sat) to August 31 (Mon) in 2015

Venue: Kagoshima University, Korimoto Campus

(General Education Buildings No. 1～3, and Student Community Center) *as planned

The objective of the JACET 54th (2015) International Convention lies in highlighting the potent roles and social missions of cross-cultural communicative competence and supportive English language education in a contemporary globalized world.

With the expansion of globalized societies across oceans and boundaries, English has become a more indispensable lingua franca in today’s world, thereby triggering more enthusiastic educational trends and pedagogical reforms aimed at how to teach the English language in a well-balanced manner. Indeed, it is important to consider multiple disciplines and various social circumstances around the world. Noting this new direction, we need to acknowledge that politics- and economy-led geopolitical circumstances are playing a pivotal role in promoting contemporary globalization. While recognizing this reality, we should never underestimate the importance of understanding the core essence of cross-cultural communication.

As history witnesses, understanding cultural gaps requires us to look into far-reaching socio-cultural and sociolinguistic levels, ranging from issues on race, religion, and ideology to the ones related to food, clothing, and music. Another area of interest lies in various communication styles that have been uniquely fostered and cherished in individual ethnic groups and local regions. This implies the necessity of our looking into language education and language learning from a more holistic and wider viewpoint.

Considering English teaching methods and language capability from multi-faceted standpoints has become a major trend around the world. Hence, it would be highly productive to reconsider the issue of how to understand and resolve cultural gaps in a more authentic and focused way as noted above. This is not because of material affluence, but because of coexistence and mutual prosperity among global peoples. This goal must be exemplified by establishing long-lasting human bonds and deeper levels of cross-cultural understanding. With this notion in mind, we are greeting a new era, where English language education and intercultural communicative competence should be implemented and then developed in a well-balanced manner: focusing on expanding global trends, and sustaining centuries-long cross-cultural heritages.

http://www.jacet.org/

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Plenary Speakers:

1. Aug. 29th (Sat.) Claire Kramsch (Prof. of University of California, Berkeley)

Bio: Claire Kramsch is Professor of German and Affiliate Professor of Education at UC Berkeley, USA. She has written extensively on the learning and teaching of foreign languages, language and culture, and multilingualism. She is the coeditor with Ulrike Jessner of The Multilingual Challenge (de Gruyer, in press). She is President of AILA.

[Abstract]

2. Aug. 30th (Sun.) Daniel Perrin (Prof. of Zurich University of Applied Sciences)

Bio: Daniel Perrin is Professor of Media Linguistics, Vice President of AILA, and Editor of the International Journal of Applied Linguistics and the de Gruyter Handbook of Applied Linguistics series. His areas of research are media linguistics, methodology of applied linguistics, text production research, and analysis of language use in professional communication.

www.danielperrin.net

[Abstract]

3. Aug. 31st (Mon.) Celeste Kinginger (Prof. of Pennsylvania State University)

Bio: Celeste Kinginger is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Pennsylvania State University (USA), where she is affiliated with the Center for Language Acquisition and involved in the education of language learners, educators, and researchers. Her research has examined Internet-mediated intercultural learning, second language pragmatics, cross-cultural life writing, and study abroad.

[Abstract]

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Convention Symposium Session  Aug. 30th (Sun.)

Panelist:

Claire Kramsch (Prof. of University of California, Berkeley)

Mae-Ran Park (Prof. of Pukyong National University)

Nobuyuki Honna (Prof. Emeritus of Aoyama-Gakuin University)

Moderator: Hisako Yamauchi (Former Prof. of University of Nagasaki)