Anna Oura (Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School) received Honorable Mention for her research paper on “A Comparative Study on Japanese and U.S. History Textbooks.”

Applications for the Spring 2019 session of Stanford e-Japan will be accepted online from January 10 to February 24, 2019.

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and SPICE’s other programs, join our email list and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

• Japan Day 2018: Recognizing future leaders in the U.S.–Japan relationship
• Winners announced for the Fall 2017 Stanford e-Japan Award

In 1972, after years of frozen relations between China and the United States, President Richard Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong and set the two countries on a mutually interdependent path. Only a year later, Stanford University established the Bay Area China Education Project (BAYCEP) in 1973. In 1976, three other projects (on Africa, Latin America, and Japan) were added to BAYCEP, and SPICE was established as the umbrella program of the four projects. In a 1978 paper, Dr. David Grossman, the founding director of BAYCEP and SPICE, noted the following:

Long before we knew or used the term globalization, the origins of SPICE can be traced to the growing awareness that there was a huge gap or lag between the work of scholars and the knowledge and awareness of the general public. The original impetus was the Nixon visit to China in 1972, and the realization that the general public and students were not prepared for this radical shift in geopolitics. The problem was how to bridge this profound knowledge gap… This underlying theme of making recent scholarship more accessible to the public, and particularly to K–12 teachers and schools, became the heart of the SPICE initiative, and has remained so to this day.

For 45 years, SPICE has worked to bring Stanford’s world-class scholarship on China to K–12 schools nationwide through two primary avenues: supplementary curricular materials on China and U.S.–China relations; and seminars on China and U.S.–China relations for educators in the United States. In both of these areas, SPICE has worked in collaboration with Stanford scholars, including Professor Emeritus Albert Dien, who was instrumental in the creation of BAYCEP and remains engaged with SPICE.

In 2017, SPICE added a third branch to its work on China and K–12 schools, the China Scholars Program (CSP). An online course on contemporary China and U.S.–China relations, the China Scholars Program offers high school students across the United States unique access to cutting-edge research on China. Designed and instructed by Dr. Tanya Lee, each module addresses a different theme—such as “U.S.–China political relations” or “urban/rural inequality”—and features a real-time discussion with a scholar from Stanford or another institution.

“My students amaze me with the enthusiasm and rigor they bring to the course. They understand that a comprehensive understanding of China will be essential to navigating the international careers they want to pursue,” Lee explained. In addition to keeping up with (and sometimes surpassing) rigorous reading and discussion assignments, students spend much of the term researching and writing final papers on topics of personal interest. “We challenge each other,” Lee says. “I push them to explore areas they might not otherwise have considered, and to do so critically—but they are so curious and motivated, I have to be quick on my feet to stay ahead of them!”

One of the course’s two required texts is Stanford Professor Gordon Chang’s Fateful Ties: A History of America’s Preoccupation with China (Harvard University Press, 2015). “I assign Fateful Ties because I love the ‘big picture’ it gives us to frame all of the particular, current issues we explore—not just for its historical breadth, but for the way it integrates cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical influences the U.S. and China have had on each other along with the political and economic. And then for the students to have the opportunity to actually question Professor Chang directly is extraordinary.” Other Stanford faculty who regularly participate in CSP include political scientist Professor Thomas Fingar, economist Professor Scott Rozelle, and sociologist Professor Andrew Walder.  

The China Scholars Program runs twice a year. Applications for the spring 2019 CSP course are currently being accepted. Teachers should encourage highly motivated, advanced students to apply for the opportunity to learn directly from Stanford scholars. Lee remarked, “I am honored to be a part of the legacy of SPICE’s founders in extending Stanford scholarship on China beyond the walls of the university, to equip the next generation to build new bridges.”

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Comedian Conan O’Brien recently announced that he will visit Hokuei City (aka “Conan Town”) in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, which is well known for its sand dunes and the manga character, Detective Conan. Detective Conan was created by artist Gosho Aoyama, who was born in Hokuei. In fact, Tottori’s main airport is called the Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport. Tourists from the United States and other countries are drawn to the sand dunes and the “Manga Kingdom,” a nickname for Tottori because it is the home prefecture of many famous manga artists like Aoyama.

