91³Ô¹Ï

The or ¡°Stanford e-Japan¡± is an online course sponsored by the and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91³Ô¹Ï), 91³Ô¹Ï. This online course teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and underscores the importance of U.S.¨CJapan relations. Through Stanford e-Japan, ambassadors, top scholars, and experts throughout the United States provide web-based lectures and engage Japanese high school students in live discussion sessions called ¡°virtual classes.¡± Stanford e-Japan is now in its 6th year and 10th session overall.

The selected Stanford e-Japan high school students will listen to lectures by renowned experts in the field including Professor Emeritus Peter Duus, Professor Kathryn Gin Lum, and Dr. Kenji Kushida (all at 91³Ô¹Ï) on topics such as, ¡°The Atomic Bombings of Japan,¡± ¡°The Attack on Pearl Harbor,¡± ¡°Religion in the U.S.,¡± and ¡°Silicon Valley and Entrepreneurship.¡± Live virtual classes include guest speakers such as Ms. Suzanne Basalla (Toyota Research Institute), Ms. Maiko Cagno (U.S. Consulate, Fukuoka), and Dr. Makiko Oku (Co-Founder, KiKO Japan).

Many Stanford e-Japan students in the current cohort (as well as past ones) have mentioned their desire to study in the United States. The Stanford e-Japan Program equips many students with the motivation and confidence to do so, in addition to many of the skills they will need to study at U.S. universities and colleges. In addition to weekly lectures, assignments, discussion board posts, and virtual classes, the program participants will complete a final research paper on a topic concerning U.S. society or the U.S.¨CJapan relationship.

¡°I¡¯ve encouraged my students to seriously consider undergraduate studies in the United States and to look into opportunities like the Yanai Tadashi Foundation Scholarships,¡± commented Stanford e-Japan Instructor Waka Brown. ¡°Many e-Japan alumni have gone on to study in the United States, either for their entire college experience or for shorter overseas study opportunities. A couple of them received full scholarships, thanks to The Yanai Tadashi Foundation.¡±

Stanford e-Japan is one of several online courses for high school students offered by 91³Ô¹Ï, 91³Ô¹Ï, including the , the , the , and . For more information about Stanford e-Japan, please visit .

To be notified when the next Stanford e-Japan application period opens, or follow us on , , and .

Related articles:

• Winners Announced for the Spring 2019 Stanford e-Japan Award
• 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Stanford e-Japan Instructor Waka Takahashi Brown Honored with the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award
• Stanford e-Japan: My Window to the Wider World
• The Yanai Tadashi Foundation and Stanford e-Japan: Cultivating Future Leaders in Japan

In 2019, 91³Ô¹Ï established two new online courses for students in Hiroshima¡ªone for MBA students and one for high school students. These courses have a special significance to me because my ancestral home is Hiroshima. My paternal grandfather left Hiroshima for Hawaii to work as a sugar cane field laborer in 1903. After three years, he departed for California. My paternal grandmother departed Hiroshima in 1909 to join him as a ¡°.¡± My maternal grandfather left Hiroshima for California to work as a strawberry field laborer in 1919, and my maternal grandmother, who was born in Hawaii and raised in Hiroshima, joined him also as a picture bride in 1931.

One of the biggest regrets in my life is that I never had the chance to meet my maternal grandfather, who returned to Japan from California in 1954 just before I was born. I wish that I could tell him that 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s two new online courses for students in his birthplace were established 100 years after his arrival in California in 1919 and that this article was posted on 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s website 78 years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt¡¯s signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. This order led to my family¡¯s internment¡ªincluding my grandparents and parents¡ªduring World War II.

The two online courses are called the Stanford-Hiroshima Collaborative Program on Entrepreneurship (SHCPE), an online course for MBA students that was conceptualized in consultation with the Hiroshima Business and Management School at the Prefectural University of Hiroshima (PUH), and Stanford e-Japan, an online course for high school students.

