Academic Info about Joshua M. Smith, PhD

He then received his degree in Bachelor of Arts in Humanities (2000) from Buffalo State (SUNY),with a focus on the Japanese Language and Culture. His undergraduate studies included a one-year exchange at the Kansai Gaidai University of Foreign Languages in Osaka, Japan, during his junior year.

After graduating, Joshua moved to Japan and taught English for three years. He then entered Osaka University as a researcher. He continued there to receive his Master’s degree and Doctoral degree in the Graduate School of Human Sciences in the Sociology Department. Researching the cultural sociology of Japan and more specifically traditional arts and music and their hybridization and development in contemporary times. The title of the doctoral thesis was “Modernization in the Shakuhachi Art World.”

Joshua has published “The Hybridization of a Musical Tradition: Transnationalization and Globalization's Affect on Modern Shakuhachi Player's Values” in Valiente and Nagai, eds’., Transnationalizing Culture of Japan in Asia: Dramas, Musics, Arts and Agencies. Quezon City: Japanese Studies Program, Ateneo de Manila University, July (2009).

He also has published “Searching for a Musical Identity: The Changing Values of Contemporary Shakuhachi Players” in The New York Sociologist about the changing values of contemporary players and how spirituality and capitalism is affecting their values. Here is the link to the online publication:

http://newyorksociologist.org/08/Smith-08.pdf

Joshua has guest lectured sociology and ethnomusicology at Buffalo State and Osaka University of Arts. He has presented and performed at various universities, including Columbia University in New York City, Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, and Osaka University of Arts. He also has participated in international events such as gatherings for ambassadors and world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Japan (November 2010).

Although he is an academic and scholar, he enjoys the qualitative interpersonal aspects of the social sciences. Ultimately, a balance of qualitative and quantitative techniques form a the base of his research. His current research areas of interest are Japanese traditional arts and music, Japanese gardens, Native American music etc.

Joshua is currently teaching communication research methods as a lecturer at Buffalo State, part of the State University of New York.

Syllabus for COM 401

Official Curriculum Vitae for Joshua M. Smith, PhD.


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