University of Sydney / Faculty of Arts / Department of Japanese Studies / Academic Staff / Academic Staff

Seiko Yasumoto

AA (Meiji University), BA (Pace University), MA (Columbia), MA (Macquarie University)
Room 544 Brennan Building

+61 2 9351 4716

Seiko Yasumoto teaches and carries out research on language use in society as well as Japanese media and culture. Her research interests cover the analysis of women’s language, the portrayal of women in popular culture, youth culture and transnational media cultural flows in East Asia. She is currently an executive committee member of both the Oriental Society of Australia and the Sydney Network of Language and Culture.

Research areas

  • Language use in socio-cultural context.
  • Media and cultural studies: language and culture, language and gender, youth culture, popular culture in Japan
  • Transnational media culture in Asia.

Current projects

Yasumoto recently completed a term of office as one of the three co-editors of the scholarly journal Ilha Do Desterro A Journal of English Language, Literatures in English and Cultural Studies: Expression, Identity and Society. She is currently completing an article on the representation of women in Korean and Japanese television dramas. She a member of a research cluster that is working towards the publication of a journal on Asian media in transition. Besides her current research projects, Yasumoto is also developing ‘Anime’: an online multimedia project for teaching Japanese with M. Sata Khan under a TIES grants. She is one of the collaborative researchers engaged in a comparative study on the motivations of learners of Japanese with colleagues from North Carolina University, USA and The University of New England, Australia.

Selected publications

  • Yasumoto, S. (2008). Korean and Japanese television drama: Reflections on global and transnational influences. Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia, 39-40,540-561.
  • Yasumoto, S. (2008). From whence does popular culture emanate and how is it remade? Janguru Taitei or Lion King? In A.M. Vicziany & R.Cribb (Eds.), Melbourne, Australia: Monash University. http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/asaa/proceedings.php#s/
  • Sasagawa, Y. and S. Yasumoto. (2008). Kyodokochikugata no Kaigai Nihongo Kyoiku Jissyuu Puroguramu (Corroborative overseas Japanese education program: Learning strategies). In T. Mito et.al., eds.: Japanese language education in the Asia-Pacific Region, 36, 317-325.
  • Yasumoto, S. (2007) ‘The Representation of Women in Japanese Written Media’. Ilha Do Desterro: Expression, Identity and Society, Vol.50, Editora da UFSC. ISSN:0101-4846.
  • Yasumoto, S. (2006) ‘The impact of the Korean Wave on Japan: A case study of the influence of trans-border electronic communication and the trans-national programming industry’. http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/ASAA/biennial-conference/2006/proceedings.html#
  • Sasagawa, Y., Yasumoto, S. (2006). 共同構築型の海外日本語教育実習プログラムをめざして、神戸親和大学教育研究センター紀要 第２巻 (A Transnational Educational Practice Program for Japanese Student Trainee Teachers: A Collaborative Initiative by Kobe Shinwa Women’s University, Japan and The University of Sydney, Australia), Research Centre for Higher Education, Kobe Shinwa Women’s University Press, Vol.2, 33-50.
  • Aoyagi ,T.,Yasumoto, S., et al. (2006) モジュール交換方式を用いた国際遠隔授業の評 実践研究　第8巻岐阜大学 2006 (Assessment of International Distance Lectures through Module Exchange System), Gifu University Vol 8, 101-107.ISSN:1344-7718
  • Yasumoto, S. (2005) ‘Japanese Language Education and Japanese Studies in Australia in the 21st-Century’, International Conference on Education. Nanyang Technological University Singapore, CD ROM Proceedings.
  • Yasumoto, S. (2003) ‘Effective Approaches to Adult Language Teaching in the Multi-Cultural Australian Classroom: Cultural Issues’, ABAC Journal: 23.3, 3-17.ISSN:0858-0855
  • Yasumoto, S. (2000) ‘Teaching Japanese Language and Culture: An Interactive and Participatory Approach in Applied Linguistics’, Japanese Studies: Communities, Cultures, Critiques Vol.6, 15-22 Studies in Language and Linguistics, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 2000. ISBN: 0732611954.
  • Yasumoto, S. (1999) ‘The Portrayal of Women in Japanese Popular Songs’, Radio Interview: Radio National ABC “Arts Today” September 29, 1999.

