Teacher Information

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PROFILE

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Affiliation

• Tamagawa University　College of Arts and Sciences　Department of Liberal Arts

Title

• Associate Professor

Other affiliations

ACADEMIC DEGREES

• M.Phil.　Department of Religion, Columbia University　2006-05-01
• M.A.　Department of Religion, Columbia University　2006-02-01
• Ph.D.　Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, The Rockefeller University　1998-06-01

Area of research

• Area studies　　metahistory of lunfardo; semiotics and lunfardo; history of Argentina's cultural identity; history of multiculturalism in Buenos Aires
• Religious studies　　religious studies, Fuji cult, Edo culture, mountain religions, popular cults and beliefs, intellectual history, the relationship between science and religion

Research project

• Research Theme　Individual　I study the cult of Mt.Fuji in the late Edo period. I study the various beliefs and religions that intersect on Mt. Fuji and inform this popular cult. I investigate the deities that are linked to Mt. Fuji, and the ways in which the sacred space of this mountain (and its position within Japan) were "mapped." Through this cult common people in the Kanto area developed a nuanced understanding of their reality at the individual, geographic, as well as cosmic levels. I call this "popular episteme."
• Research Project 1: pilgrimage and semiotics　Individual　In this project I develop a theoretical framework for the study of pilgrimage based on the semiotics of C.S. Peirce. I study various examples of pilgrimage from religions in different places and historical times. I aim to show that pilgrimage works mainly through the construction of semiotic communities. These are groups of people who share a set of signs and use them to create a coherent view of reality as well as their own identity. In my work I include also tourism and other forms of travel.
• Research Project 2: Science and Religion　Individual　In this project I compare the role that religion and science have in the modern and premodern worlds. I study how laypeople engage with these two separate systems in rather similar fashions, despite the profound differences inherent in them. One of the main aims of this research is to reconsider the role of science and religion in our so-called secular world. Potentially, this project should have significant implications on how science and religion are introduced in our school system.
• Research Project 3: popular religion and culture in the Edo period　Individual　I extend my research of the Fuji cult to other forms of popular cults and beliefs in the Edo period. The aim of this project is to study in more detail how commoners in the Edo period made sense of the reality around them. In other words, I want to understand the process through which the popular episteme developed in the Edo period. I try to get at this by examining popular beliefs on stars, dreams, directional deities, divination, etc., especially as they appear in almanacs and similar texts.
• Lunfardo and the cultural history of Buenos Aires　　Lunfardo, the variety of Spanish in Buenos Aires, originated in the marginal sectors of society in Buenos Aires as a result of massive migratory waves entering the city from the mid-19th century. As it became one of the main registers of tango lyrics, it came to represent Argentine culture in the world, as tango itself became an international phenomenon and symbol of Argentina. Despite a massive production of poetry, theatrical pieces, and prose in Lunfardo, a strong reaction in Argentina to this variety of Spanish has tried to belittle its role in the cultural history of Argentina. This research project intends to trace the history of the discourse on Lunfardo in Argentina, and in so doing to recognize and analyze the dynamics involved in the development of the cultural and national identity there. This metahistory of the discourse on Lunfardo enables us to understand the forces involved in the development of a multicultural society like the one in Buenos Aires, which is a process that in our historical moment is of tremendous relevance.

Biographical information

• 2008-04-01　～　2010-03-31　Hosei University　International Exchange Center　part-time teacher
• 2006-07-01　～　2006-08-31　Columbia University　Graduate School of Religion　Part-time teacher
• 2006-01-01　～　2006-05-31　Barnard College, Columbia University　Department of East Asian Languages ??and Cultures　part-time teacher
• 2005-09-01　～　2005-12-31　Columbia University　Graduate School of Religious Studies　Teaching Assistant
• 2005-01-01　～　2005-05-31　Columbia University　Graduate School of Religion　Part-time teacher

Graduate School attended

• Columbia University, New York (USA)　Japanese Religions　Other　
• Columbia University, New York (USA)　Japanese and East Asian Religions　Completed　2006-02-01
• The Rockefeller University, New York (USA)　Molecular Biology and Biochemistry　Completed　1998-06-01

