Dr. Kaori Ishida
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“A Conversation with New CAS Faculty Member: Dr. Kaori Ishida”
After her arrival on campus, faculty colleagues Dr. Jane Sutton (S) and Dr. Deborah Eicher-Catt (E-C) sat down with Dr. Kaori Ishida (I) for an informal, “get-to-know-you-better” conversation. The following are excerpts.
Dr. E-C: I’ve been to Japan once—a long time ago. I loved it! Where do you come from in Japan and what is your "hometown" like?
Dr. I: I am from Gunma prefecture. The Gunma prefecture is very close to both Tokyo (about one hour) and the mountain area. In Gunma prefecture, we have many ski and hot springs/spa resorts. In fact, Nagano prefecture, where they had the Winter Olympics in 1998 was next to Gunma. We also have the Subaru factories (including the main one) in Gunma, so if you are driving Subaru, your car might be from where I am from!
Dr. S: After you arrived, you asked me about "lightning bugs" or "fire flies." In rural Pennsylvania, we have lots of these bugs and in Japan you don't have them (at least not anymore). What else have you noticed as unique or fun or different about this area of Pennsylvania?
Dr. I: Yes, I was very excited about the fire flies when I first moved here! We don't
have them in Japan any more, unless you go to really, really rural areas, and
rural areas are disappearing in that country which makes it hard to find them.
I can't think of any other differences right now... Oh, yes, the roads. The
roads here are very confusing, after having lived in the west (California, Utah, and Arizona) for eight years. But if I compare this place with Japan, not much difference. I'm excited to experience the winter here though - it'll be quite different from where I am
from.
Dr. S: You received your BA in Japan, right? How did you become interested in communication as an undergraduate?
Dr. I: My undergrad major was mass communication and I was more interested in media production rather than human communication. But when I took a communication theory class, I thought that it was very interesting, and then I became interested in communication.
Dr. E-C: Coming to the United States is such a big step to take. What prompted you to come to the United States to study communication?
Dr. I: I came because I was interested in intercultural communication. I thought that I should come here where there is more cultural diversity than in Japan. Also, when I was a junior in college, I came to this country first time and I really liked it. I stayed with an American family for three weeks in California and I had a wonderful intercultural experience. I wanted to have more intercultural experiences and wanted to advance my education in the field at a university in the States.
Dr. S: What attracts you to the program at Penn State York? It's a bit of a stretch but assuming Penn State York were transplanted to Japan, would you (living in Japan) have been interested in going to Penn State York/Japan?
Dr. I: My university in Japan was a small private school. I liked being a student at a small campus, because I was able to work with my professors closely and I used all the small campus advantage not only while I was there, but even now ten years after I graduated. My professors there are still very supportive of me and I visit them at school when I go back to Japan. My experience at the small university was great, and that is why I wanted to teach at a smaller institution, such as Penn State York.
Dr. E-C: You’ve been here several weeks now. What are some of your first impressions of Penn State York?
Dr. I: When I came here first time in January, 2005, I thought that it was VERY cold here! Having lived in Arizona for four years, I was used to warm weather and it was kind of a shock to me. I also thought that people here were so nice and friendly. Not only the faculty and staff, I also had a chance to meet some members of the CAS club at that time. I felt that the students here were more excited and serious about their education and research, which made me want to work here even more. I think that being at a small campus is a great advantage for both the students and faculty.
Dr. E-C: I couldn’t agree with you more! What do you like most about teaching?
Dr. I: What I like about teaching is that I can share what I feel passionate about with my students. Don't you feel great when you can share something that you think is great with many other people? I get excited (maybe sometimes too excited) when I talk about what I like - intercultural communication research. But I feel rewarded and I love my job even more when my students tell me how much my class made a difference in their lives.
Dr. E-C: I can sense your excitement about teaching now! What is one of your favorite recollections about the teaching experience?
Dr. I: I had a great class when I was teaching upper level intercultural communication course. In the class, students were very involved and very excited about what we were studying and that resulted in a special discussion session about diversity in sexuality--led by one of the students. He volunteered to lead the discussion by sharing his personal experiences, and we had a very stimulating discussion on the issue as a class. As an instructor, I was thrilled because the students initiated the discussion and I was able to learn a lot with my students. And I was so happy when one of my students nominated me for a teaching award - It was so special, because the nomination came from my student.
Dr. E-C: I think the students here will like you as well. Turning to your research interests, what kinds of questions about communication do you ask in your own scholarship? What problems do you focus upon?
Dr. I: I ask questions about everyday things in communication phenomena. I like to critically think about what we usually take for granted and accept as just a "normal" thing in our everyday lives. My research has been focusing on the issues of intercultural communication at the interpersonal level. For example, I conducted a phenomenological study of intercultural identity and examined how people in intercultural friendships experience identity change. In the study, I questioned about our "normal" way of understanding about intercultural adaptation and identity transformation, and tried to understand what it is really like through phenomenological investigation. I also studied how people in romantic relationships use different conflict strategies across different cultures.
Dr. E-C: When you’re not working on teaching or your scholarship, what do you like to do for relaxation and fun?
I like to go for a drive, swimming, and snowboarding. I also enjoy singing (karaoke!) in my car. Another thing I recently started doing is to watch Animal Planet, after I got a cable at home first time in my life.
Dr. S. and Dr. E-C: Thanks, Dr. Ishida, for helping us to know you better. We’d like to extend an “official” welcome to Penn State York! Next time, you get to ask us the questions!
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