Governor Shinji Hirai of Tottori, who leads these efforts to make Tottori a more notable tourist destination, recently met with Governor Phil Scott of Vermont to formalize a sister state relationship. Both governors hope to give their students more opportunities for exchange. These are just two examples of the increasing synergy between the United States and Tottori, the least populous prefecture in Japan. Thanks to the vision of Governor Hirai, SPICE launched a distance-learning course, Stanford e-Tottori, for high school students in Tottori Prefecture in 2016. The course instructor, Jonas Edman, hopes that the course will help to build even more bridges at the grassroots level between Tottori and the United States.

Now in its third year, Stanford e-Tottori enrolls students from public and private schools in Tottori Prefecture and is a cornerstone of Tottori Prefecture’s Global Leaders’ Campus, an initiative by the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education to internationalize the curriculum in all schools in Tottori. Governor Hirai’s vision has provided many Tottori high school students with the opportunity to study with Edman, who engages students in English with Stanford scholars and experts on topics ranging from U.S. high schools to cultural diversity in the United States.

On August 1, 2018, Edman participated in the opening ceremony for the third year of Stanford e-Tottori. He met Superintendent Hitoshi Yamamoto, Office Director Takuya Fukushima (High School Division), several others of the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education, and the new cohort of students. Edman also visited Tottori Nishi High School and gave a special lecture to students. “Though the technology that I use to teach Stanford e-Tottori has improved over the years, I have to say that it was enormously rewarding to meet my students in person,” reflected Edman. “Seeing them in their picturesque home prefecture—and some of them in their school [Tottori Nishi High School]—provided a context that cannot be replicated virtually. My online interaction with the students from now will feel different.”

I also had the chance to visit Tottori Prefecture on August 26, 2018 to give the opening lecture for the third-year offering of Stanford e-Tottori. In attendance were not only the current cohort students but also three students from last year’s cohort. Before class began, I could feel the nervousness among the students as they anxiously waited outside the presentation room. Once class commenced, however, I could sense that their nerves started to settle down. The students gave their best during class, and I was so impressed with their efforts in particular because it was the first lecture of the course. I have no doubt that their English skills and understanding of U.S. society and culture will improve under the mentorship of Edman.

High school students from Tottori Prefecture with SPICE Director Gary Mukai and Stanford Visiting Scholar Junichiro Hirata

The Tottori Prefectural Board of Education encourages its students to appreciate Tottori’s historic ties to agriculture and fisheries and its natural beauty. Tottori is also said to be Japan’s best place for stargazing. Simultaneously, the Board of Education instills in its students a need to see the world in a grain of sand through courses like Stanford e-Tottori. To me, helping students appreciate the delicate balance of innovation and tradition lies at the heart of Tottori Prefecture’s Global Leaders’ Campus, and SPICE is honored to be a part of this initiative.

Since 2010, Stanford Global Studies (SGS) has partnered with community colleges through innovative projects such as the Stanford Human Rights Education Initiative and the Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) to bring together faculty and administrators committed to developing global and international studies. Jonas Edman works with SGS and FSI staff and faculty on this partnership, which has the goal of establishing a growing network of EPIC alumni who are developing innovative programs to internationalize curricula at the community college level.

From August 8 to 10, 2018, SGS convened a three-day summer intensive workshop for ten new EPIC fellows to launch this year’s EPIC Fellows Program. The 2018–19 EPIC Fellows are:

• Marina Broeder, Mission College, California
• Mary Conroy-Zouzoulas, San Jose City College, California
• Dave Dillon, Grossmont College, California
• Jennifer Fiebig, Pasadena City College, California
• Andrew Hill, St. Philip’s College, Texas
• Chigusa Katoku, Mission College, California
• Philip Tran, San Jose City College, California
• Don Uy-Barreta, De Anza College, California
• Nancy Willet, College of Marin, California
• Irene Young, St. Philip’s College, Texas

The institute featured talks by Stanford faculty, including talks on global competencies by Jeremy Weinstein, universities making knowledge in a global era by Mitchell Stevens, using films in classrooms by Pavle Levi, using maps in classrooms by Kären Wigen, and China under Mao Zedong by Andrew Walder. In addition to the talks, the EPIC fellows were introduced to library resources, including digital, map, and archival resources; as well as resources from SPICE and Lacuna Stories.