SHCPE Instructor Dr. Mariko Yoshihara Yang recently shared her reflections on the inaugural course that was offered in fall 2019. On February 13, 2020, Yang welcomed PUH faculty and staff members Professor Katsue Edo, Professor Yasuo Tsuchimoto, Professor Narumi Yoshikawa, and Kazue Hiura to Stanford to debrief the 2019 course and to prepare for the 2020 course. Joining the meeting were three guest speakers for SHCPE. The guest speakers were Tasha Yorozu, a legal counsel who has worked extensively with Japanese companies in Silicon Valley; Seiji Miyasaka, an active venture capitalist on both sides of Pacific; and Tatsuki Tomita, who has established multiple startups. During the meeting, I had the chance to share the Japanese passports of my paternal grandfather and grandmother, who were born in 1882 and 1892, respectively. I have shared the passports with many Japanese visitors as a way to note their contributions¡ªthrough agriculture¡ªto early U.S.¨CJapan relations.

As I listened to the discussion, I came to realize the significance of the word, ¡°Collaborative,¡± in the title of Yang¡¯s course. Course feedback from the MBA students who were enrolled in SHCPE was also carefully considered as modifications for the 2020 course were mapped out. Preliminary plans were also made for a visitation to Stanford by SHCPE students following the 2020 course.

In addition to SHCPE, 91³Ô¹Ï offers an online course for high school students in Hiroshima that is called Stanford e-Hiroshima. Stanford e-Hiroshima Instructor Rylan Sekiguchi is working with students who attend the following high schools in Hiroshima Prefecture.

• Miyoshi High School
• Sera High School
• Kuremitsuta High School
• Yasufuruichi High School
• Onomichi Kita High School
• Onomichi Higashi High School
• Hiro High School
• Hiroshima High School
• Hiroshima Kokutaiji High School
• Hiroshima University High School
• Fukuyama Junior and Senior High School
• Hatsukaichi High School
• Gion Kita High School
• Fukuyama Seishikan High School
• Saijyou Agricultural High School

I had the pleasure of sharing the stories of early Japanese immigration to the United States¡ªincluding those of my grandparents¡ªduring a Stanford e-Hiroshima online class. Sekiguchi¡¯s students were not only attentive but also asked excellent questions. They are currently in the midst of preparing and delivering their final presentations for Stanford e-Hiroshima. At the end of the course, the top two highest performing students will be invited to Stanford for a ceremony on August 17, 2020, just a few days after the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945. I believe that my grandparents would be pleased to hear about educational efforts¡ªsuch as Stanford e-Japan and SHCPE¡ªthat promote a better understanding between Americans and Japanese so that the current friendship will remain forever.

I would like to express my appreciation to Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki (Stanford MBA, 1995). Without his vision, SHCPE and Stanford e-Japan would not have been realized. I am grateful to those from Hiroshima¡ªEdo, Tsuchimoto, Yoshikawa, and Hiura¡ªand those based in the United States¡ªYorozu, Miyasaka, and Tomita¡ªfor having taken the time in their busy schedules to meet with Yang on February 13, 2020. In addition, I would like to express my appreciation to Superintendent Rie Hirakawa of the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education and Teacher Consultants, Rika Ryuoh and Nobuo Kawahara, who have been unwavering of their support of Sekiguchi and Stanford e-Hiroshima. Last but not least, I am thankful to Sekiguchi and Yang for their course leadership and for allowing me the chance to keep my grandparents¡¯ legacies alive through their courses.

Related articles:

• Stanford-Hiroshima Collaborative Program on Entrepreneurship: Reflections
• Stanford Alumni Weekend (October 24¨C27, 2019) Feature: Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki & 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Dr. Mariko Yoshihara Yang and a New Online Course for MBA Students in Japan
• Stanford e-Hiroshima, 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Newest Online Course for High School Students: Sharing Cranes Across the Pacific

Last fall, 91³Ô¹Ï provided me an opportunity to design and organize its first post-collegiate online course. The Stanford-Hiroshima Collaborative Program on Entrepreneurship (SHCPE¡¯s Japanese-friendly pronunciation, ¡°shu-ppe¡±) was conducted in collaboration with the Hiroshima Business and Management School (HBMS) at the Prefectural University of Hiroshima (PUH). HBMS offers the only Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in Japan¡¯s western region of Chugoku and Shikoku. Interacting with amazing individuals on both sides of the Pacific, this unique experience brought me priceless moments.

