Eric VanLuvanee has been an adjunct instructor of Japanese at the University of Delaware since August 2010. A 2003 graduate of UD, his B.A. was in East Asian Studies with a concentration in Japanese language. He went on for his M.A. in Japanese Language and Literature at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which he completed in 2005. His concentration was in modern Japanese literature with further focus on the fantasy genre in Japan. He also holds level 1 (N1) certification from the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), conducted each year by the Japan Foundation.

Eric has taught a variety of courses at the University of Delaware, ranging from Elementary Japanese to the Literature survey and translation courses. Since 2011, in collaboration with Mutsuko Sato, he has co-directed the university’s study abroad program in Kobe, Japan. There he teaches the Japanese culture course, Contemporary Japan I. Eric also serves as the Japanese department’s Japanese Language Proficiency Test advisor. Students interested in the exam are encouraged to visit him for information and guidance. Further information about the proficiency exam can be found at the official website: https://www.jlpt.jp/e/

Eric’s interests lie in Modern Japanese Fantasy literature, video game studies, and Japanese linguistic history. He spends time reading and analyzing The Guin Saga, a sweeping series of over 120 novels, written (unfortunately not completed) by the late Kaoru Kurimoto. He is also interested in research concerning Japanese-American cross-cultural communication in online gaming.