Future prospects in academia?

[ax]

Next year I'll be going into an MA program paid in full by the Monbukagakusho and after that hopefully a Ph.D. somewhere.

I'm wondering though what are the prospects of a career in academia in Nippon?

I'm not talking about teaching English. I'm talking about qualified scholars who speak, read and write Japanese like... an academic.

I know that with the declining population the need for teachers and instructors from kindergarten to grad school is also on the decline, but surely that doesn't mean there are no prospects in the future, does it?

Anyone in the system have any thoughts on this? My field is Buddhism and Classical Chinese. Besides Nippongo I can also read (but no speaky) Mandarin and eventually I'll get myself literate in Sanskrit and maybe Tibetan. My Japanese isn't native, but I can read those thick thick academic works written even in pre-war Japanese kana and kanji, and even talk about it in a coherent manner (or so they keep telling me).

I've heard from both Japanese and non-Japanese professors that if you're a foreigner who honestly knows how to speak and write quality Japanese then at the very least getting hired as a contract instructor is possible, but tenure is usually not available. Still, working even just as an instructor for a few years in a Japanese university would be desirable. I imagine trying to teach Buddhism and archaic Chinese Buddhist texts to undergrads in Japan might seem unusual, but I do (and formally will) have the qualifications.

If all else fails I can always go work elsewhere in Asia like Singapore, Malaysia or even Hong Kong (or India, but that's highly unlikely so I've heard because Indians produce a lot of Ph.Dz and they don't have room for anyone else).

Anyone on the inside care to comment?

[Jacque_S]

If you really are a true academic you'll study your heart out and learn whatever it is you want to learn regardless of other people's opinions of your career prospects.

[kurogane]

If you really are a true academic you'll study your heart out and learn whatever it is you want to learn regardless of other people's opinions of your career prospects.

Barf on cue..............................

That had to be the sappiest post you've ever made on here.

Ax,

If you are willing to be hired for what they consider your strengths as much or more than for what you consider your strengths, then you can get the whole damn doughnut. I had several attractive-esque offers for regular employment (i.e. Tenure Track) at several rather well regarded places.

The problem as I see it is that with your specialty, your Innate Talents (i.e. your English ability) may not be as relevant as it is for me, but with the internationalisation of academia, most places are going to need somebody bilingual. Correspondence, conferences, all the various little aspects of academic life increasingly require English ability, and at least one faculty member or support staff with it.

You will also likely be expected to teach in English, or teach some English. Even if this is not part of the original job offer, it will become part of the deal. せっかくだから。 The chances that you will be the first one to escape that trap are slim to nil.　

You are only fooling yourself if you believe that your pure academic abilities will be enough to get you in, and allow you to be treated as a Quasi-Native. It won't, and you're not anyways.

As for actually getting your own research done, that is up to you.

But, yeah, all in all, with proper credentials and a good reputation, the world can be your Kaki if you want it.

I chose to not want it, but it is there if you work for it.

[ax]

The problem as I see it is that with your specialty, your Innate Talents (i.e. your English ability) may not be as relevant as it is for me, but with the internationalisation of academia, most places are going to need somebody bilingual. Correspondence, conferences, all the various little aspects of academic life increasingly require English ability, and at least one faculty member or support staff with it.

You will also likely be expected to teach in English, or teach some English. Even if this is not part of the original job offer, it will become part of the deal. せっかくだから。 The chances that you will be the first one to escape that trap are slim to nil.　

I know one American prof who teaches religion in Japanese to Japanese students (and to the occasional Korean, Chinese and Canuck), and he doesn't have to teach English. I suspect, however, that he is the exception and that after over 30 years in Japanese academia he has a bit of room to make demands.

Well, they do get him to help out the English speaking exchange students, but that's about it. Otherwise he is just regular faculty.

May I ask why you decided against entering academia in Japan?

[uncleyabai]

Or you can always enter the financial services industry. Dieter Schwaller, the MD and COO of Blackrock Japan has a PhD in Japanese religions.

