Faith Litvack practiced Law from 1990, both as a litigator and Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, before she joined the faculty at Florida State College at Jacksonville to teach substantive and procedural skills in the Legal Studies Program. She joined the Faculty of Economics in the spring 2024 term as a Fulbright Scholar. We interviewed her on the completion of her time at YNU.

1. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO TEACH IN JAPAN?

I have had an appreciation for Japanese culture for much of my life. When I was a young child, my mother had wallpaper and artwork depicting Japanese scenery. I always admired it.

My real affinity came when I went to undergraduate school at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. I was studying Film, and we watched Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. The aesthetics of that film really left an impression. Japanese culture has permeated the United States and when sushi restaurants started popping up all over New York City, I became addicted to that cuisine.

When I got to Law School, I signed up for the criminal law clinic. During my research I came across the Korematsu case which was about the Japanese internment camps in California during World War 2. That was when I started to look at Japanese culture with a more critical eye. I couldn’t believe that the Supreme Court felt that imprisoning Japanese Americans was justified while they were allowing Germans to enter the country without much scrutiny.

Although I practiced law for 30 years before I started teaching full time, that case left an impression upon me. In fact, when I started teaching full time, I would have my students research the same case. Once the opportunity to apply for a Fulbright became a personal goal, I immediately looked to see what Japan was interested in for lecturers. Fortunately, Law was on their list. I have been a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator for over 25 years and have an affinity with women empowerment. Being a female attorney and mother, I know the challenges women face balancing those roles. Consequently, my personal statement reflected my desire to empower women and teach the Alternate Dispute Resolution course. The reason I chose the other course, Introduction to the Legal System in the United States, was because with the advent of social media, young people especially are being exposed to many cultures. I thought it would be enlightening for YNU students to learn about how the United States focuses on individual rights, whereas Japanese culture is more community and collectively wired.

2. WHAT IMPRESSION DID YOU HAVE OF JAPAN AND YOKOHAMA BEFORE YOU CAME?

I actually love this question because I asked a similar question to my students on the first day of class at YNU. I don’t know if I can articulate “an impression” but can say that I had never heard of Yokohama. My son being a naval officer explained to me where it was, so I started to do some research.

I guess the impressions I had were mostly that there were lots of people, good public transportation, great food and fabulous gardens, museums and artistic culture. I have a neighbor that worked in Tokyo for a year and kept telling me how much I would love it. Ironically, I ended up loving Yokohama just as much and probably more.

I never expected the people to be so polite and considerate of others. So many people have helped me navigate my way around, even chasing me after I left my ticket in the station machine. I was told it was very safe and I never felt uncomfortable alone, on the train or walking in the evening hours.

3. WHAT COURSES DID YOU TEACH AT YNU?

I taught two law related courses at YNU. One class was Introduction to the Legal System in the United States. In this class we focused on the Constitution and more specifically, the amendments which articulate individual rights. Together we looked at the similarities between Japan and the United States. To keep the course relevant, the class did oral presentations on current events that had some legal significance. I was most impressed with their power points on actual cases. Halfway through the semester the students were able to identify the facts and Supreme Court rulings on landmark cases. They applied critical thinking skills as they analyzed the Court’s reasoning in cases like Brown v. Board of Education, which codified that segregated schools were unconstitutional.

At the end of the semester the power points were more contemporary because I wanted to teach them that the law was fluid and could change as to social norms.

The second class I taught was Alternate Dispute Resolution. This class was more challenging for both me and the students. We spent the semester doing role play in various types of Alternate Dispute. At the beginning of the semester, the students were challenged to think individually and advocate for their position in a myriad of scenarios. We started with negotiation, then went to mediation and concluded with arbitration. By the end of the semester, I was so impressed with the development of their skills and how each one found their own voice. The class was small but ultimately very productive. In fact, I tried some new things in this class that were so successful, I am implementing them for my class this upcoming semester in the United States.

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW THAT THE CLASSES ARE OVER?

I have mixed emotions now that the semester has ended. On one hand I feel I accomplished my goal of teaching foreign students something relevant about the United States, which is part of my mission as a Fulbright Scholar. I teach very interactively, which is different from what they are used to, yet I appreciated their open mindedness to participate and eventually it became obvious that the students “had fun” learning. The group work really inspired the students to engage with one another. I know they learned because I gave an in-class quiz game titled, “What I now know about the United States Legal System” and the entire class did well.

I also had some challenges and disappointment when I reflect on my performance. I had not considered that the names of students would be difficult to master. Several weeks in one of the students created a name tag for the desk and I realized I should have thought of that. I went home that day and stopped at the Daiso to get thick paper stock and wrote all their names on cards for the following week.

Although the students were fairly competent in English comprehension, it took a few weeks for us to comfortably understand one another. I tried reinforcing concepts by using games in class. I had homework assignments, but when I learned just how many classes the students take, I adjusted (several times) the content of my class. I then started incorporating weekly in class non-graded quizzes to review the previous week’s material. That worked well and the students appreciated using their smartphones to play along. I think if I had stayed for a full year, I could have improved significantly by the second semester. I had difficulty with the LMS because the terminology was awkward. I would have preferred the opportunity to be able to get into the system from my apartment where I could work more productively.

5. WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAVE YOUR STUDENTS?

The message I would like to leave my students is a repeat of what I told them several times during the last few weeks.

I really appreciate your kindness and patience with me, but most importantly your willingness to learn. Knowledge is power. It is a gift that you give to yourself. As the world becomes smaller through social media, remember to continue to be kind and take the time to apply your knowledge so you can identify what is fiction and what are facts. The truth matters.

Best of luck to all of you. You have my email address. Feel free to contact me.

Arigatou gozaimashita!