Education

616 Jane Stanford Way
Encina Hall, E005
Stanford, CA 94305-6060

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amy_cheng.jpg MA

Amy Cheng is the instructor of Stanford e-Eiri Girls High School and Stanford e-Kagoshima City for the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). As of 2023 she has returned to SPICE on a part-time basis while she continues to work at Sony Interactive Entertainment as senior manager of a 12-member content creation team in the United States and the United Kingdom. Prior to Sony, she was a technical/education writer at Pearson Education as well as a curriculum writer for SPICE. In the earlier years with SPICE, she helped develop curricular units on Hiroshima, China in the 21st century, and U.S.–Mexico relations.

In the mid-1990s, Amy was a graduate student at Stanford University, completing coursework toward an M.A. in East Asian Studies and an M.A. in International Comparative Education at the Graduate School of Education. She received her degree from the Center for East Asian Studies in 1998. As an undergraduate, Amy studied English at the University of California at Berkeley.

Amy was born in Yokohama, Japan, and immigrated to the Bay Area in the late ’70s with her family. Besides Japan, she has lived in China and South Korea.

Instructor, Stanford e-Eiri Girls High School
Instructor, Stanford e-Kagoshima City
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Gary Mukai
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The Stanford/SPICE East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawaiʻi (“Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi”) is a professional development program for teachers in Hawaiʻi. It was launched in 2020–21 and the third year ended this month. Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi is generously supported by the Freeman Foundation. 

The third year of Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi included four virtual seminars that featured Stanford-affiliated scholars who lectured on topics related to Japan (Professor Ethan Segal), China (Professor Andrew Walder), Korea (PhD candidate Zoë Gioja), and Southeast Asia (Ambassador Scot Marciel). The virtual seminars took place during the 2022–23 academic year. The third year culminated in a three-day institute that was held at the East-West Center, Honolulu on July 11, 12, and 13, 2023.

The SPICE staff was pleased to work with the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawaiʻi Teacher Fellows below. 

Amy Boehning, Mililani High School
Carl Wright, Kapolei High School
Chayanee Brooks, Ka‘u High and Pahala Elementary School
David Brooks, Ka‘u High and Pahala Elementary School 
Grace Nguyen, Konawaena High School  
Gregory Gushiken, Punahou School 
Hannah Lim, ‘Iolani School 
John Ates, Le Jardin Academy 
Jonathan Chang, Apex for Youth 
Jonathon Medeiros, Kauaʻi High School
Laura Viana, Mid-Pacific Institute 
Mariko Shiraishi, Hawaii Baptist Academy 
Michael Hamilton, Leilehua High School 
Molly M. Satta-Ellis, Konawaena High School 
Niti D. Villinger, Hawai‘i Pacific University 
Patricia Tupinio, Leilehua High School 
Ria Lulla, Kawananakoa Middle School 
Sarah Fujioka, Waipahu High School 
William Milks, ‘Iolani School

Suzanne Vares-Lum at the podium


The institute featured welcoming comments by East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum (photo above), who touched upon two of the key themes of the institute: the importance of recognizing diverse perspectives and the interconnectedness of the world. Her comment that “Hawaiʻi can have an impact on the world” especially resonated among the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawaiʻi Teacher Fellows and the SPICE staff. 

President Vares-Lum’s welcoming comments set the context for presentations by University of Hawaiʻi-affiliated scholars and community leaders, and curricular presentations by SPICE staff. The first day’s topics were “Immigration and Migration,” “Japan and World War II,” and “Contemporary U.S.–China Relations”; the second day’s topics were “Immigration, Migration, and the Korean Diaspora,” “Colonial and Post-Colonial Korea,” “The Korean War,” and “International Textbook Comparisons”; and the third day’s topic was “Asian Immigration and Diasporas in the United States.” These topics were taken from the Hawaiʻi Core Standards for Social Studies. The presenters were:

Day One
Ken K. Ito, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, UH Mānoa
Carole Hayashino, President Emerita, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i
Jane Kurahara, Volunteer, JCCH
Betsy Young, Volunteer, JCCH
Shana Brown, Associate Professor and Department Chair of History, UH Mānoa

