Every Wednesday afternoon in McCabe, an amazing scene unfolds: a group of students silently reading, with great concentration and contentment. These students are not studying for an exam or conducting research for their thesis projects. They are reading for pleasure, in any genre they like, in Japanese.

The students are enrolled in Japanese Extensive Reading, an unusual language course taught by Atsuko Suda, Senior Lecturer in Japanese. The syllabus for this course is sparse because it is largely self-directed. The majority of the class time is given over to sustained, silent reading; students may read anything they choose as long as they can understand 98% of the content. Amazingly, students do not use dictionaries during class, to say nothing of online resources–this class is screen-free (and, as a result, AI-proof).

Atsuko holds the class in a space familiarly known as the comics lounge on the second floor of the library. This room is home to a massive collection of classic superhero comic books (newer comics and graphic novels, including international comics and manga, can be found on the third floor, in the call number range PN6700-6790) and the library’s zine collection. There is soft furniture, perfect for curling up with a fun read. And on the bookshelves that line the room, there are ideal books for this course, which Atsuko has worked with library staff to acquire. Readers written especially for language-learners, children’s books, fairy tales, and one especially popular mystery called Fune, are some of the books students choose from.

Japanese Extensive Reading was first offered at the College in 2015 by Senior Lecturer Yoshiko Jo, who passed away in 2024. The course is part of her legacy, and her memory is also commemorated by a decorative plaque, donated by her family, that hangs in the comics lounge.  Extensive Reading is informed by a pedagogical philosophy that prioritizes real-world application over rote memorization. Students expand their vocabularies by reading books that they have chosen, and by recommending those books to each other. In an assignment Atsuko calls “biblio battles,” students must convince each other that the book they have read is the best. Turning presentations into a low-stakes competition is a fun way to make standard book reports more engaging. Atsuko believes that even students who do not continue studying Japanese will remember some of the content they learn in this class, because reading is an immersive cultural experience. More likely, however, the course will spur the students to carry on with Japanese studies. The course is open to students at all levels and from all backgrounds–native speakers, heritage speakers, and classroom-educated language learners. As long as they understand 98% of their chosen text, a student can flourish in this class. 

Isabell Hu, ‘28, is currently enrolled in the course for the second time. To her, Japanese Extensive Reading is special because “In Japanese language class we go over a lot of grammar and vocabulary, but being able to dedicate time to only reading and get credit for it is really amazing…it's really cool to be able to look back at what your reading level and speed was at the beginning of the year and see how much you've improved since then."

Students with questions about this course, or about other Japanese language opportunities at Swarthmore, are encouraged to reach out to Atsuko (asuda1@swarthmore.edu). Language instructors curious about establishing their own course or collection in the library should contact Abbie Weil (aweil1@swarthmore.edu), liaison librarian for Modern Languages and Literatures.