On June 17, 2024, 29 Stanford e-Fukuoka students gathered at the American Center, a division of the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka, to engage in a Q & A session with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. The Japanese high school students were curious: “What challenges did you face as Mayor of Chicago?” “Did you study abroad when you were a student?” “How can I find a job in international relations?” They also wanted to know more about the works of art that were, until recently, exhibited at his residence and at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. 

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The 18 pieces of art were created by Japanese and Japanese American artists during their imprisonment in U.S. incarceration camps during World War II. The paintings (reproductions) are part of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) collection and were exhibited as an acknowledgement of the past, a way of learning from our mistakes, and a means to build a more inclusive future. They were loaned to the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka earlier this year, thanks to Chie Inuzuka, Director of the American Center. I had the opportunity to incorporate them into my Stanford e-Fukuoka course this past spring, for a lesson on U.S.–Japan relations through an art history lens. (Photo above courtesy U.S. Consulate Fukuoka.) 

Using digital images and outside resources, my students and I explored the artwork in our virtual classroom. For many, this was their first time to look at art closely and critically. It was refreshing to see them express themselves knowing that there was no right or wrong way to look at art and that there could be infinite interpretations of a given work. The paintings were a prompt to practice critical thinking and communications skills by sharing observations, asking questions, and exploring perspectives made by others. 

Upon arriving in Fukuoka, I worked with Inuzuka-san and contractors to install the exhibit in the atrium of ACROS Fukuoka (a cultural center and exhibition space in downtown Fukuoka City). On the exhibit’s opening day, each student selected a painting that resonated with them. They stepped out of their comfort zones and stepped into the shoes of the artists and the Japanese and Japanese American subjects of the paintings. Visitors paused to take a look at the artwork and listened to the impassioned high school students describing the works in English. The following are comments that my students shared with the public or made later during class. Their comments addressed themes of empathy, resilience, and gratitude and reflected the power of art in self-reflection and cross-cultural understanding. (Photo below courtesy Kasumi Yamashita.)

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Empathy

Many students were drawn to a painting by Henry Yuzuru Sugimoto (1900–90) titled “Fresh Air Break from Fresno to Jerome Camp.” In the foreground, military police point guns at men, women, and children en route to a concentration camp in rural Arkansas, nearly 2,000 miles away. Family members, young and old, step off the train to stretch in a fenced area along the tracks. A locomotive pulling a load of coal and passenger cars stands still, momentarily, in the background. The colors are sandy and somber.

“I was inspired by this painting. We see many children and adults resting while under the watch of the armed guards. I used to think that wartime conditions were different, but I realize that they were similar to ours: they exercised, played catch, and jumped rope just like us. Now, I feel closer to them more than ever because I can imagine their pain. Before seeing this picture, I thought that paintings by Japanese American artists only showed the tragedy of war. However, this picture changed my view. I think that wars limit possibilities, which is very sad. I'll continue studying Japanese American history because it is our history and it’s necessary to build better relationships between our two countries.”  —Aoi

“Seeing this painting, I felt that we must not forget that it is not only the people who fight, but the everyday people who are affected by war. There are many innocent people who are deprived of their freedoms and their lives. I think that I shouldn’t look away from these facts and should be thankful that we can live our daily lives in a safe environment.”  —Kano

Resilience

Students interpreted the artwork in many ways. Some reacted to the colors on an emotional level while others identified with the subjects of the paintings. Some explored underlying narratives while others questioned their assumptions and offered alternate readings. One student described how art leveraged a “soft power” and had the potential to move the public and influence the world.

In “Study,” Hisako Hibi (1907–1991) painted a young girl of four or five with a short bob and trimmed bangs. She rests her head on her arm, outstretched over a table, and grips a pencil with her other hand. Her eyebrows are slightly furrowed as she gazes upon a large, blank piece of paper. 

“At first, I wasn’t sure why I was interested in this picture. Now, I think there are two reasons for my interest. First, I feel that the girl in the painting looks like me. Her hair, her round face, and her expression when she is studying really looks like me! Second, I felt the importance of studying. Even in tough situations, we can always improve ourselves. I was impressed that her parents made her study in the camp.”  —Yuna

Tokio Ueyama (1889–1954) painted his wife gently leaning back on a folding chair. She is knitting and biding time. Her back faces a doorway to the outside where tar paper barracks of the Santa Anita Assembly Center stand in rows. Curtains, tied back, are all that separate her from the dusty ground and scorching heat. 

