Call for Papers: Journal of NCOLCTL

The Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (JNCOLCTL) is soliciting articles for publication. The general editorial focus of JNCOLCTL is on policy, education, programs, advocacy, and research in the field of less commonly taught languages (all foreign languages except English, French, German, and Spanish). The envisaged segmentation of the Journal is as follows: Methodology and Technology, Academia, Beyond Academia, and Social Embeddedness.

The first section will include papers focusing on broader theoretical and technological issues in all fields of less commonly taught languages. The second section will encompass reports about research and teaching in academia, at both K-12 and collegiate levels. The third section will comprise papers addressing research and teaching in government and industry. Finally, the fourth section will address the issues of a broader social environment, ranging from heritage communities to advancing LCTLs in federal initiatives and legislation.

In preparing the manuscript, please use the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA): www.apa.org/journals/authors/guide.pdf. Manuscripts should be a maximum of 25 pages (excluding references, charts, notes, etc.) and preferably submitted electronically via email attachment. Double-space the manuscript throughout, including notes, references, and tables, using 12-point font with a 1.5 inch left margin. The manuscript should be accompanied by a 150-word (or less) abstract and a cover sheet containing the manuscript title, name, address, office and home telephone numbers, fax number, email address, and full names and institutions of each author. Because the manuscript will be blind reviewed, identifying information should be on the title page only and should not appear in the manuscript.

While submissions are accepted throughout the year, in order for a paper to be considered for the 2009 volume, it must be received by October 1, 2008. Manuscripts to: ncolctl@mailplus.wisc.edu or NCOLCTL, 4231 Humanities Building, 455 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706.

The challenge for any teacher of a second language is to wean students from their textbooks and enable them to take what they learn out of the classroom and into the "real" world. Various methods have been devised for this; theatre and drama provide two of the best available. Skits, role-play, and improvisation are marvelous tools for learning and using language to communicate in real-life situations. The IAPL was established to bring together those involved in both the practical and theoretical aspects of theatre and language education. Paper and panel sessions are invited for the Association's upcoming second conference in from March 6-8, 2009, which will be hosted by the Department of Pacific and Asian Studies and the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. Abstracts for proposed papers should be one page in length in either Japanese (800 characters) or English (400 words) and should indicate any special audiovisual needs (OHP, slide projector, VCR). Suggestions for panel sessions should list the participants and their proposed discussion topics, together with a one-page abstract. Please attach a brief biographical note of three sentences to the abstract, giving your current affiliation, your professional background, your current research interests or area of professional responsibility, and your contact information. Deadline for submissions is November 15, 2008. Submissions should be sent by email, fax, or surface mail to the Organizing Committee: Hiroko Noro, Dept. of Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3045, STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 3P4. hnoro@uvic.ca. Fax: 250/721-7209.

The Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA) is delighted to host JSAA-ICJLE 2009, a joint conference for the JSAA conference and the International Conference on Japanese Language Education (ICJLE) in Sydney. The conference will be opened in the evening of July 13th, 2009 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and research presentations and discussions will be held from July 14th to 16th at the University of New South Wales, with the conference dinner on the evening of July 15th in the historic MacLaurin Hall at the University of Sydney. JSAA-ICJLE 2009 follows not only the 15th Biennial Japanese Studies conference held in Canberra in 2007 but also the 1998 International Symposium in Tokyo on Japanese Language Teaching and subsequent ICJLE conferences in Seoul (2000), Beijing (2002), Tokyo (2004), New York (2006) and Pusan (2008). Given the prominence of Australia in Japanese language education in the world, it is timely to welcome ICJLE for the first time to the Oceania region.

JSAA-ICJLE2009 features research and discussion in various disciplines of Japanese language and studies. The main theme of the conference will be "Bridging the Gap between the Japanese Language and Japanese Studies." The conference aims to provide a forum where Japanese language and studies academics and educators from around the world can meet and share ideas beyond and across their disciplines. The conference will highlight issues that will be of interest across education levels - primary, secondary and tertiary - and disciplines - language, linguistics, literature, sociology, culture, education, history, politics, economics, law, to name but a few. It will provide a forum where researchers and practitioners alike can present their research findings and new pedagogical ideas.

Plenary addresses at the conference will be presented by Professor Joseph Lo Bianco (The University of Melbourne), the most prominent Australian scholar in language education and policies, and other top scholars. In addition, there will be a series of panels featuring various themes, individual paper presentations, postgraduate workshops, poster sessions, exhibitions and more. Conference home page: http://jsaa-icjle2009.arts.unsw.edu.au/en/index.html (English); http://jsaa-icjle2009.arts.unsw.edu.au/jp/index.html (Japanese).

The Japan Foundation will administer the annual Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) on Sunday, December 7, 2008, at nine sites in the United States. A new test site has been added this year at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The registration period for this year has been shortened compared to previous years; the new dates are from August 1 to September 26, 2008 (5 p.m. PDT). For more information, and to register online, visit www.jflalc.org and click on "Japanese Language Proficiency Test" in the menu on the left side of the page.

In order to better serve American students who wish to learn Chinese, Japanese, and Korean in East Asia, the National East Asian Languages Resource Center at Ohio State University has developed an online database called "Orient Yourself: Online Catalog of Study Abroad Opportunities in East Asia," located at:
http://nealrc.osu.edu/StudyInEast Asia/search.cfm.

Search functions have recently been updated in several ways:

• includes language programs for international students offered by accredited institutions in China, Japan, and Korea;

• directs URL links to the English page of the program websites;

• offers advanced search functions, e.g. the users can search for a specific program type (language/ degree/exchange program), the duration and the beginning time of the program, and lodging options (home stay/dormitory/off-campus/stay with native students in a dormitory);

• offers useful links such as "currency exchange" and travel guide.

User suggestions and comments are most welcome. Please feel free to contact eastasia@osu.edu with inquiries or comments.

This acclaimed documentary on the design, construction, and maintenance of a Japanese-style garden is now available on a DVD that also includes a lecture/slide presentation by the garden's designer, David Slawson. In his 45-minute lecture, Slawson explains the fundamental principles of Japanese garden design and shows the application of those principles in a wide variety of gardens. The DVD has been favorably reviewed by the editor of the Journal of Japanese Gardening (see below) and has received a warm reception from those who have purchased it. For more information on the contents of the DVD visit www.callingpaul.com. Order from the producer's website - www.CallingPaul.com - or directly from the Carleton College Bookstore website - www.collegebookstore.org/carleton ($29.95 + postage).

Review of the video from the Journal of Japanese Gardening (July/August 2005), used with permission"

"One of the best managed public Japanese gardens anywhere (including Japan) is located on the campus of Carleton College, in Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton's Japanese garden is called "The Garden of Quiet Listening." It is a beautiful and humble garden that provides a nurturing place to relax and unwind. The Carleton garden has recently released a new video that examines the process of Japanese gardening. In Full Circle presents the Japanese-style garden as a continuously-evolving work of art - a painting that is never finished. The video examines themes such as where to find inspiration, how to create a garden, and how to guide your garden's development over the years. In Full Circle uses The Garden of Quiet Listening as a case study, documenting how that particular garden developed and sharing lessons that were learned along the way. But this video explores themes and techniques that could be applied ... anywhere, including the Japanese garden in your own backyard."