Day Two
Merle Grybowski, Director of Teacher Training, Pacific and Asian Affairs Council
Edward J. Shultz, Professor Emeritus of History, UH Mānoa
Duk Hee Lee Murabayashi, Director, Korean Immigration Research Institute in Hawaiʻi
Naomi Funahashi, Manager of Teacher Professional Development, SPICE

Day Three
Gary Mukai, Director, SPICE
John Rosa, Associate Professor of History, UH Mānoa
HyoJung Jang, Instructor of the Sejong Korea Scholars Program and Curriculum Specialist, SPICE

Graeme Freeman at the podium


The institute also included a reception. Special guests included Graeme Freeman (photo above), President of the Freeman Foundation, which generously supports Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi. Graeme spoke about the Freeman Foundation’s mission of helping to enhance the teaching of East Asia through programs such as the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia and Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi and expressed his gratitude to the Teacher Fellows for the ripple effect their learning has on their students. Graeme was joined by Director of Operations and Programs Shereen Goto and Office Manager Robin Sato, both of the Freeman Foundation. 

Over the next month, each Teacher Fellow will submit a lesson plan to SPICE that incorporates content that was introduced during Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi. The SPICE staff awaits in anticipation of seeing how content from the seminar will reach hundreds of secondary school students throughout the Hawaiian Islands. 

Rylan Sekiguchi, Manager of Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi, and Sabrina Ishimatsu, SPICE Event Coordinator, organized the institute, which was facilitated by SPICE Manager of Teacher Professional Development Naomi Funahashi.

To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Guest lecturer Zoë Gioja speaks with educators across Hawai‘i
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Educators Across Hawai‘i Learn from Stanford Scholars

Teachers from Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Hawai‘i Island participate in the third year of the Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i program.
Educators Across Hawai‘i Learn from Stanford Scholars
Teachers pose at the East-West Center
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Stanford/SPICE East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawai‘i Summer Institute

First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige delivers welcoming comments at the East-West Center.
Stanford/SPICE East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawai‘i Summer Institute
President Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum with Gary Mukai
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SPICE and the East-West Center: A 34-Year History

SPICE will host a 2022 teacher summer institute at the East-West Center, continuing its longstanding relationship with the Center.
SPICE and the East-West Center: A 34-Year History
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Teachers in front of the Japanese Garden, East-West Center
Teachers in front of the Japanese Garden, East-West Center; photo courtesy East-West Center.
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East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum delivers welcoming comments.

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Mia Kimura MBA

Mia Kimura is a Curriculum Consultant at the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE).

Prior to joining SPICE, Mia worked in marketing communications, supporting foreign firms in the Japanese market, and Japanese organizations in the United States. She has also served as Principal at Poppins Active Learning School, an international program for early childhood education in Tokyo. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science from Brown University, and a Master of Business Administration from The Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. She was born in San Francisco and lived in Tokyo for 25 years before returning to the Bay Area.

Mia’s role at SPICE represents the culmination of decades of experience bridging Japanese and American business and social cultures. She also draws from background as an executive coach, defining her role of instructor as an enabler of students’ own curiosity and abilities to question, reflect, and learn.

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Applications opened recently for the Fall 2023 session of the Stanford University Scholars Program for Japanese High School Students (also known as “Stanford e-Japan”), which will run from the end of September 2023 through the end of February 2024. The deadline to apply is August 12, 2023.

Stanford e-Japan
Fall 2023 session (September 2023 to February 2024)
Application period: June 30 to August 12, 2023

All applications must be submitted at https://spicestanford.smapply.io/prog/stanford_e-japan/ via the SurveyMonkey Apply platform. Applicants and recommenders will need to create a SurveyMonkey Apply account to proceed. Students who are interested in applying to the online course are encouraged to begin their applications early.

Accepted applicants will engage in an intensive study of U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. Government officials, top scholars, and experts from Stanford University and throughout the United States provide web-based lectures and engage students in live discussion sessions.

Stanford e-Japan is offered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), Stanford University. Stanford e-Japan is generously supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation, Tokyo, Japan.

For more information about Stanford e-Japan, please visit stanfordejapan.org.

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and SPICE’s other student programsjoin our email list or follow us on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter.