“I was surprised when I found out that even though the Japanese Americans in the camps lived hard lives, they found small joys and pleasures and found the hope to live. In other words, they lived their lives without losing their humanity. We can express our thoughts to people through art as well as through literature and music. Today, science and technology are popular, but I’m sure that ‘soft power’ such as art is an important tool to connect people all over the world.” —Nanako

“Looking at this picture, I imagine that this woman does not enjoy knitting. Is she trying to make something, or is she just keeping busy? I paid attention to the contrast between the outside scenery and the atmosphere inside the house. The woman’s facial expression shows that she doesn’t care about the sunny weather. I thought the painter of this picture wanted to express how the Japanese Americans lived their lives, without any big changes, and how they entertained themselves as much as they could.”  —Ayame

“This painting is not a scene from a home but from an American incarceration camp. The woman is knitting. It’s a scene that could be found anywhere, but it is interesting because the artist chose this one. Why was he trying to record this daily activity? Was he afraid that the routine would soon disappear? The more I look at this picture, the less I think I know what the artist was thinking.” —Niko 

The Power of Art

Stanford e-Fukuoka students experienced the transformative power of art. Taking the time to explore the 18 works of art in depth gave them space to understand and empathize with people in contexts very different from their own. It allowed them to acknowledge common ground in light of cultural differences and historical conflicts.

“I think art is a common language because it can teach us about a lot of things without using any words. We don’t learn about these things in school but students in Japan should know about this. I would like to tell my family and friends about learning about history through art.” —Mai

“Looking at the art in ACROS Fukuoka changed my view of art quite significantly. It made me think about the stories behind art pieces. Art is such a wonderful and powerful way of sending a message.”  —Tomoyuki

“These stories must be told to future generations. I want to tell my classmates and my family to imagine that time. This class was so important for me to learn about immigration history and about Japanese American people.” —Shunya

Gratitude

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Students found abstract concepts like “U.S.–Japan relations” easier to understand and more meaningful through an art history lens. The idea of diplomacy through culture and soft power broadened their understanding of the responsibilities of governments and the role of ambassadors. Stanford e-Fukuoka students sent letters to Ambassador Emanuel to thank him for his visit to Fukuoka and for encouraging them to make “new discoveries.” (Photo above courtesy U.S. Consulate Fukuoka.)

“Dear Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, thank you for sending the paintings to Fukuoka. This exhibition was very shocking to me, and I felt that we should learn about the history of Japanese Americans. The picture that impressed me most was of the child studying (“Study” by Hisako Hibi). It was very hard to imagine children younger than us studying diligently even though they probably didn’t understand the changes that were taking place in the world during the war. I think it’s important to understand what’s happening in the world. After all, we often don’t have the opportunity to learn about wartime history and about people’s lives from perspectives other than our own. There were a lot of new discoveries for me in this exhibition. Thank you very much!” —Sota

Stanford e-Fukuoka was launched in spring 2022 and is made possible through a partnership between Stanford University, the U.S. Consulate Fukuoka, and the Fukuoka Prefectural Government. I would like to extend my gratitude to the Honorable Seitaro Hattori (Governor, Fukuoka Prefecture), Akie Omagari (Deputy Governor, Fukuoka Prefecture), and Chie Inuzuka (Director, Fukuoka American Center) for their collaboration and support in making Stanford e-Fukuoka possible. Special thanks to Inuzuka-san for arranging my students to meet with Ambassador Emanuel. This course offers students throughout the prefecture with an opportunity to learn about U.S.–Japan relations, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and entrepreneurship. Stanford e-Fukuoka is one of SPICE’s local student programs in Japan.

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Applications are now open for the Fall 2024 session of the Stanford University Scholars Program for Japanese High School Students (also known as “Stanford e-Japan”). The course will run from the end of September 2024 through the end of February 2025, with an application deadline of August 11, 2024.

Stanford e-Japan
Fall 2024 session (September 2024 to February 2025)
Application period: June 26 to August 11, 2024

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, leading scholars, and experts from Stanford University and across 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.

Stanford e-Japan is one of several online courses for high school students offered by SPICE, including the Reischauer Scholars Program, the China Scholars Program, the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, Stanford e-China, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, as well as numerous local student programs in Japan.

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The following is a guest article written by Snow Gai, a student from China studying at Waseda University in Japan. Snow enrolled in the SPICE/Stanford–Waseda Intensive Course on Diversity and Global Citizenship, which was organized by SPICE and Waseda’s School of Social Sciences and taught by Meiko Kotani. Students from China, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Japan brought diverse perspectives to the course.

