Highlights of the Conference
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kazumi Hatasa
The Keynote Speaker for SEATJ 2008 is Dr. Kazumi Hatasa, co-author
of Nakama, Professor of Japanese at Purdue, and Director of the Japanese
School at Middlebury College (during summer). Besides co-authoring the world-renowned
Japanese textbook Nakama with Yukiko A. Hatasa and Seiichi Makino,
Dr. Hatasa is known for his work in Instructional Technology. As Director of
the Center for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning at Purdue, and Instructor
of Computer-Literacy for Japanese Language Instructors at Columbia University
in 1997, he is sought out for his expertise in Computer Assisted Language Learning.
Dr Hatasa's software publications include such well-known titles as “Ultimate
Kana Challenge,” “Friends of NAKAMA,” “Learner's Conversion
Dictionaries for Japanese IME (Win & Mac), ” “Kanji Invader
for NAKAMA 1 and NAKAMA 2,” “AV Resource Database for Japanese Language
Instruction,” and his latest “Let’s Practice Japanese –
Nakama Version” (March 2007).
Dr. Hatasa's Keynote Speech for SEATJ 2008 will be in Japanese.
Visit Professor Hatasa's Home Page HERE.
Lunchtime
Entertainment
United States Yoseikan Budo - UA Club
Yoseikan Budo was founded by Minoru Mochizuki (1907-2003), in Japan
in 1931 and encompasses a variety of traditional Japanese martial arts. Master
Mochizuki's style as it exists in the United States emphasizes jujutsu, Aikido
and sword work. When Hiro Mochizuki took over Yoseikan Budo upon the
elder's passing, the style changed slightly to emphasize more boxing, karate,
and competition with empty hands and padded weapons. The University of Alabama
Yoseikan Budo Club has kept the old style and added the new, creating a complete,
comprehensive martial art that is both physically demanding and fun. Members
of the UA Yoseikan Club will demonstrate aspects of the elder and younger Mochizuki's
curriculum. The UA members have sudied many years with three generations of
masters Mochizuki, have travelled and studied in Japan, Canada and France, and
keep a close relationship with Hiro Mochizuki and his son Michi who now run
the International honbu from France.
Nozomi Daiko Japanese Drumming
The taiko group Nozomi Daiko was formed in December of 2002 thanks
to grants from the Japan Foundation, JVC, the city of Narashino, the Japan-America
Society of Alabama, and the UA Capstone International Program which enabled
UA to purchase 7 Japanese taiko drums. Marco Lienhard, formerly of Ondekoza,
taught a workshop to start the group off playing the right way. Today, Nozomi
Daiko keeps the traditional playing style of Japanese taiko, and incorporates
theater and sometimes dance into its productions by telling narrated tales of
Japanese history and mythology. Nozomi Daiko also travels to schools
all over the Southeast region to perform and talk about Japanese culture. A
favorite activity is the audience participation segments where students play
games using rhythm and the taiko doko-don patterns, and get to jam with us on
the drums. Nozomi Daiko can also provide workshops for teachers who
want to introduce the taiko drums and Japanese culture to their students with
drum-making and Japanese don-doko rhythmic pattern seminars.
