Assistant Professor of Japanese
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University Hall 3106
(205) 934-2214

Research and Teaching Interests: Applied Linguistics, Conversation Analysis, Second Language Acquisition, Foreign Language Pedagogy, Content-based Language Instruction

Office Hours: By appointment

• MA, University of Oregon, Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy
• PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Japanese Linguistics

Get to know Yoshiyuki Hara.

Yoshi Hara was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan and had his higher education here in the U.S., most recently including Wisconsin where he completed his PhD in Japanese linguistics. His passion lies in understanding and exploring how languages are used, learned, and experienced. His research examines the process of language learning from socio-constructivist perspectives by employing conversation analysis as a primary methodological framework. More specifically, he studies how language learning is embedded and co-constructed in and through social interactions that occur in various settings, including the classroom, one-on-one sessions, and outside of the classroom conversations.

Dr. Hara’s passion also extends to foreign language education that focuses on Japanese language and culture. He has taught Japanese language courses at all levels, during which he makes it a point to incorporate technology-enhanced tools, culturally significant materials, and the notion of critical pedagogy into language teaching. He further strives to apply research-generated insights into improving learners’ experiences both in and out of class.