[The Old Man]

May I ask why you decided against entering academia in Japan?

He thought there was more money in getting Canadian welfare cheques, while selling detergent over the internet. All from the darkened confines of his parent's basement in Vancouver...

[Moobies]

My uni has a new American teaching Int'l law. He replaced the old American who retired. Neither had to teach English.

It's just my assumption, but I doubt Japanese unis are looking for someone to teach Buddhism. I've never seen a job advert on JREC for one.

[kurogane]

May I ask why you decided against entering academia in Japan?

Mostly personal reasons, but there were legitimate professional ones as well:

no leave or sabbatical system to speak of, and a poisonously pervasive Educated Salaryman attitude to the job (9-5, 6 days a week; lots of pencil pushing);

but the biggest reason was that I hate work. Hate it.

Yuck. Blich.

[Thebunnyhauntsme]

At least as important as getting the PhD is publishing peer-reviewed articles and presenting papers. Try to produce a couple of publications during the Masters, which will increase your chances of a PhD scholarship. Then, aim for one or two a year during that and go to as many conferences as you can afford to. It means that, after graduating, you will be known in the field, be friendly with a lot of influential people and have an impressive-looking CV.

In addition, it can increase up the chances of getting a Postdoc, either here or abroad. That's a sweet gig. Well paid and it serves to make your future prospects even brighter. Still, by the time you come out of the Doctorate, it'll be about 2013, by which time everything will be different anyway...

That's what I have heard, anyway, but I'm certainly no expert on academia. I just know people who talk about it endlessly.

[ax]

If you really are a true academic you'll study your heart out and learn whatever it is you want to learn regardless of other people's opinions of your career prospects.

Yeah, I already do that and hence the literacy in Cl.Chinese and being able to read much of the Taisho Buddhist canon without using the dictionary too much.

Some people say I'm sugoi, but in reality I'm just a big geek.

[Hijinx]

I'm not talking about teaching English. I'm talking about qualified scholars who speak, read and write Japanese like... an academic.

That's quite an attitude you have there being an unqualified academic yourself.

[ax]

That's quite an attitude you have there being an unqualified academic yourself.

Yeah, probably. I was an undergrad in Japan though for 12 months and I have friends (both undergrads and graduate students) in various Japanese universities. You know what they all say about foreign (western) instructors? They speak Japanese poorly and can't read or write Japanese very well.

[Hijinx]

Yeah, probably. I was an undergrad in Japan though for 12 months and I have friends (both undergrads and graduate students) in various Japanese universities. You know what they all say about foreign (western) instructors? They speak Japanese poorly and can't read or write Japanese very well.

True for many, but many of them are still way ahead of their J-counterparts in terms of academic quality.

[Danger Man]

Have you read the Blacklist of Japanese universities?

The black list, whilst a noble idea, isn't written in stone.

My wife taught at one of the 'blacklist' universities and she had a great time. Laughed all the way to (guess where?) In her case, the blacklist was plain wrong.

I also know that one of the universities on the 'green list' (the list of good colleges) is only on there because they told a gaijin full-timer to tell 'Debito' a pack of lies.

Next year I'll be going into an MA program paid in full by the Monbukagakusho and after that hopefully a Ph.D. somewhere.

I'm wondering though what are the prospects of a career in academia in Nippon?

Where do you think you might do the PhD?

That might decide your chances of tenure more than the subject itself.

[KansaiBen]

The black list, whilst a noble idea, isn't written in stone.

My wife taught at one of the 'blacklist' universities and she had a great time. Laughed all the way to (guess where?) In her case, the blacklist was plain wrong.

The university I taught at (KIT) is one where Debito says you should stay away from. I was paid handsomely and got an almost free house for 4 years. i have worked at Ritsumeikan which has a richly deserved reputation for racism and illegal labor practices. Even Asia Pacific University in Oita where 50% of faculty are foreigners is not without problems.

[Danger Man]

The university I taught at (KIT) is one where Debito says you should stay away from. I was paid handsomely and got an almost free house for 4 years.

