Paper short abstract:

This study analyzes STS pedagogy in non-English speaking environments. In this research, I explore the aphasia of learners, instructors, and universities in English-mediated STS education, who all lost their first language, and the “enhancements” that come with aphasia.

Paper long abstract:

This study analyzes the pedagogy and experiences of teaching STS-related courses to non-native English speakers in a university and interdisciplinary setting in Tokyo in 2023. I conduct this research using autoethnography on my teaching experience and narrative analysis on syllabi and course evaluations. This study explores three “aphasia:” non-native English speaking learners who urge to practice English in formal settings under the ambition/pressure to become “global talents,” non-native English speaking instructors who not only go “publish or perish” but also face the English imperialism on both publication and teaching, and universities provide English-mediated courses in response to funding crisis and depopulation, as they all abandon their first language and the original framing of higher education. On the other hand, the study analyzes three enhancements coming with aphasia: often lower-than-average educator-learner ratio, an opportunity for disadvantaged younger generations to develop their language ability, and, not without irony, a space to connect with people who reflect the intellectual imperialism of English. This study further analyzes one of the core issues of education: how to make STS contents relevant and passionate in English-mediated education for learners. This challenge comes not only from language and background barriers but also an ontological one - a central topic in the English-speaking world is often not already a worthy being in other languages, and vice versa. However, instructors in English-mediated STS education often need to bridge this gap without systematic resources. This research contributes to STS pedagogy, indigenous knowledge, and higher education in the global neoliberal trend.