معرفی
Yasutaka Maruki is a Professor of World Languages and Cultures at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. He teaches a comprehensive range of Japanese language and literature courses from introductory to advanced levels, including specialized offerings in Kanji, Business Japanese, and Japanese Cooking. His office is located in the World Languages House 103 (UC Box A142), and he can be reached at marukiy@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2867.
Dr. Maruki earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literary & Cultural Studies from the University of Connecticut, Storrs. His academic background forms the foundation for his interdisciplinary approach to Japanese studies, combining language education with deep cultural analysis.
Professor Maruki's research focuses on innovative approaches to teaching Japanese language and literature, with particular expertise in Japanese language pedagogy and traditional Japanese theater forms. His work examines how concepts like keigo (honorific language) can be effectively taught to second language learners and explores the adaptation of Western literary works in Japanese Noh theater. He investigates the intersection of language education, cultural studies, and theatrical traditions, with recent attention to contemporary Japanese visual culture including Manga.
Maruki's scholarly publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Japanese language education and cross-cultural literary analysis. His recent work has examined poetic exchanges in language classrooms, the teaching of keigo, and content-language integration approaches. Earlier research explored historical educational exchanges between Japan and America during the Meiji era and adaptations of Western literature in Japanese Noh theater, showing an evolving but coherent research trajectory spanning over a decade.
As an advisor, Professor Maruki has guided students in significant academic projects, including Justyn Lee's 2025 senior capstone "Reclaiming Manga Aesthetics," which examined Manga through an artistic lens and challenged perceptions of Manga as merely commercial rather than high art. Lee, a double major in Japanese and art, presented his analysis entirely in Japanese, demonstrating the language proficiency developed through Maruki's instruction.
