Information
Student Voice: Robin Eriksen, University of Bergen, Norway
Robin, right, with classmates at a cultural presentation activity.
(Photo Courtesy of Robin Eriksen)
Academic Experience
I’m a Japanese Area Studies major and this semester I’m taking Japanese 300, Japanese Reading, Sociolinguistics, and Anime and Contemporary Japanese Visual Culture.
Contemporary Japanese Visual Culture
I didn’t really know what to expect with the visual culture class, but I was looking for something fun and exciting to take. Since I’m not as familiar with anime and manga as some of the other students, I thought it would be a good way to get introduced and get info on where I should start.
We cover different genres of Japanese pop culture and the course goes through a lot of topics. I would love to have been able to go into more depth with some of them – for instance we covered manga editing and I would like to learn more about that and maybe do some production of our own – but there is so much material out there!
We have anime screenings outside of class and then discuss them in class and students also choose an anime of their choice to do a paper and presentation on, so there’s a high amount of interaction and engagement.
Japanese Literature and Other Courses
Last semester, I had a very different perspective on Japanese culture when I took Japanese Literature— that class had us writing haiku and tanka poems.
Overall, the classes I’ve taken here have been great. I really enjoyed Comparative Politics in the spring, where we covered current issues from around the world, as well as some of the short, intensive courses that were offered throughout the semester by visiting professors.
Living on Campus
I’m a little older than many of the students here, so I’m more used to having my own space. In my first semester, I lived in Komachi Hall, which is great for meeting people and hanging out in the lobby, but it’s short on privacy. In my second semester, I moved to the Global Village apartments. I still have a roommate, but there’s a separate space for the kitchen and we have privacy curtains, so it’s a lot easier for my needs.
Favorite Place on Campus
I love the Nakajima Library. It’s got a lot of materials and it’s open 24/7, so it’s a great place to study no matter what your schedule. I like to go there in the morning with my iPad, relax on the couch and read the news.
Robin, right, with classmates at a cultural presentation activity.
(Photo Courtesy of Robin Eriksen)
Academic Experience
I’m a Japanese Area Studies major and this semester I’m taking Japanese 300, Japanese Reading, Sociolinguistics, and Anime and Contemporary Japanese Visual Culture.
Contemporary Japanese Visual Culture
I didn’t really know what to expect with the visual culture class, but I was looking for something fun and exciting to take. Since I’m not as familiar with anime and manga as some of the other students, I thought it would be a good way to get introduced and get info on where I should start.
We cover different genres of Japanese pop culture and the course goes through a lot of topics. I would love to have been able to go into more depth with some of them – for instance we covered manga editing and I would like to learn more about that and maybe do some production of our own – but there is so much material out there!
We have anime screenings outside of class and then discuss them in class and students also choose an anime of their choice to do a paper and presentation on, so there’s a high amount of interaction and engagement.
Japanese Literature and Other Courses
Last semester, I had a very different perspective on Japanese culture when I took Japanese Literature— that class had us writing haiku and tanka poems.
Overall, the classes I’ve taken here have been great. I really enjoyed Comparative Politics in the spring, where we covered current issues from around the world, as well as some of the short, intensive courses that were offered throughout the semester by visiting professors.
Living on Campus
I’m a little older than many of the students here, so I’m more used to having my own space. In my first semester, I lived in Komachi Hall, which is great for meeting people and hanging out in the lobby, but it’s short on privacy. In my second semester, I moved to the Global Village apartments. I still have a roommate, but there’s a separate space for the kitchen and we have privacy curtains, so it’s a lot easier for my needs.
Favorite Place on Campus
I love the Nakajima Library. It’s got a lot of materials and it’s open 24/7, so it’s a great place to study no matter what your schedule. I like to go there in the morning with my iPad, relax on the couch and read the news.