Rate My Professor Yukiko Maru

Yukiko Maru serves as Principal Lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures within the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology. With over 20 years of dedicated service to RIT, as recognized during the College of Liberal Arts faculty and staff celebration in 2023, she has played a pivotal role in the Japanese language program. Maru is a core faculty member for the Japanese Option in the Applied Modern Language and Culture BS program and acts as the program contact for the Modern Languages and Cultures Japanese Immersion track. Her contributions extend to experiential learning opportunities abroad, where she co-directs the RIT Study Abroad program on Kyoto History and Culture alongside colleagues Joseph Henning and Masako Murakami. Additionally, she has served as a contact for faculty searches, including the Lecturer in Japanese position advertised in 2024.

In her teaching portfolio, Maru delivers a comprehensive sequence of Japanese language courses designed to build proficiency across speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills in contemporary Japanese society. These include MLJP-202: Beginning Japanese II, introducing approximately 120 Kanji characters and emphasizing real-life communication; MLJP-301 and MLJP-302: Intermediate Japanese I and II, focusing on advanced practice with cultural integration and additional Kanji; MLJP-310: Practical Reading and Speaking in Japanese, targeting everyday texts and scenarios; MLJP-401: Advanced Japanese I, featuring discussions, debates, authentic materials, and purpose-driven writing; and MLJP-431: Speaking and Culture Practicum in Japanese, offering intensive real-life practice. She also teaches HIST-103: The City in History, exploring urban histories through multifaceted lenses. Maru's collaborative work includes co-authoring the 2011 Final Report of the Provost’s Learning Innovation Grant titled 'Online Technology in Non-alphabet-based Foreign Language Classrooms: Integration of Deaf and Hearing Students, and Enhancement of Their Writing Skills in the Target Language' with Hiroko Yamashita and Stephen Aldersley. Based in office EAS-3229, she is reachable at 585-475-4558.