So....you mentioned the 'blacklist' initially to tell ax that his career plans would fail, and now you are telling us that you had a great time at a 'blacklisted' university?


This makes no sense. You introduced the 'black list' into this thread as a stick to beat ax with, and now you are telling us that you know the 'blacklist' is faulty?

[KansaiBen]

So....you mentioned the 'blacklist' initially to tell ax that his career plans would fail, and now you are telling us that you had a great time at a 'blacklisted' university?


This makes no sense. You introduced the 'black list' into this thread as a stick to beat ax with, and now you are telling us that you know the 'blacklist' is faulty?

Im telling him before he casts in his lot with a particular school you should at least read about it to see what its teaching conditions are like and how staff are treated, the likelihood of getting tenure. Information is POWER> You dont want to get to a place and find the ceiling is cast iron steel or they have a 'tenure track' that goes no where.

I worked at a place as I was Guest Lecturer on a very generous salary perks package. My colleague who has a pHD from Nagoya University and is high up in JALT was totally taken to the cleaners by the school and given a very rough deal as he got sick, basically throlwn overboard.

Ultimately you will decide based on how badly you want to work in Japan, what some school is willing to offer you in salary or perks etc. Maybe they just want a trophy PhD to fill their quotas.I dont know.

You then tend to overlook the negative stuff until it comes to bite you later.

J_T as far as I know has never worked at a uni in Japan so you can take his rants for what they are worth.

[J_T]

J_T as far as I know has never worked at a uni in Japan so you can take his rants for what they are worth.

No ranting, and nor have I ever worked at a university, which is why I am not offering the OP any advice. Unlike you, I don't offer my opinion on subjects I have little knowledge of.

However, I rightly called you out on an extremely arrogant assumption you made. Haughtily and as usual, you have refused to admit you are wrong.

[KansaiBen]

TI also know that one of the universities on the 'green list' (the list of good colleges) is only on there because they told a gaijin full-timer to tell 'Debito' a pack of lies.

.

So you have universities that get their gaijin poodles to lie to other gaijin to get Debito and his list off their back.

I have been lied to by my university vice-president to my face. Yet you have all these gaijins on GP believing I should be falling over myself to want to work there or gain tenure (or that Im some kind of failure for not wanting to) when in fact things are going in the opposite direction and everyones being made part time or temporary. Universities will say whatever they need to to save face, including places like Ritsumeikan.

[jt-0420]

Next year I'll be going into an MA program paid in full by the Monbukagakusho and after that hopefully a Ph.D. somewhere.

I'm wondering though what are the prospects of a career in academia in Nippon?

I'm not talking about teaching English. I'm talking about qualified scholars who speak, read and write Japanese like... an academic.

I know that with the declining population the need for teachers and instructors from kindergarten to grad school is also on the decline, but surely that doesn't mean there are no prospects in the future, does it?

Anyone in the system have any thoughts on this? My field is Buddhism and Classical Chinese. Besides Nippongo I can also read (but no speaky) Mandarin and eventually I'll get myself literate in Sanskrit and maybe Tibetan. My Japanese isn't native, but I can read those thick thick academic works written even in pre-war Japanese kana and kanji, and even talk about it in a coherent manner (or so they keep telling me).

I've heard from both Japanese and non-Japanese professors that if you're a foreigner who honestly knows how to speak and write quality Japanese then at the very least getting hired as a contract instructor is possible, but tenure is usually not available. Still, working even just as an instructor for a few years in a Japanese university would be desirable. I imagine trying to teach Buddhism and archaic Chinese Buddhist texts to undergrads in Japan might seem unusual, but I do (and formally will) have the qualifications.

If all else fails I can always go work elsewhere in Asia like Singapore, Malaysia or even Hong Kong (or India, but that's highly unlikely so I've heard because Indians produce a lot of Ph.Dz and they don't have room for anyone else).

Anyone on the inside care to comment?

Hate to sound harsh, but academia that isn't science is basically useless.