SPICE offers separate courses for U.S. high school students. For more information, please visit the Reischauer Scholars Program (online course about Japan), the Sejong Korea Scholars Program (online course about Korea), and the China Scholars Program (online course about China).

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Yukie Arashida, Yohkoh, Hineno, and Ami Osaka
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Winners Announced for the Fall 2022 Stanford e-Japan Award

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Hana Kameyama, Miyu Kato, and Yuta Muraki
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Winners Announced for the Spring 2022 Stanford e-Japan Award

Congratulations to our newest student honorees.
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Stanford e-Japan honorees from across Japan gathered in Tokyo for the Japan Day award ceremony
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SPICE Recognizes Top Students in Stanford e-Japan and the Reischauer Scholars Program

Congratulations to the 2021 Stanford e-Japan and 2022 RSP honorees.
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Encina Hall; photo courtesy Andrew Broadhead
Encina Hall; photo courtesy Andrew Broadhead
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Interested students must apply by August 12, 2023.

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Gary Mukai
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Sponsored by Stanford Global Studies (SGS), the Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Community College Faculty Fellowship program brings together a cohort of community college faculty and academic staff from various disciplines to work collaboratively with Stanford staff for one academic year (August–May). Each EPIC fellow designs a project that aims to internationalize curricula and develop global competencies among community college students. Jonas Edman and I met monthly with six of the 11 2022–23 EPIC fellows throughout the academic year. For me, some of the more meaningful discussions revolved around topics related to culturally relevant pedagogy; non-Western perspectives on topics like psychology, global citizenship, and finance; community college demographics; and the fellows’ communication with Stanford faculty and/or the incorporation of Stanford scholarship in the fellows’ projects. The fellowship culminated with the EPIC Symposium, “Integrating Global Topics into Community College Curricula,” which was held on May 20, 2023 and featured panels of current EPIC faculty and leadership fellows. The six EPIC fellows with whom Edman worked are listed below and their projects all focused on curriculum, which is a key component of SPICE’s mission to help make Stanford scholarship on global issues accessible to K12 and community college educators and students. Each fellow gave an overview of their project to an audience of Stanford faculty and staff, EPIC alumni, and other community college faculty and staff. 

  • Amy Coren, Professor of Psychology, Pasadena City College 

    • Project: Beyond WEIRD: Reconceptualizing the Introduction to Psychology Course

  • Fran Farazdaghi, Associate Professor of Global and Peace Studies, Golden West College

    • Project: An Expanded Boundary of Care: Global Citizenship in the Modern World

  • Michelle Macfarlane, Agriculture Faculty and Distance Learning Coordinator, Sierra College

    • Project: Decolonizing the United States Food System

  • Yuliana Mendez, Associate Professor of Business, Yuba Community College

    • Project: Expanding the Borders of Personal Finance Curriculum Through Global Perspectives

  • Elisa Queenan, Professor of Business and Economics, Porterville College

    • Project: International Virtual Collaboration: Where the Only Thing More Unpredictable Than Your Wi-Fi Is the Conversation

  • Mark Rauzon, Professor and Chair of Geography Department, Laney College

    • Project: Breaking Up in the Bering Sea: Russia/U.S./Climate Change Chaos and the Effect on Native Communities and Bering Sea Ecology

Summaries of all of the 11 2022–23 EPIC fellows’ projects can be found here

After an engaging question-and-answer session, Edman made closing comments and mentioned how much he had learned from the EPIC fellows not only in terms of subject matter content but also pedagogical content knowledge, especially at the community college level. 

At the end of the symposium, the EPIC fellows received certificates from SGS Executive Director Kate Kuhns and Academic and Outreach Manager Kristyn Hara for their successful completion of the fellowship. During the symposium, they were invited to join the Global Educators Network (GEN), which in partnership with SGS seeks to inform, inspire, engage, and empower community college educators—and their students—to more deeply engage with global themes and learning resources, as well as international dialogue, research, and pedagogical strategies.

