F&M Stories
Socrates Citation in Honor of Ken-ichi Miura
In his two decades at Franklin & Marshall, Ken-ichi Miura built a vibrant Japanese program with a loyal following among students. In the words of one student, Miura 鈥渋s not only an exceptional professor, but also one of the kindest and most sel铿俥ss people I have ever met. His passion for teaching made me enjoy every second I spent learning Japanese and left me deeply grateful that I chose to come to F&M and take his classes.鈥�
Professor Miura joined the faculty in 2006 as Director of the Japanese Program. He taught beginning, intermediate, and advanced Japanese courses, as well as an English-language course on Japanese Popular Culture and travel courses to Japan. Professor Miura focused his pedagogical e铿�orts on helping students develop communicative pro铿乧iency through meaningful tasks. His embracing of the concept of a learning community informed his courses in profound ways by giving his students agency in their experience with Japanese and motivating them to achieve both linguistic and cultural competency.
Professor Miura鈥檚 focus on engaging students with the richness of Japanese culture extended beyond the classroom. In addition to a weekly Japanese Tea Hour, he brought guests to campus for large events, such as interactive Japanese drumming and pottery demonstrations. His annual Sakura Festival brought hundreds of visitors to campus for a daylong celebration of Japanese culture.
Professor Miura is a widely recognized expert in language pro铿乧iency. As an Oral Pro铿乧iency Interview (OPI) facilitator for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), he completed a rigorous training and quali铿乧ation program. His standing in the OPI and Second Language Acquisition scholarly community led him to o铿�er numerous presentations and training sessions and contribute to signi铿乧ant publications. His decades of dedication to the Japanese language education culminated in his 2024 book, 鈥淛apanese Language Education through PBI (Pro铿乧iency-Based Instruction): Instructions to Enhance Pro铿乧iency and Oral Skills.鈥�
Professor Ken-ichi Miura鈥檚 impact on the College is undeniable. One of his students expresses it best: 鈥淓ven though Miura sensei will no longer be at F&M, his legacy will be everlasting through the Japanese program he has devoted his career to.鈥�
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