Buddhism and Classical Chinese? How is that going to benefit the world? I think it is respectable if you are a scientist in academia and are going to make breaking scientific discoveries that can potentially benefit humanity, but Buddhism and Classical Chinese?! Talk about "waxing poetic." My goodness, that doesn't sound like much more than mere intellectual masturbation.

I'd say get off of your pompous pedestal in your guarded Ivory Tower and get a real job. Of course, if you can make a living off of it, then by all means, please do so. Of course, you will have to live forever with the realization that nothing you do in your life has any purpose or meaning... have fun with that...

[kurogane]

Well, at least now we know how the proles feel about this topic.

If it don't fit in ma' pickup, it can't be of any use.

What a sad, plebian way to view life.


Ax,

If you have any detailed questions, let's just take it to PMs. It seems that the JT - KB Harassment Matsuri and Gong Show has come to town again.

[Thebunnyhauntsme]

Wow! Non-Scientific study is fruitless? Academics live in ivory towers? The cry of the lonely anti-intellectual is heard in the wilds again.

C'mon. Humanities PhDs are really important. Everyone knows this. It's because...

...because...

...er...

...oh crap. I'll get back to you.

But they are - OK? Trust me.

[ax]

Hate to sound harsh, but academia that isn't science is basically useless.

Buddhism and Classical Chinese? How is that going to benefit the world? I think it is respectable if you are a scientist in academia and are going to make breaking scientific discoveries that can potentially benefit humanity, but Buddhism and Classical Chinese?! Talk about "waxing poetic." My goodness, that doesn't sound like much more than mere intellectual masturbation.

I'd say get off of your pompous pedestal in your guarded Ivory Tower and get a real job. Of course, if you can make a living off of it, then by all means, please do so. Of course, you will have to live forever with the realization that nothing you do in your life has any purpose or meaning... have fun with that...

Unfortunately, that is how our society views a lot of things that don't have an immediate thrill factor or things that lack the ability to make your consumer life all the more enjoyable. More unfortunate is the fact that misguided atheist thinking is often so shortsighted that the basic human condition is ignored in favour of material pleasures, "scientific progress" and a worship of secular rationalism. This has resulted in high suicide rates in the developed world where if material pleasure really did bring happiness we should have lower suicide rates than in places like Africa or rural South America, but we really don't.

The pursuit of knowledge for the betterment of humanity is never a worthless endeavor.

As for my area of study -- Buddhism is actually growing rather rapidly in the west. Just go to any major bookstore and you'll find a lot of books on Zen, the Dalai Lama, Tantra, etc... Your assessment of the field is incorrect.

As for that last existentialist remark, I don't agree. I'll say, like any good Madhyamika philosopher would, that nothing has an inherit, substantial existence, but that doesn't mean our lives have no meaning -- but because nothing is permanent we have the capacity to achieve the cessation of suffering. Taking it a step further, an advanced student would step beyond such ontological distinctions and take the middle ground between eternalism and nihilism.

Religion is said to be opiate of the masses. It might very well be. I know I get my daily fix of it.

[Thebunnyhauntsme]

Yeah!

What he said.

[ax]

I'd also point out that fields like Law and Economics are included in humanities.

Supreme court judges, for example, are usually not trained in chemistry or consumer product development. Likewise, economy ministers are more often than not to be trained in economics and not nanotechnology.

[jt-0420]

I'd also point out that fields like Law and Economics are included in humanities.

Supreme court judges, for example, are usually not trained in chemistry or consumer product development. Likewise, economy ministers are more often than not to be trained in economics and not nanotechnology.

Economics a little bit difficult to define, because it is still heavily quantitative... of course, there is a reason why it is called the "dismal science," but I think it is wrong to classify it completely in the humanities

[jt-0420]

Unfortunately, that is how our society views a lot of things that don't have an immediate thrill factor or things that lack the ability to make your consumer life all the more enjoyable. More unfortunate is the fact that misguided atheist thinking is often so shortsighted that the basic human condition is ignored in favour of material pleasures, "scientific progress" and a worship of secular rationalism. This has resulted in high suicide rates in the developed world where if material pleasure really did bring happiness we should have lower suicide rates than in places like Africa or rural South America, but we really don't.