Following the symposium, I reflected on each of the presentations. I was, of course, already familiar with the content of their projects prior to the symposium. However, something unexpected from each presentation really stood out. Coren and Mendez described how their collaboration with other EPIC fellows in the group really enhanced their work with their students and commented on how their EPIC projects became a bridge between the cohort of EPIC fellows and their students. Farazdaghi spoke about how EPIC enabled her to empower her students to drive and shape her new curriculum on global citizenship. Macfarlane shared insights on the challenges of integrating her new course in departments like ethnic studies. Queenan spoke about how she adapted the five-step Design Thinking framework into her course. And through a video interview of a Siberian Yupik, Rauzon integrated an Indigenous perspective in his talk. These comments will help to further refine how Edman and I approach working with the 2023–24 EPIC fellows. 

Importantly, Edman and I are most grateful to Kristyn Hara for expertly facilitating the EPIC program over the past year and for planning and implementing this year’s EPIC symposium.

The EPIC Community College Faculty Fellowship program is made possible through the support of U.S. Department of Education Title VI funding. 

To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Stanford Global Studies hosts Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Symposium
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SPICE’s Jonas Edman Moderates Panel of Community College Instructors

Stanford Global Studies hosts Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Symposium.
SPICE’s Jonas Edman Moderates Panel of Community College Instructors
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Collegiality and the 2020–21 EPIC Fellows

On August 13 and 14, 2020, Stanford Global Studies welcomed 12 new Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Fellowship Program community college instructors as members of its 2020–21 cohort.
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epic symposium
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SPICE’s Jonas Edman Chairs Panel of Community College Educators

On May 16, 2020, Jonas Edman chaired a panel of community college educators with whom he worked during the 2019–20 academic year.
SPICE’s Jonas Edman Chairs Panel of Community College Educators
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EPIC Fellows with Jonas and Gary
(top row, left to right) Gary Mukai, Elisa Queenan, Amy Coren, Yuliana Mendez, Michelle Macfarlane, Fran Farazdaghi; (bottom row, left to right) Jonas Edman, Mark Rauzon.
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Stanford Global Studies hosts 2023 Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Symposium: Integrating Global Topics into Community College Curricula.

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Applications opened this week for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), an all-English online course to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice annually in the fall and spring by SPICE and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. The instructors are Irene Bryant (fall) and Makiko Hirata (spring). It is open to Japanese students in their first and second years of high school. The spring 2023 course will run from early July through September.

The application form is now live at https://forms.gle/C8gTBAae71yHi5bZ8. The deadline to apply is June 19, 2023 23:59 Japan Time.

Participating in the program has broadened my world enormously.
Yura Mizutani, fall 2022 participant

SeEJ offers students an opportunity to engage with impactful entrepreneurs from California and beyond through its virtual classes offered twice a month on Sundays. The course will culminate in an individual research paper and final group research projects, the latter of which will be presented at the last virtual class of the course in September. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from SPICE, Stanford University, and NPO e-Entrepreneurship.

Testimonials from recent alumni attest to the transformative experience that the course has offered students since its inaugural year in 2020. Yura Mizutani (fall 2022 SeEJ) wrote about how the course introduced her to more complex, layered, and multidisciplinary approaches to addressing social issues. “Before joining Stanford e-Entrepreneurship, I was passionate about solving social problems from a public policy perspective. Participating in the program has broadened my world enormously, as I have learned that there are many ways to solve social problems from an entrepreneurial perspective as well.”

For more information about Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, visit the program webpage. To apply, submit the online application by June 19.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

To stay updated on SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Nahoko Okamoto, Mona Abe, Yamato Obinata, and Scott Watanuki with their instructors
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Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan honorees with their instructors
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Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan student Naho Abe in Mexico City
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The following reflection is a guest post written by Naho Abe, an alumna of Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan.
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Encina Hall, Stanford University; photo courtesy Irene Bryant.
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Applications are now being accepted for the spring 2023 session. Interested high school students in Japan should apply by June 19, 2023.

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Gary Mukai
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On May 5, 2023, the Spring 2023 TEACH Conference attracted people from across Stanford University for professional development, networking, and socializing around undergraduate and graduate teaching and learning. The conference engaged participants in the following key topics: 

  • Engagement: How can we captivate students and motivate them to apply what they are learning effectively to their projects, assignments, research, and so on?
  • Well-being: How can we support thriving among learners and teachers?
  • Belonging: How can we invite learners and teachers to bring their whole selves to class?  
     

