Rate My Professor Wako Tawa

Wako Tawa is the Willem Schupf Professor in Asian Languages and Civilizations, Director of Language Study, and Director of the Japanese Language Program in the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations at Amherst College, where she also serves as Associate Chair. She has been teaching Japanese at Amherst for over 35 years since approximately 1988, building the program from the ground up and pioneering the stage-step teaching method that separates conceptual grammar understanding from practical skill development. Tawa's academic credentials include a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 1986, an M.A. from International Christian University in 1975, a B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1971, and an honorary A.M. from Amherst College in 2000. Her distinguished career features prior roles such as the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professorship in 2004 and Named Bruss Reader from 2000 to 2002.

Tawa's research centers on two primary areas: formulating Japanese grammar from a non-Western grammatical viewpoint to address limitations in traditional Western-influenced descriptions, and investigating foreign language teaching and learning processes, especially for Category IV languages like Japanese that pose significant challenges for English speakers. Prominent publications include her 2023 book '日本語学習者のための文法再考察 (Rethinking Japanese Grammar for Learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language)' published by Kaitakusha, and the influential 'Japanese Stage-Step Course' series from Routledge in 2009, encompassing a grammar textbook, workbooks 1 and 2, a writing practice book, and sound files on compact disks. Additional contributions comprise translations of NHK surveys on Japanese language changes (2017-2021), edited proceedings such as 'Proceedings of the Workshop on Japanese Syntax: Issues on Empty Categories' (1988) with Mineharu Nakayama, and articles including 'Implicit Arguments in Japanese Potentials and Resultatives' (Canadian Journal of Linguistics, 1995) and 'Interpretation of Definiteness in Japanese: Examples from Null NPs' (Word, 1993). Her innovations have earned accolades like a $150,000 Arthur Vining Davis Foundation grant in 2009 for Category Four language instruction and conferences, Five College Mellon Grants including a 2018 Innovative Language Teaching Fellowship ($22,950), multiple Amherst College Faculty Research Awards (1989, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005) and Senior Sabbatical Fellowships (2002-03, 2009-10, 2016-17, 2023-24), the Japan Foundation grant (1999), Culpeper Foundation (1998), and ongoing Shoyu Club support (2006-present). Tawa has hosted colloquia on Category IV languages (2012) and AP Japanese articulation (2009), influencing pedagogy through teacher training and workshops.