Abstract
Japan has a long history of liberal arts education, whose main mission has been to accommodate domestic academic needs by offering various courses solely in the Japanese language. At the turn of the century, however, it saw the advent of a new type of liberal arts education that is characterized by its international focus and small-size seminars. In stark contrast with the traditional type, this new type typically offers university courses in English and teaches both Japanese and international students in the same classroom. This paper explains merits of this type of education from the perspective of developing well-rounded Japanese individuals who can adequately handle cross-cultural communication, fully utilizing practical skills of English that they acquire during the four years of undergraduate studies. Keywords: Critical thinking; English education; Japan; liberal arts education; university education
Highlights
Japanese school education has traditionally been known for its somewhat ineffective English instruction, and how to improve it seems like a perpetual topic for debate among concerned educators
A new type of liberal arts education emerged in Japan at the beginning of the 21st century, and it has come to secure its unique position, among many university choices, as an attractive option for high school students who want to work in the international arena in the future
It is an established fact that Japanese students don't improve their conversational English skills from instruction that they receive at school, which seems to be for the simple reason that they have absolutely no need to use the language outside English classes
Summary
Japanese school education has traditionally been known for its somewhat ineffective English instruction, and how to improve it seems like a perpetual topic for debate among concerned educators. A new type of liberal arts education emerged in Japan at the beginning of the 21st century, and it has come to secure its unique position, among many university choices, as an attractive option for high school students who want to work in the international arena in the future.
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