University attended

• The University of York　Department of Biology　Genetics　1991-07-01　Graduated

Teaching qualification / certification

Affiliated academic society

• Latin American Studies Association　member　2018　～ Present　
• Society for Latin American Studies　member　2018　～ Present　
• Association for Asian Studies　member　2010-11-01　～ Present　
• Japan Consciousness Project, Hosei University　member　2010-05-20　～ Present　

Record of committee membership

Academic prizes awarded

Research achievements (PUBLICATIONS)

• A Study Placing the Earliest Depictions of Lunfardo within the Discourse on Crime and Immigration in Argentina around the Turn of the 20th Century.　The Journal of the College of Arts and Sciences, Tamagawa University　Marco Gottardo　2024-03-31
• Constructing a National Identity through Language: An Analysis of the Earliest Descriptions of Lunfardo in Argentina　The Journal of the College of Arts and Sciences　Marco Gottardo　2023-03-31
• A Study in the Development of the Program for Incoming International Students in the Department of English Language Education, Tamagawa University　Bulletin of College of Humanities, Tamagawa University "The Ronso"　　2017-03-31
• On the identity of Mt. Fuji's deity: A study on the role of Benzai-ten in the development of the Fuji cult.　Bulletin of College of Humanities, Tamagawa University "The Ronso"　Marco Gottardo　2017-03-31
• How to Introduce Problem Based Learning in the Classes of the Department of English Language Education　Bulletin of College of Humanities, Tamagawa University "The Ronso"　　2015-03-31

Research achievements (PUBLICATIONS/REVIEWS (Misc))

Research achievements (BOOKS)

• "Pilgrimage: Buddhism"(in Malti-Douglas, Fedwa (ed.), "Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender")　　Macmillan reference USA　　2007-08　Individual Works
• "Dogen" (in Shirane, Haruo (ed.), "Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginning to 1600")　　Columbia University Press　　2007-05　Individual Works
• "Molecular Characterization of an RNA-Dependent Transcription Reaction Catalyzed by RNA Polymerase II" (Doctoral dissertation)　　The Rockefeller University　　1998-04　Individual Works

Research achievements (Lectures, oral presentations, posters, etc.)

• Between civilization and barbarism: a re-contextualization of the early definitions of Lunfardo, and re-evaluation of its role in the creation of an Argentine cultural identity.　2021 Society for Latin American Studies Conference　2021-04-15
• "From the margins to the center: a study on the role of Lunfardo in the creation of a cultural identity in Argentina"　2019 Society for Latin American Studies Conference　2019-04-04
• "'One, No One, and One Hundred Thusand:' Who is the deity at Mount Fuji?"　Conference "Buddhist dynamics in East-Asian Religions"　2011-06-18
• "Popular mapping of sacred space: the chthonic world of Mt Fuji in the Edo Period"　Society for the Study of Japanese Religions (SSJRS) at Association for Asian Studies (AAS), Honolulu　2011-04-02
• “Il culto del monte Fuji tra magia e medicina” ("The cult of Mount Fuji between medicine and magic")　Workshop "MANABU", Italian National Institute of East Asian Studies, Kyoto　2010-06-30

Research achievements (Other)

Research achievements (Patents)

Overseas research

Overseas research activities

Acceptance of special research students

Courses you have taught (To be displayed on Researchmap)

Course taught (Course for regular students)

• 2024　1　学際ｱｶﾃﾞﾐｯｸｽｷﾙｽﾞ (ﾘｰﾃﾞｨﾝｸﾞ)　Monday　3　学科科目　講義　LA　32　
• 2024　1　ﾘﾍﾞﾗﾙｱｰﾂｾﾐﾅｰ IA　Tuesday　56　学科科目　演習　LA　2　
• 2024　1　ｶﾙﾁｭﾗﾙ･ｽﾀﾃﾞｨｰｽﾞ　Tuesday　78　学科科目　講義　LA　59　
• 2024　1　宗教学　Wednesday　12　US　講義　文・農・工・経・教・芸・LA・観　5　
• 2024　1　宗教学　Wednesday　12　US　講義　文・農・工・経・教・芸・LA・観　7　