Innovation in Itself

SHCPE, a course to help nurture entrepreneurial thinking, was an innovation in itself. The program was born out of Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki¡¯s vision to design and implement a social challenge to help accelerate Hiroshima¡¯s regional growth. Harnessing the resources of Stanford and Silicon Valley, the new online class was launched to empower the students and to revitalize the business sector in Hiroshima. 91³Ô¹Ï created the curricular content and HBMS provided the learning environment designed to maximize the academic experience for the students. As the course¡¯s curriculum designer, I leveraged the expertise of my fellow 91³Ô¹Ï online instructors and applied design thinking, a method developed by Stanford faculty, practiced widely in Silicon Valley, and popularized globally to understand the end-user, challenge our assumptions, and reconstruct alternative perspectives to generate innovative ideas.

Bridging Silicon Valley and Hiroshima

SHCPE¡¯s 18 MBA students in Hiroshima met every Saturday morning for three hours from September 28 to November 16, 2019 to connect online with Japanese entrepreneurs, professionals, and scholars in Silicon Valley. The first virtual class focused on discussing the mindset expected for the course as well as the conceptual framework. In the following six weeks, we welcomed guest speakers who shared their diverse experiences. What were their prior experiences, expertise, and insights? What resources did they have to achieve their goals? What were the major promoters and impediments to their journeys? Through active exploration of these questions, the students were exposed to real-life case studies to analyze Silicon Valley¡¯s ecosystem and think critically about entrepreneurial competence and qualification. The course was conducted entirely in Japanese.

The guest speakers engaged and energized the HBMS students. Akira Onozato spoke about the evolution of Silicon Valley over the past three decades. His diverse experiences as a serial entrepreneur painted a rich picture of the San Francisco Bay Area¡¯s growth cycle. Akira¡¯s story provided a great segue to Rika Nakazawa¡¯s lecture on the mindset and culture surrounding startups. Rika highlighted grit, tolerance of failure, and branding as important assets of successful entrepreneurs. Dr. Fumiaki Ikeno spoke on the landscape and trends in the medical device industry. He pointed to Japan¡¯s declining productivity and economic competitiveness and discussed the persistent fear of failure as a major impediment to promoting entrepreneurship. As an active venture capitalist on both sides of Pacific, Seiji Miyasaka explained the funding schemes and financial cycles surrounding the investment climate of startups. Using case studies, he highlighted the role of investors who act as coaches to aspiring entrepreneurs. Tatsuki Tomita¡¯s definition of a startup was shaped by his own experiences of starting multiple companies. His discussion of the pivot pyramid provided a visual guideline for how startups can experiment with ideas and find their product-market fit. Tasha Yorozu shared her expertise as a legal counsel, walking through the steps of starting a business in Silicon Valley. Along with Jumpei Ishii, a visiting legal counsel from Japan, Tasha further discussed their observations of successful startup practices and common pitfalls. The diversity of SHCPE guests represented the vibrant Silicon Valley community. 

Active Learning and Knowledge Construction

While these professionals provided informative accounts of their expertise, SHCPE¡¯s ultimate goal was to help each HBMS student to develop a mindset of an active learner. The MBA students were constantly challenged to think critically about the weekly theme, and work in pairs or teams to discuss assigned topics. The experience offered a dynamic and interactive learning environment for the Japanese students in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who had been accustomed to traditional lecture-style formats. SHCPE¡¯s curriculum based on design thinking adopted an inquiry-based learning pedagogy, which engaged every student through weekly assignments and in-class discussions. During the first class, the students were informed that SHCPE would not teach them entrepreneurship. Instead, this course would provide them with the opportunity to reconstruct their knowledge of entrepreneurship and innovation based on what they observe, hear, and feel during the class. In addition, the students were required to provide feedback after each class, which was utilized to redesign the lesson plans for the following week.

This active and experiential mindset was envisioned by Dr. Gary Mukai, Director of 91³Ô¹Ï and a renowned Japan¨CU.S. educator. ¡°At 91³Ô¹Ï, we provide students an opportunity to own their learning experience. Education is about empowering the students,¡± Dr. Mukai asserts. This tradition comes from the American philosopher and education reformist John Dewey, who said, ¡°I believe finally, that education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction of experience; that the process and the goal of education are one and the same thing.¡± SHCPE¡¯s inaugural curriculum aimed to implement this philosophy through direct, real-life interaction with founders and movers in Silicon Valley, and through the iterative process to deconstruct and reconstruct their knowledge on entrepreneurship.