Areas of teaching and research supervision

  • ASNS 6905: Asian Popular Culture (2008-current)
  • ASNS 6097: Supervised Reading in Asian Studies (S2 2008)
  • GCST 6904: Asian Diasporic Cultural Studies (guest lecturer S2 2010)
  • JPNS 2672: Japanese Media, Culture and New Japan
  • JPNS 3632: Japanese 10
  • JPNS 3631: Japanese 9
  • JPNS 2622: Japanese 6
  • JPNS 2621: Japanese 5
  • JPNS 1612: Japanese 2
  • JPNS 1611: Japanese 1

Supervision

  • Language use in socio-cultural context
  • Media and Cultural Studies: Language and Culture, Language and Gender, Popular Culture in Japan and East Asia.

Conference activity

  • Yasumoto, S. Panel Chair: Adaptation in Japanese TV, Film and Novel: Three Examples of Cultural Transformation. 'Media mix: Adaptation of television program format and remaking in Japan.' JSAA Conference, 2009, UNSW, Sydney July 13-16, 2009.
  • Yasumoto, S. Panel Chair: Adapting and remaking Japanese popular culture texts. 'Television drama in East Asia: Cultural hybridisation and citizenship.' ANZCA 09: Communication, Creativity and Global Citizenship Conference, QUT, Brisbane, July 8-10, 2009.
  • Yasumoto, S. 'The Japanese media cultural highway: Re-make of Japanese media popular cultural products in Asia.' Inter-Asia Cultural Typhoon 2009 Cultural Studies and Asia; Past, Present and Future, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo July 3-5, 2009.
  • Yasumoto, S. Panel Chair: Television distribution and global media culture. 'Representation of Shojo: Hana yori Dango.' The Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference, Josai International University, Tokyo 21st-24th May 2009.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Impact of cultural mobility on soft power: Japan to East Asia.’ International Conference on Popular Culture and Education, Asia Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong , 11th –13th December 2008.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘The Remaking of Japanese media popular culture products: From television to film.’ The XIVth Biennial Conference of the Film and History Association of Australia and New Zealand, Dunedin, New Zealand, 27–30th November 2008.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘From whence does popular culture emanate and how is it remade? Janguru Taitei or Lion King?’ The 17th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, Melbourne, 1–3rd July 2008.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Cultural interaction in the 1990’s: Japanese ‘trendy’ TV drama.’ Japanese Studies Associations of Australia 15th Biennial Conference 2007, Australian National University, Canberra 1–4 July 2007.
  • Yasumoto, S and M. Khan. ‘Anime online project for teaching Japanese.’Japanese Studies Associations of Australia 15th Biennial Conference 2007, The Australian National University, Canberra 1–4 July 2007.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Japan and Korea as a source of media capital: the growing media highway,’ SYNLAC Workshop 2007: Language and Culture. Media, Cultures and Social Networks, The University of Sydney, December 6–7 2007.
  • Yasumoto, S. Representation of women in Korean and Japanese television drama: Reflection of global and trans-border influences. Presented at the 50 Anniversary of the Oriental Society of Australia International Conference, World Without Walls: East and West 21st Century Perspectives. The University of Sydney, 3-7 December, 2006.
  • Yasumoto, S. The Impact of the Korean Wave on Japan. Presented at the School of Languages and Cultures’ Research Day. The University of Sydney, 3 November, 2006.
  • 安本,笹川.共同構築型の海外日本語教育実習プログラムにおける学習ストラテジー・トレイニングの効果について.第７回国際日本研究・日本語教育シンポジウム：アジア太平洋地域における日本研究と日本語教育の変容と課題、香港中文大学2006年10月29－3日
    (Yasumoto, S. and Sasagawa.Y. Transnational Educational Practice Program for Japanese Trainee Teachers: Learning Strategies. Presented at The Seventh International Symposium on Japanese Studies and Japanese Language Education: Transformation and Challenges of Japanese Studies and Japanese Language Education in the Asia-Pacific Region. The University of Hong Kong, 29-30 October, 2006)
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Applying New Methods to the Three-Week Japanese Intensive Course’. Presented at the Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA) 2006 conference: Language and Languages Global and Local Tensions, Queensland University, July 5-8, 2006.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Messages in Japanese print and television media about Korea: reflection of popular culture’. Presented at the 16th Biennial conference of the Asia Studies Association of Australia (ASAA), The University of Wollongong, 26-20 June 2006.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Teaching Japanese grammar using Website animation’. Presented at the Media and Technology Forum and Workshop, The University of Sydney, March 1st, 2006.
    Joint with Khan, M.　
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Intensive Language Learning: How we can all learn from this?’ Presented at the “Brief Encounter: Intensive Learning Summer and Winter School Symposium, The University of Sydney, December 12th 2005.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Impact of Korean Television Drama in Japan-A Reflection of Global and Trans-border Influences and Japanese and Korean Cultural Proximity’. Presented at the Fourteenth Biennial Association of Australia Conference, 3-6 July, 2005, University of Adelaide. Panel Theme – ‘Japan’s Potential to Participate in a Global Information Market: does Japan’s media serve the people?’
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Japanese Language Education and Japanese Studies in Australia in the 21st Century’. Presented at the International Conference on Education. 30 May - 1st June, 2005, Nanyang Technological University. Conference Theme – ‘Redesigning Pedagogy: Research, Policy and Practice’.
  • Yasumoto, S. ‘Winter Sonata in Japan: The “Korean Wave”, global and trans-border influences on Japanese popular culture’. presented at the SYNLAC workshop. 3-4 February, 2005. The University of Sydney. Workshop Theme: Global Expectation and Local Reality.