Course taught (Course for correspondence students)

Other subjects

Educational innovation, text books and other matters worth mentioning

• 2023　In all my lecture courses, both in the Spring and Fall semester, I make sure to distribute a handout (in Japanese) summarizing the main points of my class each time I introduce a new theme or topic in the course. This way, the students have a trace to follow when they review the lecture contents at home, and they can use these handouts when they review the course materials before the final exam. In as many cases as possible, I try to incorporate English translations for some of the most important concepts, so that the students may gradually become familiar with finding English keywords in content classes.　
• 2023　In my Japanology course in the Spring semester, I try as much as possible to use only English throughout the whole course. That is all my lectures and answers to the students' questions are in English, all my handouts are in English, all the reading materials are in English, all email correspondence with the students is in English, and all the assignments and exams (and my feedback comments) are in English. The purpose of this style of teaching is to implement fully the ELF philosophy of using English as a shared language to learn and discuss academic content. The model is to try and bring the class time as close as possible to a study-abroad type of experience for the Tamagawa students.　
• 2022　In all my lecture courses, both in the Spring and Fall semester, I make sure to distribute a handout (in Japanese) summarizing the main points of my class each time I introduce a new theme or topic in the course. This way, the students have a trace to follow when they review the lecture contents at home, and they can use these handouts when they review the course materials before the final exam. In as many cases as possible, I try to incorporate English translations for some of the most important concepts, so that the students may gradually become familiar with finding English keywords in content classes.　
• 2022　In my Japanology course in the Spring semester, I try as much as possible to use only English throughout the whole course. That is all my lectures and answers to the students' questions are in English, all my handouts are in English, all the reading materials are in English, all email correspondence with the students is in English, and all the assignments and exams (and my feedback comments) are in English. The purpose of this style of teaching is to implement fully the ELF philosophy of using English as a shared language to learn and discuss academic content. The model is to try and bring the class time as close as possible to a study-abroad type of experience for the Tamagawa students.　
• 2021　During this academic year, as all my classes were taught online, I made sure the students had many possibilities available to them to interact amongst themselves and with me in each course. Toward that aim I organized discussion forums for each weekly class in each course I taught, both in the Spring and Fall semesters, for the students to exchange questions and ideas. I also encouraged the students to hold, if needed, consultations with me online via Zoom, in lieu of in person office hours.　

Presentations / Lectures

• 2018　For on-campus　Mandalas, mummies, and miniatures: embodying the sacred in Japanese religion
• 2017　For on-campus　"Mandalas, mummies, and miniatures: embodying the sacred in Japanese religion"
• 2017　Guest speaker　The cult of Mt. Fuji: popular religion and popular episteme in the Edo Period
• 2016　For on-campus　Japanese Religion seminar
• 2015　For on-campus　Japanese Religions and Culture

Involvements with student field work / Study trips

• 2018　Other　Visit to the National Diet Library　All 3rd and 4th years students in Gottardo's Seminar　11　　　
• 2017　Other　Visit to the National Diet Library　All 3rd and 4th years students in Gottardo's Seminar　12　　　
• 2016　Other　Visit to the National Diet Library　All 3rd and 4th years students in Gottardo's Seminar　22　　　
• 2015　Seminar Travel　Seminar research field trip to Enoshima　All 3rd and 4th years students in Gottardo's Seminar　25　　　
• 2015　Other　Visit to the National Diet Library　All 3rd and 4th years students in Gottardo's Seminar　26　　　

Extracurricular activities, etc.

• 2023　Committee activities in campus and various administrative activities　Cosmos Fair Organizing Committee　co-organizer, advisor
• 2022　Guidance on extracurricular activities etc.　First-year Seminar　Volunteer advisor
• 2021　Guidance on extracurricular activities etc.　First-year Seminar　Volunteer advisor
• 2019　Committee activities in campus and various administrative activities　Evergreen College Program - Department of English Language Education　Co-organizer, advisor
• 2019　Committee activities in campus and various administrative activities　Department of English Language Education Study Abroad Program (University of Oregon)　Advisor

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION ACTIVITIES

Achievements in fine arts / sports