At a time when governments, mass media, and dominant ethnic groups hold sway over the prevailing narrative of global society, local communities and minorities in various countries and regions are trying to fight for more space and freedom. This silent yet brutal competition extends from the realm of culture and history to the real-life living environment of society. In addition, this continuous evolution of historical narratives and power declarations is also an epochal and subversive reshaping of the public’s perception of the cultural diversity of mankind.

In the late winter and early spring, when the air was still a bit chilly, I was honoured to be selected, along with several other students from the School of Social Science, to participate in an intensive course on diversity and global citizenship, jointly organized by the Faculty of Social Sciences of Waseda University and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education. The lectures on history and diversity provided by renowned professors from the two schools enriched and broadened our perspectives on history and our understanding of diversity.

Due to space constraints, I would like to present my gains and impressions by extracting two of the lessons that impressed me the most.

The opening lecture was given by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Waseda University on the evolution of historical perspectives and peacebuilding. As a student who grew up in and was immersed in the Chinese educational environment, I am certain from my personal experience that the history of World War II in the Pacific region, and in particular the history of China’s “War of Resistance against Japan,” is one of the most important aspects of modern history education in China. However, not only in Japan but also in China, the interpretation of this history has been changing over time. Even without considering the historical context of East Asia, we can also observe that such dynamic changes in historical perspectives occur frequently across different countries and regions around the world. Behind these changes lies the role of history education in shaping collective memories and narratives, and in supporting the legitimacy of regimes—a factor that cannot be ignored. Facing up to these roles of historical narratives is crucial for promoting an independent and objective reading of history by individuals, for deepening understanding of the diversity of values and worldviews, and even for finding windows of dialogue between groups in conflict and for building peace between regions and peoples.

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Related to this somewhat abstract and theoretical content, and the lecture that resonated with me the most, was a brief history of East Asian immigration to North America, presented by Dr. Gary Mukai from Stanford, whose own family history made this different interpretation of ethnicity and history particularly meaningful. As one of the most silent and humble peoples in North America, East Asian immigrants have had a profound relationship with the development of this land. Whether it was the Trans-America Railway built by Chinese immigrant labourers, the immigration gate on Angel Island that accepted and rejected countless visitors from the other side of the Pacific, or the incarceration camps for Japanese Americans during of the Second World War, Asian immigrants have unfortunately not been selected to be crowned and extolled by the mainstream of history despite the remarkable impact they made on the history of this land. In addition to a little bit of indignation and sadness, the other students and I could not help but marvel at the magnitude of the real past outside of the history textbooks.

As someone who has studied for long in the field of peacebuilding and conflict resolution, I am acutely aware of the importance of deepening the public’s understanding of the diversity of historical narratives and the importance of marginalised groups in the work of national reconciliation and peacebuilding. Through this colourful short-term experience I was fortunate to have the opportunity to stop briefly in the midst of a multitude of official news and narratives, and go behind the scenes of the history stage with my peers, tracing back and witnessing the true and great role of the general public in the river of time.

At the end, I would like to thank once again the staff from the Faculty of Social Sciences and other departments at Waseda University, as well as the instructors and professors from SPICE, and the lovely students from across the ocean who made video calls with us and expressed together their empathy for life. We ourselves are the creators of a truly diverse society and the meaning of our existence, and this valuing of diversity will benefit the wider community and our future.

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Through the generous support of the Chao Minami Family Fund, SPICE has recently launched a new webpage, “Visual Arts and Documentary Film.” Through this resource, SPICE seeks to connect documentary filmmakers with educators across the world.

Harvard professor Howard Gardner—in his book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983)—put forth the idea that people have “multiple intelligences,” which include linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences. In terms of “spatial” intelligence, visual imagery plays an important role in the visual/spatial student’s learning process.

Recognizing the role of multiple intelligences and how all learners can benefit from different approaches to content learning, SPICE has partnered with numerous filmmakers to develop curricula to accompany their films. Recent collaborations include teacher’s guides for Far West: The Hidden History, with co-directors Mathilde Damoisel and Tomas van Houtryve (Catchlight Films); and U.S. POWs and the A-Bomb, with director Sachiko Kato (Hiroshima Television Corporation). One of the U.S. POWs who died from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was Normand Brissette (photo above). Curricula for Baseball Behind Barbed Wire, with Yumiko Gamo Romer (Flying Carp Productions); and The Partition (Project Dastaan and Catchlight Films) will also become available in the near future.

Through this new resource, educators who wish to access upcoming films and guides can complete the Educator Interest Form. Filmmakers who wish to collaborate with SPICE to create teacher’s guides for their documentaries can also do so through the Documentary Filmmaker Form.

