Mr. Katsu Sawamura

Office Hours: TR 11-12 In-Person
Zoom Link

Professional Biography

I have been teaching Japanese language at UNC since 2003. As a lecturer, I teach Japanese at all levels, from elementary to advanced. In the spring of 2010, I created an advanced Japanese class with my own topic: Sports in Japanese culture. The Japanese subjective take on sports differs significantly from that of North Americans. Students analyze this difference in terms of cultural tradition, the collectivist and team-focused approach of Japanese competitive athletes, and the distinct way in which sports function in Japanese universities.

I received a Master’s degree in Education from University of Bridgeport in 1998. My graduate work has proven invaluable to my current position as an instructor of Japanese. In graduate school, I took great interest in educational psychology, which informs a wide range of specialties within educational studies, including instructional design, educational technology, curriculum development, organizational learning, special education, and classroom management. These topics greatly expanded my view of education besides language teaching.

Awards

Course Development Grant, Carolina Asia Center, June 2012