Considering the global increase in the number of Japanese language learners, the need to establish educational institutions (primary, secondary, higher education, non-school education) for Japanese language learning also arose in Croatia and, subsequently, the necessity to foster a new generation of qualified teachers with sufficient theoretical and practical background in teaching Japanese as a foreign language. The purpose of this paper is to examine and describe the process of implementing the graduate course Practice Teaching of the Japanese Language and Culture, along with its challenges such as online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper discusses the role of teachers as facilitators, the role of students as trainees and the role of learners, i.e. the participants of an intensive two-week Japanese language course, which is part of the abovementioned graduate course. Furthermore, the paper discusses the learner survey and the trainee self-evaluation report with respect to the improvement of their knowledge.

Reconsidering our disciplines in pandemic times: Views and experiences of emerging and established scholars [SIEF Young Scholars Working Group] Know05. Beszámolók a 15. SIEF kongresszusról, 1 (Breaking the rules? Power, participation and transgression. Helsinki, 2021. június 19–24.)

Lorenzo de’ Medici, uomo di profonda fede, data la mirabile educazione ricevuta in famiglia, accettò il governo della città dopo la morte del padre, Piero il Gottoso, come dovere, sentendone il peso, data la sua giovane età di 21 anni, secondo quanto lui stesso dice “mal volentieri accettai”. In tutta la sua vita, non molto lunga, privilegiò come fine il conseguimento del bene comune e non il proprio interesse. Attento anche alle situazioni dei meno fortunati, come il popolo fiorentino e i contadini del Mugello, si rivelò un abile politico che riuscì ad equilibrare la politica dei vari staterelli italiani, ma non dimenticò mai quale fosse il traguardo vero della vita dell’uomo e cioè guardare verso Dio staccandosi dalle ambizioni della vita terrena. Soprattutto raccomandò ai figli di saper governare diventando esempio “perché il signore deve essere servo de’ suoi servi” come scrive nella Sacra rappresentazione di Giovanni e Paolo messa in scena il 17 febbraio 1491 nella Compagnia del Vangelista.

Suvremeni umjetnik Takashi Murakami devedesetih godina prošloga stoljeća se dokazao kao jedan od najprovokativnijih i najutjecajnijih japanskih umjetnika svojega vremena. Kult njegove osobnosti je već odavno prerastao granice domovine. U umjetničkome svijetu poznat kao inovator suvremene japanske umjetnosti, uspjelo mu je promijeniti način poimanja umjetnosti unutar granica vlastite države i pozicionirati estetiku i senzibilitet japanske umjetnosti na svjetski umjetnički trg kao odgovor na postojeće uvjete i težnje postmodernoga doba. To novo je umjetničko načelo nazvao superflat. Murakami je predstavio superflat kao spoj visoke umjetnosti i pop-kulture, no istovremeno i kao istraživanje kulturno i društveno definiranih interpretacija umjetnosti u Japanu koje je potrebno nanovo vrednovati i definirati. Njegova su djela bogati amalgam simbola i značenja, koja nam daju duboki uvid u šarolikost tradicionalne i moderne japanske povijesti umjetnosti i kulture. Kratko ću predstaviti život i ključna djela Takashija Murakamija i njegov umjetnički pravac superflat. Cilj je ovoga rada pokazati i utvrditi opseg i značaj utjecaja Murakamijevih likovnih predaka na razvoj njegova umjetničkoga identiteta i izraza. Predstavit ću stilske karakteristike pojedinih likovnih škola i umjetnika iz različitih razdoblja japanske povijesti. Te iste oblikovne karakteristike ću usporedbom pojedinih djela potražiti u Murakamijevu opusu i umjetnosti superflata.

Obtaining both linguistic and cultural competence in order to develop communicative proficiency is considered important in modern foreign language education, and various textbooks are used for that purpose in the field of Japanese language education in Croatia. Therefore, it is also important to examine the cultural content that these textbooks present to learners. To accomplish this goal, three intermediate-level Japanese language textbooks were critically analysed, with a focus on the portrayal of “Japanese culture”. The framework for the analysis was created by combining the findings of several previous studies, and was used to examine categories of topics presented under the designation of “culture”, or more specifically, “Japanese culture”, the prevailing types of culture presented, and to whom the culture is presented as belonging. The issue of whether or not certain ideologies relating to Japanese culture are reflected in the content of the textbooks was also investigated.