Educators can continue to access Free Multimedia Resources through the SPICE website as well. 

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Stanford e-Kobe is a distance-learning course sponsored by Kobe City and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) at Stanford University. Students are encouraged to think critically about diversity, multiculturalism, entrepreneurship, and equity in the United States and Japan. Stanford e-Kobe instructor Alison Keiko Harsch recently wrote these reflections about the closing ceremony, which was held on March 16, 2024.

On March 16, 2024 the students, teachers, and supporters of Stanford e-Kobe gathered together to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023–2024 cohort. Students sat in the same auditorium at Fukiai Municipal High School as they had six months prior when they participated in the program’s orientation. Where there was previously fidgeting and nervous looks to find familiar faces, there was now quiet comfortable chatter and laughter among peers.

The ceremony began with Kobe JET Coordinator of International Relations Lee Cheng welcoming the students with cheer and accolades. He introduced SPICE Director Gary Mukai, who joined the ceremony online. Mukai shared his own personal connection to Kobe as his grandmother left Japan as a picture bride from the Port of Kobe. He also encouraged students to consider several issues that he wished he had been introduced to as a high school student. 

Also joining the ceremony online was Karin Zaugg Black, international business protocol liaison for the Port of Seattle and 17-year president of the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association. Zaugg Black reflected on her time as a guest speaker for all three years since the program’s establishment. She asked students to continue to look for opportunities to connect and build bridges, including participating in future Seattle-Kobe exchanges.

Cheng next handed the virtual microphone to me, also attending via Zoom. While preparing for the ceremony, I had reflected on how I would remember this particular cohort of students. I thought of their eagerness to ask questions and make the most of their time with guest speakers. The way they brought each conversation to a personal level while asking themselves “What can I do to make a difference?” is particularly memorable. Mostly, I recalled the way they spoke to each other in discussions, with compassion and a strong desire to learn from each other, unashamed of any gaps in their own knowledge. I shared with the class that my impression of the 2023–2024 cohort will always be a class of exceptionally kind students who approach their education with kindness and humility.

After listening to each speaker’s comments, it was the students’ turn to share their own class reflections and receive their program certificates. As one by one students took the stage, I was touched by the diverse kernels of knowledge and experience each person shared. Some of the takeaways mentioned by students included:

“I think this experience made my confidence stronger. I want to learn more and more about many fields.” 

“I would like to continue to value the process of making things better by adding my own opinions to those of others in discussions.”

“Through this program, I was able to learn about what true equality and diversity are. As internationalization progresses in the future, we are likely to have more interactions with people from various backgrounds. So, I would like to make use of what I have learned and deepen my cooperative spirit.”

“When I first joined this program, I was worried that my English skills were not as good as those of the people around me, but it was a great experience to do what I could.”

As the ceremony came to an end, I thought about how impossible it is to know the impact of education in the moment. For some students, perhaps this course will become a distant, but hopefully fond, memory of their high school days. For others, perhaps this was an introduction to a topic or feeling that will grow to become an integral part of their adulthood. As their instructor for a mere six months, I am humbled by the places these students will go, and lightened by the knowledge that wherever they journey next, they will bring their powerful kindness with them.

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

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Stanford e-Wakayama is a distance-learning course sponsored by the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) at Stanford University. Selected students from throughout the prefecture learn from experts in the United States about various academic fields through a global lens. Stanford e-Wakayama instructor Dr. Makiko Hirata recently wrote these reflections about her trip to Wakayama Prefecture to attend the closing ceremony, which was held on March 16, 2024.

In one of Stanford e-Wakayama’s impromptu post-virtual classroom reflections, a student, Kansuke Imamura, posed the question, “Which is more effective, an online or in-person education?,” to his e-Wakayama classmates. “It would be so much nicer to be having this discussion with you all in person,” one student commented affectionately. “But if it weren’t online, we would not have e-Wakayama!,” another student promptly responded. 

Having been impressed with the curiosity and imagination of the inaugural e-Wakayama class in 2022–23, I trusted the students to develop their own thoughts on the issue. Kansuke spent the latter half of the six-month course researching how we learn differently in the two modes of education. He shared his findings with the class in his final presentation, concluding that both had their advantages and disadvantages. 