Media Interviews

  • Yasumoto, S. (2008) “Portrayal of women in contemporary Japan: Media popular culture” Press interview by Margarete Bluemel, Germany wide radio station" Deutschland funk February 11 2008.
  • Yasumoto, S (2008) “Media: Japanese views and reactions on whaling”
    Press Interview by Ashai Newspaper, Sugi Aki. February 24th 2008.
  • Yasumoto, S. (2007) “How important/prominent Anime is in Japan” Press Interview by Sun Herald. February 2, 2007.
  • Yasumoto, S. (1999) ‘The Portrayal of Women in Japanese Popular Songs’, Radio Interview: Radio National ABC “Arts Today” September 29, 1999.

Other professional contributions

  • (a) Co-Editing scholarly journal
    Ilha Do Desterro A Journal of English Language, Literatures in English and Cultural Studies: Expression, Identity and Society.Vol.50 Editora da UFSC.2007 ISSN: 0101-4846
    Chief Editor: J.L. Meurer.
  • (b) Organizing committee member, OSA International Conference
    The 50th Anniversary of the Oriental Society of Australia International Conference, World Without Walls: East and West 21st Century Perspectives. The University of Sydney 3-7 December, 2006. Panel chair: Asian media in transition.-sub panels: New/on line media,
    Media discourse and society, Media and popular culture
  • (c) Organizing committee member ALAA Sydney 27th National Congress (Applied Linguistics of Association of Australia) Macquarie University July 12-14 2002.
  • (d) Organizing committee member of SYNLAC workshops.
    SYNLAC Workshop 2005: Language and Culture-Global expectation and local reality,
    The University of Sydney.
  • SYNLAC Workshop 2004: Language and Culture-Expression, Identity and Society,
    The University of Sydney.
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