Page 97 - Japanese Character Writing for Dummies

About the Author

Hiroko Chiba is a professor of Asian Studies (Japanese Studies) at DePauw University in Greencastle,
Indiana. She teaches all levels of Japanese language and Japanese culture and directs the Japanese
language program there. Her professional life revolves around various interests related to language
teaching and learning. Her research interests include language acquisition, cross-cultural studies
of aesthetic perceptions, and Japanese science fiction anime. She has authored and co-authored a
wide variety of research studies domestically and internationally. She has also served as the presi-
dent for the Association of Indiana Teachers of Japanese. Hiroko loves teaching and enjoys offer-
ing action-packed classes every day. When she has free time, she is a devoted student of yoga and
an admirer of kawaii (cute) products such as Hello Kitty and companion robots like Aibo. Hiroko
received a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dedication

To my former, present, and future students.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the editors — Lindsay Lefevere, Chrissy Guthrie, and Marylouise Wiack — for
patiently having worked with me. I’m much obliged to them. A big thank you to Dr. Charles
Andrews who served as a technical reviewer. His comments were helpful and thoughtful. And last,
but not least, I would like to thank my family members in Japan who helped me pursue this project
in many important ways.