Responding to the student's quest for knowledge and a meaningful career is a critical part of the department's approach to learning. To impart the skills and knowledge outlined above, it is important to have staff who are familiar with Japan. Staff in the department either are native speakers of Japanese or have spent extended periods in Japan. Most staff publish both in English and in Japanese.
Interactive teaching maximises the extent to which students use the language. Rather than limiting its use to artificial situations (eg drills and other exercises), the Japanese language is used to teach and to communicate with students in the offices and hallways of the department. Contact with Japanese people is also important. In addition to maximising the opportunities for students to have contact with Japan and the Japanese in language and studies subjects, the department organises a half-year program in Japan for honours students and has active exchange programs with ten universities in Japan. The programs in Japan are carefully constructed to combine language learning with research projects. Learning in the department is supported by the Monash Japanese Club, a voluntary organisation of students which promotes the study of Japan and the Japanese language through a variety of activities.
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