Join us on February 9 as we host Joy Maa, Assistant Professor of Japanese in the School of Modern Language at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Maa’s talk will explore how computer-mediated communication (CMC), particularly the messaging app LINE, serves as an important space for learning and using pragmatics during study abroad in Japan. By examining how learners use LINE to interact with local community members, we will consider how students move beyond “textbook” Japanese to negotiate relationships and express identity. Through guided activities, students will step into the role of researcher by analyzing real interactional data and practicing qualitative interviewing techniques.
Joy Maa (BA in Japanese and Spanish, University of Washington; Dean’s Medalist 2014) is an Assistant Professor of Japanese in the School of Modern Languages at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on pragmatics in second language acquisition, computer-mediated communication, study abroad, and language socialization, with particular attention to learner identity and agency. Her recent work examines the role of text messaging in the acquisition of Japanese speech styles among learners studying abroad, drawing on dissertation research funded in part by the MEXT scholarship.