The EPIC Fellows will work collaboratively with Stanford staff for one academic year (August–May) on self-designed projects aimed at developing global competencies and awareness among community college students. From this month, the EPIC Fellows will participate in online seminars during which they will explore cutting-edge research in global studies with Stanford faculty and staff and develop innovative curricular materials and extra-academic programs to implement in their classrooms and at their home campuses. The fellowship will culminate at an end-of-year symposium on May 18, 2019 at Stanford University that will bring together faculty and administrators from community colleges and four-year universities committed to fostering global studies on their campuses.

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“Super Science High School” (SSH) and “Super Global High School” (SGH) are designations awarded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to upper secondary schools that prioritize science, technology, and mathematics (SSH) and global studies (SGH). Since 2015, SPICE has offered the “SPICE/Stanford e-Course on Global Health” to students of Takatsuki Jr. and Sr. High School, one of the few schools in Japan with both designations. This distance-learning course provides students with a broad overview of the importance of global health with a special focus on pioneering examples of international work conducted by researchers at Stanford University.

On July 30, Tsuyoshi Kudo, Principal of Takatsuki Jr. and Sr. High School, visited Stanford University and met with Sabrina Ishimatsu, instructor of the course, and SPICE Director Gary Mukai. The course underscores the importance that Principal Kudo has placed upon both science and global studies at Takatsuki High School. Many Stanford scholars—including Scott Rozelle, PhD, and Karen Eggleston, PhD (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies); Phillip Yang, MD, and Paul Wise, MD (School of Medicine); and Fumiaki Ikeno, MD (Stanford Biodesign)—introduce their research to the students and engage them in discussions. “As Takatsuki High School makes its primary aim to nurture future global leaders who have a profound awareness of the significance of global health,” commented Kudo, “a series of online lectures by top-notch global health researchers in a world-class institution is an invaluable boon to the students.”

Takatsuki students (with Ishimatsu and Mukai projected on screen)

In the first three years of the course, Stanford scholars have opened the eyes of students at Takatsuki High School to a broad range of research topics. Ishimatsu commented, “I am honored to work with Principal Kudo on the cultivation of a new generation of global leaders in the area of health.”

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The Japan–U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of security, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. As we look at the global challenges we face today, I believe that we must strive to ensure that our special relationship remains strong and vital. One way to accomplish this is by preparing the best and brightest of our young people with the kind of learning opportunities that will deepen mutual understanding. It is my belief that the Reischauer Scholars Program and Stanford e-Japan are admirably working toward this goal by providing the knowledge and expertise our young people will need as future leaders in Japan–U.S. relations. 

Waka Brown and Naomi Funahashi at podium

Attendees represented people from the Stanford community and the U.S.–Japan community in the Bay Area, including Dr. Takeo Hoshi, Director, Japan Program, and Junichiro Hirata, Visiting Scholar, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, FSI; and Dr. Kazuhiko Hasegawa, Executive Director, San Francisco Office, Osaka University, Kathleen Kimura, Japan Society of Northern California, and Dr. Yoichi Aizawa, Executive Director, San Francisco Office, Waseda University. Amanda Minami Chao and David Chao were recognized for their many years of support to SPICE.   