Innovation Through Education

What SHCPE aimed to achieve was innovation through education. The weekly three-hour online class was roughly divided into three parts: guest lecture, class discussion, and interview. Prior to the interview session, a pre-assigned team of three students met with me in a separate online room and brainstormed their interview questions. For the majority of the students, it was their very first time to formally interview a person, and the experience brought a novel learning opportunity to think critically about entrepreneurial competence. Many commented on the challenge and the excitement of getting to know strangers by engaging them in a thoughtful conversation. The weekly interview highlighted the philosophy, aspiration, and raw sentiments of the guest speakers, evoking passion, energy, and empathy among the students.

SHCPE 2019 team with Ken-ichi Nakamura, President of the Prefectural University of Hiroshima

SHCPE strived to adopt the pedagogy of active learning and the toolsets of design thinking to implement Governor Yuzaki¡¯s vision of ¡°learning innovation.¡± The course appears to have succeeded in helping to realize his vision as one student reflected upon his experience:

This class does not intend to offer answers [to the question what entrepreneurship is]. Instead, it urges the students to constantly think on their own and engage themselves in learning. This is very different from the Japanese traditional pedagogy, which relies on rote memorization and mechanical process of practice problems. This class highlighted the fundamental difference in the philosophy of how we look at education, and I enjoyed this eye-opening experience.

SHCPE ¡¯19 concluded with much enthusiasm. 91³Ô¹Ï looks forward to continuing its partnership with HBMS to build upon the invaluable lessons learned from the inaugural program. With Stanford e-Hiroshima, an online course for high school students managed and taught by my colleague Rylan Sekiguchi, 91³Ô¹Ï will continue its efforts to empower the people in Hiroshima.

Acknowledgement

I am greatly indebted to Dr. Gary Mukai for providing me this invaluable opportunity. Special thanks go to Carey Moncaster, Dr. HyoJung Jang, Jonas Edman, Meiko Kotani, Naomi Funahashi, Rylan Sekiguchi, Sabrina Ishimaru, Dr. Tanya Lee, and Waka Takahashi Brown for their valuable comments on the preliminary curriculum. I thank all of my colleagues at 91³Ô¹Ï for their support and encouragement throughout the process.

My special gratitude goes to Akira Onozato, Dr. Fumiaki Ikeno, Jumpei Ishii, Rika Nakazawa, Seiji Miyasaka, Tatsuki Tomita, and Tasha Yorozu who took the time out of their busy Friday evening to participate in the virtual classroom. Their contagious enthusiasm energized the students.

Last but not least, I would like to express my deep appreciation to my collaborators at HBMS. I thank Professor Katsue Edo for his hard work and commitment to implement the program, Professor Yasuo Tsuchimoto for his technical expertise and dedication to administer the distance-learning, Professor Narumi Yoshikawa for supporting in-class discussions, and Kazue Hiura, Yoshihiko Oishi, and Kenji Okano for their capable assistance and thoughtful arrangements. Last but not least, my heartfelt congratulation goes to the 18 MBA students who successfully completed SHCPE ¡¯19. The inaugural class will always have a special place in my heart.

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s other programs,  and follow us on , , and .

Related article:

• Stanford Alumni Weekend (October 24¨C27, 2019) Feature: Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki & 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Dr. Mariko Yoshihara Yang and a New Online Course for MBA Students in Japan

When I first visited Kawasaki City, I was immediately struck by the multicolored character for ´¨or ¡°kawa¡± (river) in the Chinese characters for´¨Æé (Kawasaki) that appears on signs, buildings, posters, and even storm drain covers. I learned from Kawasaki Mayor Norihiko Fukuda that the multicolored ´¨ symbolizes the importance that Kawasaki City places upon diversity.

Kawasaki City is a large industrial city in the greater Tokyo area with a population of approximately 1.5 million, making it Japan¡¯s sixth most populous city after Tokyo. It is one of Japan¡¯s most ethnically diverse cities. Many Japanese multinational companies are based in Kawasaki. In 2014, the U.S. multinational company Johnson & Johnson opened the Tokyo Science Center in Kawasaki.

With the vision of Mayor Fukuda and support from Kawasaki City, 91³Ô¹Ï has launched Stanford e-Kawasaki, an online course that is offered to high school students in Kawasaki. Stanford e-Kawasaki¡¯s main course topics are diversity and entrepreneurship. Stanford e-Kawasaki Instructor recently noted, ¡°The Kawasaki students have shown strong interest in these timely and relevant topics and are always actively engaged in discussions. One of the great things about Stanford e-Kawasaki is that it provides a place where students feel free and encouraged to express themselves. It also provides an important opportunity for students to reflect on their own society by learning about the United States. I look forward to our continued learning together for the rest of the course.¡± The course began in fall 2019 and a closing ceremony will be held in March 2020.