Makiko Hirata touched upon each of the three key topics through her perspective and experiences as a concert pianist, educator, and researcher. Hirata opened her session on “Sound Communication” with a performance of Chopin’s “Etude Op. 25-1 in A-flat Major” a.k.a. “Aeolian Harp” and immediately drew in the audience.

Hirata demonstrated how music can encourage people to be more empathetic and imaginative through a series of short vocalization and listening exercises. Between different exercises, she interspersed research on the synching or coupling of brainwaves between listeners in effective communication. She structured her talk around four components of music—silence, rhythm, melody, and harmony—and she offered insightful remarks on how understanding such components can make people better educators who can also help to facilitate the well-being and belonging of their learners.

Makiko Hirata at TEACH conference

Her interactive session included asking the participants to sit in silence. “If you only have two minutes to relax,” Hirata told the participants, “studies show that sitting in silence is more effective than listening to so-called ‘relaxing music.’ We only have so much cognitive capacity, and the brain needs silence in between inputs to process the information it receives.” Another exercise focused on rhythm as she engaged the audience in a clapping exercise. It was a lesson on non-verbal leadership, including the importance of using breath, body language, and eye contact as cues. 

Hirata also made references to neuroscience, which has documented the effects of music. A summary of this is captured in the March 31, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times: “When we listen to music together, our heartbeats actually start to align and we start breathing together to the lyrics. Even our brain waves start to synchronize, according to Makiko Hirata, an international concert pianist who works with neuroscientists to quantify the benefits of music on our well-being.” 

After participating in her workshop, I was eager to apply these musical concepts to my teaching for more enhanced sense of belonging and engagement among my students. In addition to the four components of music, I will also keep the following four questions—outlined by Hirata—in mind as I plan my future lessons. 

  • How much attention do you pay to your tone of voice in the classroom? 
  • What is the range of your vocal inflections during your presentations? 
  • What is the tempo of your bullet points and rhythms in your choice of words? 
  • Do you know the power that sonification can give to a set of data? 


Hollie Fortcamp, one of the organizers of the TEACH Conference, noted, “It was a joy to attend ‘Sound Communication’ by Dr. Makiko Hirata, SPICE, at the TEACH Conference. We are so blessed to have her expertise and delight! She captivated the room. She gave us all much to ponder about how the various aspects of musicality influence communication, especially the communication of teaching and learning. We are still talking about it.” In addition, three of the participants’ written comments noted “Makiko’s lovely piano playing and moments of silence in a great workshop”; “the measurable value of silence in information processing”; and “music/sound and more importantly, silence in teaching is important.” Fortcamp continued, “Makiko was an ideal presenter as she highlighted all three topics of the TEACH Conference—that is, engagement, well-being, and belonging.” 

To stay updated on SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Reference: 

“Can music inspire more people to care about climate change?” Los Angeles Times, 31 March, 2023; https://www.latimes.com/podcasts/story/2023-03-31/column-one-podcast-lu…

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Marie Fujimoto at Tsuda Elementary School, Yokohama City
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Music Beyond Boundaries

Graduate student Marie Fujimoto reflects on a course co-taught by SPICE Director Gary Mukai and former CASEER Director Hideto Fukudome.
Music Beyond Boundaries
Students with Yasuhiro Fukano, Manager at the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education, and Makiko Hirata
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SPICE Launches New Course for Students in Wakayama Prefecture

Instructor Makiko Hirata reflects on the launch of Stanford e-Wakayama, SPICE’s newest regional program in Japan.
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Yo-Yo Ma and Kinan Azmeh
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Makiko Hirata speaking at the TEACH Conference on May 5, 2023
Makiko Hirata speaking at the TEACH Conference on May 5, 2023; photo courtesy Gary Mukai.
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The workshop was part of the Spring 2023 TEACH Conference, which explored the theme of belonging and wellness in teaching and learning.

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The following is a guest post written by Sarah Sumire Nomoto, who participated in the G7 Hiroshima Junior Conference in Hiroshima Prefecture. Sarah was a participant of the fall 2022 Stanford e-Japan course, which was taught by Meiko Kotani.

