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Derek Otsuji
Contact Information
Phone: 395-2586
Profile
Impeccably trained yet refreshingly unconventional teacher and
professional writing instructor with broad, eclectic experience
ranging across academic, literary, and business-related fields.
Well-versed in traditional (and some not so traditional) instructional
methods for teaching a variety of writing forms ranging from business
proposals to research papers to poetry. Proven ability to teach
effectively in cross-cultural classroom settings and in one-on-one
tutorials with working professionals. Award-winning creative writer
with some critical reviewing and editing experience. Fluent in spoken
Japanese with some reading and writing ability.
Courses and Seminars Taught
Written Business Communication
Business English Conversation
Fundamentals of Writing
English 115
Fundamentals of Research
Resume Writing
Fundamentals of Grammar and Usage
Creative Writing
Professional Experience
JAIMS (Japan-America Institute of Management Science), Honolulu,
HI
Business Writing Instructor, Intercultural Management Program
(1997-present)
Taught working professionals the most common forms of business correspondence
using case studies that involve realistic or actual events in the
business world. Types of correspondence covered included e-mails,
memos, routine and persuasive requests, replies, routine and persuasive
claims, refusals, apologies, thank you letters, résumés,
and proposals.
Fundamentals of Writing Seminar Teacher (Intercultural Management
Program)
Developed and taught an innovative and engaging seminar on writing
fundamentals covering the following: basic communication theory;
claims vs. evidence; concrete vs. abstract language; general vs.
specific statements; showing vs. telling; topic sentences; paragraph
development; and transitions.
Taught fundamentals of research in an intensive seminar based on
The Craft of Research (Booth, Colomb, Williams) and other preexisting
materials. The course gave students the knowledge and skills to
generate topics, develop thesis statements, conduct research, gather
and evaluate evidence, evaluate claims, present arguments using
deductive and inductive reasoning, summarize and state the significance
of findings.
Developed and taught seminar on professional resume writing. Resumes
were used to help working professionals secure internships with
actual companies.
Business English Conversation Teacher
Developed syllabus for and taught an intensive business English
conversation class at both the beginning and intermediate level.
The course covered vocabulary building, grammar skills development,
reading and listening comprehension, conversation etiquette, problem
solving and negotiation skills.
Private Writing Tutor
o Customized intensive one-on-one business writing tutorials for
executives and top
managers at SPARX, a leading Japanese investment firm for high net
worth investors.
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Graduate Student Instructor (1994-96)
o Developed writing curriculum together with colleagues for incoming
freshmen.
o Taught personal narrative, textual analysis, research writing,
and negotiation.
Dunbar International,Salt Lake City, UT
Coeditor (summer of 1995)
o Coedited the final English version of the Japanese-to-English
translation of The History
of the Engine by Dr. Takashi Suzuki.
Education
M.A., English
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 2000.
B.A., English and Japanese
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 1994.
Summa Cum Laude
Scholarships and Awards
P.A. Christensen Award (for top English Department graduate student),
1995
Thomas Scholarship Award (for top 5 junior year English undergraduates),
1993
Hinckley Scholarship, 1991
Barrett Scholarship, 1992
Eisteddfod Poetry Competition, First Place, 1996
Mayhew Essay Writing Competition, First Place, 1996
Mayhew and Larsen Poetry Writing Competitions, Second Place, 1996
Phi Kappa Phi
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