The Center for Foreign Language Education and Research (FLER) was founded at Rikkyo University in April 2020 as an institution to carry out advanced educational practice and to conduct cutting-edge research. We are in the midst of difficult but challenging times in which we cannot find solutions by simply following precedents. In such a period of complexity and uncertainty, we believe that a key lies in ‘three areas of interaction.’

1. Interaction between different disciplines
   Foreign language education is a transdisciplinary field where one’s foreign language learning is full of complexity and diversity; that is, various components—such as different starting ages of learning, different interests, different magnitudes of motivation and different personalities—dynamically interact and collectively contribute to one’s foreign language competence and construction of identity. Not only various language-related studies (e.g., linguistics, second language acquisition, literature) but also areas concerning human mind and behaviors (e.g., psychology, sociology, biology, brain science) help us understand the complex and dynamic nature of foreign language learning.
   
   
2. Interaction between different languages
   English is now recognized as a lingua franca, playing a key role in international communication; however, solely Anglophone-based values and ways of thinking are still limited and are insufficient to solve a number of global problems we are currently facing. FLER involves teachers of five other languages—German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Rossian, each of which has its own thoughts, values, culture, and history. The interaction between different language professionals, or translanguaging dialogue, helps us expand our perspectives and enrich our life. The interaction with other languages would also enhance respect for other cultures and promote tolerance in the global community where diverse people are expected to work collaboratively.
   
   
3. Interaction between theory and practice
   With rapid globalization and progress of information technology, research on foreign language teaching and learning has advanced and proliferated over the last decade; however, implementation of practice in the foreign language classroom based on the findings obtained from the research side has been piecemeal and gradual, and there is still a large gap between teachers and researchers. To close this gap, foreign language professionals are required to play two roles—practitioners and researchers—and to make an effort to integrate the two sides of the same coin. Through continuous cycles of engaging in research activities and putting the findings into practice in the classroom, we could serve as a bridge between the two separate worlds. We believe our attempt to exercise researched pedagogy would contribute to creating an ideal foreign language learning environment for students.

FLER is aiming to achieve this ‘new normal’ of foreign language teaching at university through three areas of interaction among professionals with diverse expertise, languages and backgrounds. We aim to conduct a number of ambitious research projects and make a significant contribution to the lasting improvement of our foreign language teaching practice.

-Water must be crossed to be understood, and people must be in a relationship to be understood.

There is perhaps nothing more important, yet more difficult to practice, than the act of "understanding others”. Learning a foreign language is a very important clue to comprehending others. This is because language is deeply connected to the culture of the region where it is spoken and to the thoughts of the people who speak it. By learning a language different from our mother tongue, we not only improve our language skills, but also learn about local customs. This is the basis for relativizing our own culture and accepting others. Alternatively, some may perceive the diversity latent in their own culture and develop their thinking in an attempt to understand the others present in their culture.
A river can be felt to be deep and cold by crossing it, and people can be known deeply through association. In the same way, a language can only be experienced in depth and significance when it is learned. This is what leads to the concepts of "plurilingualism" and "pluriculturalism", which the Center for Foreign Language Education and Research (FLER) places great importance on.
You will have a good encounter with foreign languages at Rikkyo University, and you will be able to make the most of it for the rest of your life. This will be supported by a FLER team of educators who advance their research in foreign language education with researchers from all around the world.

물은 건너 보아야 알고 사람은 지내 보아야 안다

'남을 이해한다'는 시도만큼 중요성이 인식되면서도 실천이 어려운 것은 없을지도 모릅니다. 외국어를 배우는 것은 남을 이해하는 데 아주 중요한 단서가 됩니다. 왜냐하면 언어는 사용되는 지역의 문화나 말하는 사람들의 사고방식과 깊은 관련이 있기 때문입니다. 우리는 모국어와는 다른 언어를 배우는 것을 통해 어학 능력을 높일 뿐만 아니라 그 지역의 관습도 알 수 있습니다. 그것이 바로 자국의 문화를 상대화하고 타인을 수용하는 기반이 되는 것입니다. 혹은 자국의 문화 속에 숨겨진 다양성을 찾아내고 자기 문화 속에 존재하는 남을 이해하려고 사고를 발전시키는 분도 있을지도 모릅니다.
강은 건너봐야 그 깊이나 차가움을 알 수 있고, 사람은 겪어 봐야 제대로 알 수 있습니다. 마찬가지로 언어는 배워 봐야 그 깊이와 의의를 깨달을 수 있습니다. 그것이 저희 외국어교육연구센터(FLER)가 소중히 생각하고 있는 「복언어·복문화주의 (複言語・複文化主義)」라고 하는 지침으로도 연결되고 있습니다.
여러분이 릿쿄대학에서 외국어와 좋은 인연을 맺을 수 있고, 인생의 양식이 될 수 있도록, 세계의 연구자와 함께 외국어 연구를 진행시키고 있는 교수진이 돕겠습니다.