I am Sarah Sumire Nomoto. I am 17 years old, and I was born and raised in Hiroshima. My father is American, and my mother is Japanese. In this post, I would like to share thoughts on my experiences at the G7 Hiroshima Junior Conference, which was held from March 27th to 30th, 2023, and was organized by the Citizens Council for the Hiroshima Summit. 

In advance of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, this conference had the aim to have young people from the G7 countries come together to consider, discuss, and deepen understanding about international issues and initiatives and forge a resolution from the perspective of youth. There were 24 high school students participating, including 12 Japanese students from Hiroshima Prefecture and 12 students from the remaining G7 countries: France, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Italy, and Canada. We were divided into three groups: (1) Peace; (2) Sustainability; (3) Diversity and Inclusion. Because of my background as a Japanese American living in Japan and my mother’s involvement in LGBTQ+ issues in Japan, I have been interested in the topic of diversity from an early age, which led me to join the diversity group.

On the first day, we went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum and listened to a story from a hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor)—something I have experienced many times as a student in Hiroshima. I knew from the Stanford e-Japan program that American students are usually taught the reasons of the bombings, but little of the impact. Then, I saw a lot of G7 country participants getting shocked by the hibakusha’s story and the museum exhibits. After this experience, we talked together about finding the difference between “knowing” and “realizing.” This was exactly the point I had tried to make in my Stanford e-Japan research paper which was coming true in front of me at the G7 Hiroshima Junior Conference.

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Sarah Sumire Nomoto group work

The second day marked the start of our group’s focus on the theme of diversity. We went on a study tour which was meant to broaden our cultural horizons. However, we learned and realized that Japanese societal views are often limited to cultural and ethnic diversity, and other critical issues such as gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, disabilities, and generational differences are less discussed. We felt that the perspectives of how our society sees diversity and inclusion must be expanded. 

On the third day, as youth representatives of the G7 countries, we presented our final outcome to Hiroshima Prefecture Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki. We recommended and demanded that youth play key roles in the discussions surrounding diversity and inclusion, as there are many crucial issues that must be addressed now. When we talked about and created our document, I realized how valuable the Stanford e-Japan program had been in preparing me to be involved in discussions like this.

I am currently doing the International Baccalaureate program in high school, and my dream is to raise people’s awareness of global issues through film production. I would like to continue my efforts based on what I have learned at this conference and through Stanford e-Japan.

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Stanford e-Japan honorees from across Japan gathered in Tokyo for the Japan Day award ceremony
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Stanford e-Hiroshima is an online course for high school students created by SPICE and Hiroshima Prefecture
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Stanford e-Hiroshima, SPICE’s Newest Online Course for High School Students: Sharing Cranes Across the Pacific

Stanford e-Hiroshima seeks to underscore the importance of helping high school students understand the interdependence between Japan and the United States.
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G7 Junior Conference youth representatives with Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, Hiroshima Prefecture
G7 Junior Conference youth representatives with Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, Hiroshima Prefecture; photo courtesy Citizens Council for the Hiroshima Summit. Sarah is in fourth row, second from the left.
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Stanford e-Japan alumna Sarah Sumire Nomoto shares her experience as a youth representative at the G7 Hiroshima Junior Conference.

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The following is a guest article written by Yujia Zhai, PhD student at Zhejiang University and Special Research Student at the University of Tokyo. Zhai enrolled in a course at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Education called “Introduction to International and Cross-Cultural Education,” which was co-taught by SPICE Director Dr. Gary Mukai and former CASEER  Director Dr. Hideto Fukudome. SPICE will feature several student reflections on the course in 2023.

Last fall, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Visiting Fellow Gary Mukai, Professor Hideto Fukudome, and several distinguished guest speakers introduced a range of important topics and research hotspots in the field of international and cross-cultural education. This learning journey provided me with a great deal of inspiration, and the discussion with the speakers left a lasting impression on me.

During one of the classes, we discussed the gender gap in STEM education as well as gender inequality in employment, which prompted me to consider the underlying reasons behind these gender inequality phenomena. Even though there are undoubtedly socio-cultural factors at play, I would like to re-examine the issue from the perspective of curriculum based on my research expertise. 