The pursuit of knowledge for the betterment of humanity is never a worthless endeavor.

As for my area of study -- Buddhism is actually growing rather rapidly in the west. Just go to any major bookstore and you'll find a lot of books on Zen, the Dalai Lama, Tantra, etc... Your assessment of the field is incorrect.

As for that last existentialist remark, I don't agree. I'll say, like any good Madhyamika philosopher would, that nothing has an inherit, substantial existence, but that doesn't mean our lives have no meaning -- but because nothing is permanent we have the capacity to achieve the cessation of suffering. Taking it a step further, an advanced student would step beyond such ontological distinctions and take the middle ground between eternalism and nihilism.

Religion is said to be opiate of the masses. It might very well be. I know I get my daily fix of it.

I was not specifically referring to "material pleasures" or a better "consumer life." I am just asking, on the basic, most foundantional level, what impact on human society are you going to have doing Buddhism and Classical Chinese studies?

Humanities academia is useless, and you know it. Please stop lying to yourself. It is pedantic and repetitive. You will read ancient Buddhist/Chinese texts and debate the relative merits of these texts, but what is this going to achieve? You might become an expert in your field, but doesn't that simply mean that you have mastery over a lot of information in an esoteric subject that in reality will have no impact on the course of human subjects?

I realize I sound cynical, and that is because in certain ways, I am... but please also be honest with yourself. Then again, I was a Mathematics concentrator in undergrad myself, so I am an empiricist at heart... so perhaps I just have a different way of viewing things...

In closing, I find it fitting that you end your post with a line from Marx. You get a good fix of it... I had a chuckle from that one... Religion is the opiate of the masses. In a traditional sense, the purpose of religion is to make life seem better for the vast majority of people in society who are poor and unhappy (so they can look forward to the afterlife). Opium is a drug that can ease suffering, but that does not mean that it fixes the underlying problems that cause the suffering. Opium is nothing more than something that helps the masses forget their suffering and look forward to an imaginary future in which they will experience pain no more.

If you get your daily fix, as you so asserted in your previous post, perhaps you need to re-think your life and start looking deeper at ways that you can improve it?

[kurogane]

I realize I sound cynical,。。。。。。。。。。

you'd have to sound a whole lot more intelligent to even begin to sound cynical.

Anti-intellectualism is the new opiate of the masses.

Choose not to be a pleb.

[jt-0420]

you'd have to sound a whole lot more intelligent to even begin to sound cynical.

Anti-intellectualism is the new opiate of the masses.

Choose not to be a pleb.

My education until senior high school was in a non-English environment (local school in Shanghai, 100% Chinese), yet I was able to get almost perfect scores on the SAT (perfect on Math, almost for Verbal) and go to university in the United States.

In the admissions process, I was competing along side people like you, people who were born, raised, and educated since year 1 in a completely English environment. I think that says something about me.

My English is not perfect, and I still cannot seem to shake the slight Asian accent in my voice, but I have absolute confidence that whatever your Japanese or other foreign language ability is, my English ability is higher.

Don't talk to me about intelligence, because you cannot even begin to compete with me.

[I voted for Dukakis]

what do you wanna teach? what do you intend to accomplish here? I think Japanese universities are very weak in some fields. Many of them have excellent programs in like Engineering, Robotics etc, but humanities tends to be really undervalued coz it's not "practical." I actually know a couple of great j-profs in philosophy but other than that, as far as I understand, humanities departments at Japanese universities are like light years behind Europe/America etc. so if you are trying to change that trend and have some good influence on Japanese academia, I think many people (mainly students) will welcome you but if you are simply looking for some good experience, you should just go back to your country. (and I think Asian Studies departments in the west desperately need some good teachers too) Anyway, did this help? I didn't really read the question (as usual)