I vividly remember the first time I met Houghton “Buck” Freeman (former Chairman of the Freeman Foundation) in New York City nearly 20 years ago. A short time after this meeting, he and his wife, Doreen (former Trustee of the Freeman Foundation), kindly took the time to visit me at Stanford University. I never imagined then that SPICE would have remained a grantee of the Freeman Foundation for so many years. I am now in touch with their son Graeme Freeman (President), grandson Alec Freeman (Senior Program Officer), and Shereen Goto (Director of Operations and Programs) of the Freeman Foundation. The Freeman Foundation has funded the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) since its inception in 1998, so this year marks its 20th anniversary. SPICE has been honored to contribute to the mission of the NCTA, which is “to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in elementary and secondary schools nationwide.” SPICE recently hosted NCTA summer institutes for middle school teachers (June 20–22, 2018) and high school teachers (July 23–25, 2018).

Rylan Sekiguchi, Gary Mukai, Shereen Goto, Jonas Edman

The NCTA summer institute for high school teachers—organized by Naomi Funahashi and Sabrina Ishimatsu—also featured scholarly lectures, including one on U.S.–Korean relations by the Honorable Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 2008 to 2011. Her lecture and the recent 2018 North Korea–United States Summit in Singapore stimulated enthusiastic questions from the teachers and fascinating discussions. Sekiguchi, who authored a three-part curricular series on U.S.–South Korean relations, North Korea, and inter-Korean relations, engaged the teachers in the lessons while referencing key points that were made by Ambassador Stephens. Commenting on the institute, Kimberly Gavin, University Preparatory Academy, San Jose, California, noted, “I realized that when it came to East Asian history, there were gaps in my knowledge, and I wanted to have a better understanding of it to be a more effective teacher. Between the readings and the conference itself, I filled up an entire notebook full of information!”

In a post-institute memo, Yoko Sase, The Nueva School, Hillsborough, California, stated, “I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Freeman Foundation for generously supporting us at the East Asia summer institute for middle and high school teachers at SPICE. I was immersed in such a depth of learning from the experts in their fields of East Asia throughout the program. I really appreciate that I not only deepened and expanded my knowledge on East Asia but also actually had the opportunities to practice thoughtfully designed SPICE curriculum lessons. Now I have a toolbox with amazing resources and materials that I have received from the institute, and I’m ready to use it in my classroom! This has been the best professional development I have ever attended!” The NCTA seminars are truly highlights of the year for the SPICE staff and Stanford scholars because it is a key channel through which SPICE curriculum on Asia and U.S.–Asian relations and Stanford scholarship are disseminated to students. Importantly, what an honor it has been to have worked with three generations of the Freeman family.

During the 2017–18 academic year, SPICE’s Jonas Edman worked with six community college instructors from Las Positas College and Foothill College on their plans for integrating global issues into their classrooms. These six instructors were among ten Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Fellows to work collaboratively with colleagues at Stanford on projects aimed at internationalizing course curricula and producing innovative curricular materials for use in community college classrooms.

On May 19, 2018, an EPIC Symposium, “Integrating Global Issues into Community College Curricula,” was held at Stanford University that featured presentations by the EPIC Fellows as well as presentations from Stanford faculty. Community college faculty and administrators from across California gathered at Stanford University to discuss ways to prepare students for a world that is increasingly interconnected.

The six EPIC Fellows, with whom Edman worked, and their presentation topics are:

• Brian Evans, Foothill College: The Latin American Lost Decade
• Ann Hight, Las Positas College: Using Global Lifestyles as a Platform to Teach Gene Expression and Longevity
• Natasha Mancuso, Foothill College: Using Online Games to Teach Business and Marketing from a Global Perspective
• Kali Rippel, Las Positas College: Internationalizing the Research Project Using Wikipedia
• Colin Schatz, Las Positas College: Globalized and Inclusive: Redesigning a Community College Honors Program
• Antonella Vitale, Las Positas College: Global Voices in American History

Since 2010, Stanford Global Studies (SGS) has partnered with community colleges through innovative projects such as the Stanford Human Rights Education Initiative (SHREI) and EPIC to bring together faculty and administrators committed to developing global and international studies. Fellows join a growing network of EPIC alumni from across the state who are developing innovative programs to internationalize curricula. SPICE as well as Stanford’s Lacuna Stories have been working with SGS National Resource Centers—Center for East Asian Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies—on these efforts.