As the main carrier of school education and the primary tool for disseminating human social culture, state-mandated curriculum essentially reflects the values and interests of the dominant class in society and assists to maintain the existing social hierarchy. Obviously, studying gender inequality in the curriculum, particularly fathoming the role of the curriculum in the reproduction of gender culture and its operating mechanism, will be of great significance to the reconstruction of school curriculum culture and the richer realization of gender equality education.

After careful inspection of the reality of Chinese education, I have noticed that gender inequality exists in several areas including curriculum content selection, the teaching process, and evaluation methods. Besides their higher representation in Chinese school textbooks, males are more often depicted as knowledgeable and highly capable people who are engaged in creative and indispensable jobs, whereas females are portrayed as ignorant and ill-informed, holding low-status, auxiliary roles, and frequently appear in domestic contexts. This gender discourse—imperceptibly suggested by the content of the textbooks—is continuously instilled in students’ minds, potentially shaping their thoughts and behaviors in the future.

Only by promoting a culture of gender equality and advocating the concept of gender equality through curriculum reform can we create a gender-equal school environment, achieve true educational equity, and advance the harmonious development of society.

In addition, different expectations held by teachers depending on gender will result in divergent interaction and evaluation methods adopted in common classroom settings. Male students are more frequently called on to answer questions in classrooms and assigned tasks that require more physical strength and intelligence, whereas female students are assigned simple and tedious tasks that only require attention and patience. What’s more, it might seem quite inexplicable that teachers may not hesitate too much to give criticism or punishment to male students, which possibly could be regarded as concern, love, or motivation for female students. In essence, these actions will ultimately lead to the separation of male and female students in the process of learning, inherently causing serious consequences for the students’ future intellectual development, academic achievements, and career choices.

To address the issues outlined above, we must strive to eliminate the influence of traditional gender ideology on the curriculum via regarding gender equality as the primary principle and basis for the selection of curriculum knowledge. Curriculum experts, local education administrators, gender research experts, women’s federation staffs, female teachers, representative matriarchs, and female students should all be involved in the development of curriculum, ensuring that both men and women have equal rights to behave and speak. Only by promoting a culture of gender equality and advocating the concept of gender equality through curriculum reform can we create a gender-equal school environment, achieve true educational equity, and advance the harmonious development of society.

 

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PhD student Yujia Zhai reflects on Chinese gender equality education from the perspective of curriculum and instruction.

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Applications opened this week for the China Scholars Program, an intensive, college-level online course on contemporary China for U.S. high school students. The China Scholars Program (CSP) is offered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) at Stanford University, and is open to rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders across the United States. The Fall 2023 online course will run from late August through December. Applications are due June 15, 2023.

Stanford University China Scholars Program for high school students
Fall 2023 session (late August through December)
Application period: May 8 to June 15, 2023

Accepted applicants will engage in a rigorous academic exploration of key issues in China, spanning politics, economics, social issues, culture, and the arts, with an emphasis on the relationship between the United States and China. In real-time conversations with leading scholars, experts, and diplomats from Stanford University and other institutions, participants will be exposed to the cutting edge of U.S.–China relations and scholarship. CSP students will also have an opportunity to meet online with Chinese students in our Stanford e-China Program. Students who complete the online course will be equipped with a rare degree of expertise about China and international relations that may have a significant impact on their choice of study and future career.

“CSP was one of the best academic programs that I have attended,” said Michelle Jin, a recent alum of the program. “By engaging with CSP’s rigorous and unique curriculum, I explored aspects of contemporary China that were not covered in my high school curriculum and had meaningful discussions with invited professors and cohort peers. The curriculum culminated with an independent research paper that allowed me to delve deeper into understanding China’s ‘Rust Belt,’ a topic of immense personal interest. I would highly recommend CSP to any student willing to challenge themselves and grow!”

More information on the China Scholars Program is available at http://chinascholars.org. Interested high school students should apply now at https://spicestanford.smapply.io/prog/china_scholars_program/. The deadline to apply is June 15, 2023.

The China Scholars Program is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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Applications are being accepted for the Fall 2023 session. Interested students should apply by June 15, 2023.

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