I'm a professor of international communications, in the Department of International Studies and English Communication, of Ritsumeikan University, in Kyoto, Japan.

Given the importance of motivation for learning a foreign language, the relationship of cultural and linguistic identity play important roles in increasing and maintaining the desire to communicate in a foreign language. My research interests are broad and include: the possible effect of different study abroad contexts on L2 possible selves, L2 confidence, and intercultural communication competence; how teachers were affected by the sudden switch to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) due to the COVID-19 pandemic; historical aspects of intercultural communication among Irish immigrants to Quebec and the Northeastern United States in the late 17th through early 19th centuries; introducing positive psychology into English as a foreign language teaching.

 

My new project from 2026 (half year domestic sabbatical) will investigate linguistic landscapes in Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka, as part of a larger project with three other researchers across Japan.

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This web site describes some of the courses I currently teach, and gives lists of my publications and presentations. I have provided a few links to PDFs where possible; please check my Slideshare and LinkedIn pages for more details.

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​**A note to prospective graduate students**

I am currently not permitted to accept doctoral candidates for supervision, as we do not have a PhD program in Education. Please refer to the Ritsumeikan University Graduate School for further information.