[ax]

what do you wanna teach? what do you intend to accomplish here? I think Japanese universities are very weak in some fields. Many of them have excellent programs in like Engineering, Robotics etc, but humanities tends to be really undervalued coz it's not "practical." I actually know a couple of great j-profs in philosophy but other than that, as far as I understand, humanities departments at Japanese universities are like light years behind Europe/America etc. so if you are trying to change that trend and have some good influence on Japanese academia, I think many people (mainly students) will welcome you but if you are simply looking for some good experience, you should just go back to your country. (and I think Asian Studies departments in the west desperately need some good teachers too) Anyway, did this help? I didn't really read the question (as usual)

If I ever get a chance to work at a Japanese university I would, even if it was only for a contracted number of years. I'd cherish the experience (hopefully). My profs have told me a number of times to get my MA in Asia somewhere and then get a Ph.D. from somewhere in North America (for some reason degrees from even England arn't always readily accepted in North America).

[Thebunnyhauntsme]

My profs have told me a number of times to get my MA in Asia somewhere and then get a Ph.D. from somewhere in North America (for some reason degrees from even England aren't always readily accepted in North America).

I think - correct me if someone who knows more about this is reading - that the degree structure is different. English-style PhDs are primarily by research and take a minimum of three years, whilst American ones have extensive coursework plus research and usually go for five years or more. Other countries vary in their approach.

The difference is usually seen as one of breadth versus depth, I believe, but I have to admit that a Harvard PhD looks to be a very, very hard thing to do - even compared to, say Oxford or Cambridge.

[I voted for Dukakis]

I'm sure he would if he could get a job. Who the ____ would want to live in Japan if they could get a better job back home?

really? if he can read Classical Chinese and get a Ph.D I think he could get a job anywhere. and it's not like it's easy for gaijins to become profs (besides English) in Japan right? I'm just saying you know. plus in my experience, Asian studies in the west suck ___ too (and I went to an OK university) and he can help out a lot of guys out both in the west and japan. that's why I say it depends on what he wants to do.

[I voted for Dukakis]

Bullshzt. Provide a link to any legit source which mentions a demand for those reading classical chinese with a PHD.

I know what your trying to say and I kind of agree with you. yeah there are a lot of high school drop-out gaijins in Japan (and especially on this site) who come to Japan and get a decent job and all of a sudden start acting like real scholars or something. yeah these people need to get real like you said. but I'm assuming he's not bullshitting you know. coz i don't know him i think its mean. plus I went to a pretty decent university and I noticed that a lot of profs in Asian history dep could only speak shitty Japanese/Chinese/Korean etc. so I think the ability to read Classical Chinese will really help. of course assuming he's not smoking the pipe right now.

[Gaijin 06]

Hate to sound harsh, but academia that isn't science is basically useless.

Self-pwnage FTW.

[jt-0420]

Self-pwnage FTW.

Broadly speaking, people are divived academically into "humanities" or "science" types

Mathematics would fall under the science category.

What is this self-pwnage you speak of?

[Gaijin 06]

Broadly speaking, people are divived academically into "humanities" or "science" types

Mathematics would fall under the science category.

What is this self-pwnage you speak of?

I love the way you only open your mouth to change feet.

[uncleyabai]

Hate to sound harsh, but academia that isn't science is basically useless.

Buddhism and Classical Chinese? How is that going to benefit the world? I think it is respectable if you are a scientist in academia and are going to make breaking scientific discoveries that can potentially benefit humanity, but Buddhism and Classical Chinese?! Talk about "waxing poetic." My goodness, that doesn't sound like much more than mere intellectual masturbation.

Well, I guess you must be some very valuable contributor to human welfare, being the lowest man on the totempole at a buy side shop. You are an expense, and what does your firm do anyway? Charge huge fees for trying to generate alpha, and most likely failing?

Besides, as I mentioned before, Dieter Schwaller, the COO of Blackrock Japan, has a PhD in Asian religions (specifically a branch of Japanese buddhism.) So I figure you could always enter the financial services industry.