Bio
Naoko Komura is a Teaching Professor of Japanese and serves as the Coordinator of the Japanese Program in the Department of Modern Languages at Florida International University. Since joining the Department of Modern Languages at FIU in 2007 and she has taught Japanese at all proficiency levels, from beginning to advanced, in both online and in-person formats each semester. In addition, she serves as an advisor to the Japan Club, collaborating on events that promote Japanese language and culture on and off campus. She also directs FIU’s Intensive Language and Culture in Kyoto program, in which students engage in a four-week immersive experience in Japanese language and culture at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto each summer.
Her areas of specialization include second language acquisition, intercultural communication, and curriculum development in Japanese language education. With over 25 years of teaching experience, she is committed to fostering engaging, student-centered learning environments, both in the classroom and through experiential learning opportunities abroad. She employs cross-cultural and community-engaged pedagogical approaches, including Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), which connects FIU students with peers at Japanese universities as well as with members of local communities, and integrates Global Learning (GL) initiatives into her classroom activities to enhance students’ intercultural competence.
She also organizes a variety of cultural events and study groups on campus to inspire students’ interest in Japanese language and culture. She promotes student participation in local Japanese and Asian cultural events, thereby enriching learning experiences beyond the classroom.