Prof. Muehleisen is an American professor who has been living in Tokyo and teaching English and linguistics at Waseda University since 1994. In Prof. Muehleisen’s seminar, students are encouraged to explore the ways in which linguistic theory and knowledge can be applied to real world situations. This practice gives them confidence in their ability to speak and teach the English language, something that they will need to succeed in their careers.

The seminar is mainly focused on second language learning and teaching, but students interested in other areas, such as translation or language policy, are also welcomed into the group. The seminar is conducted in English, but it is open to students interested in the theory and how it can be applied to any language.

Prof. Muehleisen’s seminar is comprised of 18 third year students and 21 final year students, a big number for such a seminar, demonstrating its popularity. Waseda University is home to the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS), which counts many foreign students among its student body. The seminar includes students from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the United States, Italy and Sweden. English is the main language used in the group, although some discussions are conducted in Japanese for the ease and understanding of all students involved.

At the SILS, all students have the opportunity to study abroad, and a few students even obtain double degrees while doing so. This is classified under the one-year Study Abroad Program (SAP). Students have an opportunity to study at Waseda for a year, move to another university abroad for one year, and then come back to spend more time at Waseda, all without leaving their current course of study. For example, the students in Prof. Muehleisen’s seminar this year did their study abroad in the United States, Sweden, Spain, Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Some students choose to study politics or economics while they are at the SILS. This is very unique approach, and students can take advantage of this opportunity to study across their different areas of interest.

Prof. Muehleisen’s seminar sometimes interacts with similar groups held at sister universities in Finland and Malaysia. She is now planning a video conference with students at Finland’s Jyväskylä University in the spring of 2019. During this video conference, she is planning to host a joint presentation session to demonstrate what the students have learned here at Waseda and exchange this knowledge with students in Finland. The students are really looking forward to this program.

Although some of the students found communicating in English difficult at first, they now enjoy having discussions in English with both Japanese and foreign students alike. This is one of the main reasons why many of them chose Prof. Muehleisen’s seminar in the first place. It has allowed students to interact with others in English, improving their communication skills and helping them to make new friends.

In addition to helping students feel more confident about their proficiency with the English language, Prof. Muehleisen’s highly sought-after seminar gives students the skills they need to start looking for jobs after graduation. In the seminar, students are encouraged to share tips, hints and successful strategies for not only finding suitable positions, but also acing the interview and getting hired.

By spending time learning together in Prof. Muehleisen’s seminar, like-minded students are able to uncover their own potential, select higher education opportunities, and/or practice valuable skills for finding employment.

The topics discussed when we visited were "semantic priming" and the "Stroop effect." Prof. Muehleisen presented a YouTube video showing the text of color names that were written in same color of the text, and the text of color names that were different from the text, such as word "orange" written in black ink. The video showed that people are slower to say the name of colors when the word "orange" was shown in black. Students were then divided into 5 sub-groups, and they discussed what they had seen in the video.

In the breakaway groups, the students were asked to do additional reading, discuss the topics, and give presentations on how what they have learned relates to the basics of applied linguistics. Therefore, students not only learn the theories of linguistics, but they also learn how to give effective presentations and practice their public speaking. In the classroom, members of these small groups really enjoy the discussions, and they listen and learn from each other. Some students are not confident when speaking in English, but those who are fluent English help them to prepare; everyone and encourages each other in a friendly manner.