While the importance of face-to-face communication is undeniable, online education has helped address some of our global educational inequalities, which exist not only in developing nations, but in the world’s biggest economies like the United States, China, and Japan. For example, in his book published this year, Dr. Yujin Yaguchi, Professor and Vice President of Global Education at the University of Tokyo, revealed how 42.7 percent of the freshmen admitted in 2022 to the University of Tokyo (the most competitive and prestigious university in Japan) had graduated from just 20 high schools. Among these 20 elite high schools (out of 4,856 high schools in Japan), 14 were private schools, 10 were all-boys schools, and 19 were in cities with a population of 500,000  or more.^[1] The same book called our attention to how female students make up less than 30 percent of all undergraduates in the top-ranking national universities in Japan, even though they are 45.6 percent of all undergraduates nationwide. At the University of Tokyo specifically, the gender gap is even wider, with female students occupying only 20.1 percent of the undergraduate student body.^[2] And, as one can easily imagine, female representation among the faculty at these educational institutions is even smaller. 

SPICE offers its online courses and educational resources free of charge to most students in Japan because of the support SPICE receives from the Yanai Tadashi Foundation, private donors, prefectural and municipal governments, and schools. It has been expanding its regional programs especially to address these educational disparities. Stanford e-Wakayama was launched in 2022 as a part of this effort. Eleven of SPICE’s 13 instructors teaching courses to students in and from Japan are women, promoting female representation and diversity. 

The growth and development that the students achieve through these courses are remarkable. Two student alumni noted the following:

Participating in Stanford e-Wakayama, I was exposed to many fields of study and research I did not know and my world was greatly expanded. I was also made aware of limitations that I had unknowingly placed within myself. …I realized the importance of challenging myself.” – Tappo Takeuchi, Stanford e-Wakayama 2023–24 participant.

I think my values have changed after talking with many people in Stanford e-Wakayama. Everyone I met through the course was really kind and gave me many encouraging words. I would like to be in that position in the future and help many people. – Niina Ohashi, Stanford e-Wakayama 2023–24 participant

And it IS possible to have the best of both worlds, teaching these virtual classes across the Pacific Ocean, and getting to meet the students in person at the end! After six months of online instruction, I was kindly nudged to attend Stanford e-Wakayama’s closing ceremony in person by SPICE’s director, Dr. Gary Mukai. I prepared colorful pouches filled with American candies to sweeten their milestone. Each student had prepared a 90-second speech reflecting on their six-month journey of discoveries and delivered it at the ceremony. After each speech, I shook their hands, and handed them the pouch. 

At the end of the official ceremony, I announced that I would be happy to meet with anyone who wanted it. To my surprise, every one of my students stood in a line to wait for their turn to meet with me. Attending officials from the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education, and accompanying teachers and parents, watched and smiled as we met, and took photos to commemorate our celebration. I am looking forward to meeting another class of Stanford e-Wakayama students at the 2024–25 opening ceremony in September.

SPICE is currently accepting applications for the China Scholars Program (CSP), an intensive, college-level, online course on contemporary China for U.S. high school students. The program is open to rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders across the United States. The Fall 2024 course will run from late August through December.

Stanford University China Scholars Program for high school students
Fall 2024 session (late August through December)
Application period: April 15 to June 15, 2023
Tuition: $2000

This exploration of China’s internal dynamics and recent history, as well as its complicated relationship with the United States, offers students critical insights into the world’s largest economy and growing superpower of the 21st century. “This program has provided me with a much broader and more nuanced understanding of China and U.S.–China relations. It has reshaped the preconceived notions I held about China and replaced them with academically vetted historical analyses” (Fall 2023 CSP student). 

Designed to provide high-achieving high school students a rich and comprehensive online learning experience, the CSP offers college-level instruction, featuring guest speakers from Stanford University and other top-tier institutions. Students engage with leading scholars, experts, and diplomats on Zoom each week, read deeply on that week’s topic, and engage in analytical discussion with classmates from across the United States. CSP students will also have an opportunity to meet online with Chinese students enrolled in the Stanford e-China Program.

The rigorous level of readings, discussion, research, and writing is a key feature of the program, helping students build a strong foundation for their college careers. Students who complete the course will be equipped with an unusual level of expertise about China and international relations—something notably lacking in the current generation of university students—which may guide their career choices. Many CSP alums have gone on to major in international relations, journalism, business, and other fields with global dimensions.

“CSP has helped me contextualize China’s transformation as it’s happening, which is something you wouldn’t really be able to study in any other kind of course,” said Angela Yang, a 2018 CSP alum who is now a reporter for NBC. “The curriculum is intensive yet very comprehensive, and it gives the inquisitive young mind a strong foundation to launch into further study of China or just a new lens through which we can better understand the world.”

More information on the China Scholars Program is available at http://chinascholars.org.

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

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