Maiko Tamagawa Bacha

Like Bacha, Mayor Fukuda has also done formal studies in the United States. As a graduate of Furman University in South Carolina, Mayor Fukuda experienced life in the United States firsthand. Mayor Fukuda reflected, ¡°I am grateful to 91³Ô¹Ï at 91³Ô¹Ï¡­ for starting this program for high school students in Kawasaki City. I am encouraged to learn that the students are actively learning and engaged in discussions on topics related to diversity and entrepreneurship. I strongly hope that they will grow to be men and women of high caliber, who are keen to experience their lives with broad perspectives.¡± With the presence of many multinational corporations in Kawasaki, Mayor Fukuda witnesses the interdependence of Japan and the world every day and fully appreciates the significance of topics like diversity and entrepreneurship to the U.S.¨CJapan relationship.

The 91³Ô¹Ï staff would like to express its appreciation also to Hisashi Katsurayama from the Kawasaki Board of Education and Yoshitaka Tsuchihama and Miyuki Kitamura of Kawasaki City and for their unwavering support of Stanford e-Kawasaki.

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s other programs, and follow us on , , and .

On a recent Friday afternoon at Stanford, the weather reminded me of some crisp yet clear winter days in Japan. The sun brightly lit the Falcon Lounge on the 5th floor of Encina Hall as six alumni from the 2014 to 2018 Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP) and Sejong Korean Scholars Program (SKSP) cohorts gathered to celebrate the new year. This annual shinnenkai (literally, ¡°new year gathering,¡± in Japanese) luncheon offers alumni of 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s pre-collegiate online courses to meet or reconnect over lively conversation and delicious food. For the 91³Ô¹Ï instructors, the shinnenkai is often the first time to meet alumni in person.

The RSP is an online course on Japan and U.S.¨CJapan relations that is offered to U.S. high school students each spring, and will welcome its seventeenth cohort in a few weeks. The SKSP is preparing for its eighth cohort, and offers an intensive online study of Korea and U.S.¨CKorea relations to U.S. high school students. 91³Ô¹Ï also offers a third online course to U.S. high school students on China and U.S.¨CChina relations, the China Scholars Program. The CSP is preparing for its sixth cohort.

One of the attendees, James Noh (RSP ¡®16, 91³Ô¹Ï ¡®22), reflected on his RSP experience following the shinnenkai: ¡°My RSP experience not only nurtured my interest in East Asia, but also made me realize that I wanted to incorporate my interest in East Asia into both my academic and professional careers. Looking back, I think participating in RSP played an important role in influencing my decision to take a gap year to study Mandarin in China after high school and major in international relations with a focus on East Asia.¡± During the shinnenkai, it was interesting to hear other alumni share thoughts on how their experiences in the RSP and SKSP helped to prepare them for and also shape their college life. Comments ranged from ¡°informing choices¡± like class or major selection to ¡°honing skills¡± like writing research papers.

Through the many years in which 91³Ô¹Ï has engaged U.S. high school students in these intensive online courses, we have been fortunate to work with many exceptional students such as James. As the instructor of the RSP, I especially treasure the face-to-face opportunities to meet with alumni of these courses. These opportunities are rare treats given that our courses take place entirely online. The annual shinnenkai is truly a highlight of my year.

To stay informed of 91³Ô¹Ï-related news, and follow 91³Ô¹Ï on , , and .

Related articles:

• Honoring High School Students from Japan and the United States: A Glow for Global Peace
• Applications Now Open: Stanford Online Courses for High School Students on China, Korea, and Japan
• Twenty High School Students Accepted into Stanford Online Course on Modern China

is an online course that teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and U.S.¨CJapan relations. The course introduces students to both U.S. and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. It is offered biannually by the (91³Ô¹Ï). Stanford e-Japan is currently supported by the . The Spring 2019 cohort was the eighth group of students to complete Stanford e-Japan.

In Summer 2020, three of the top students of the Spring 2019 Stanford e-Japan online course will be honored at an event at 91³Ô¹Ï. The three Stanford e-Japan Day honorees¡ªRinko Kawamoto (UWC ISAK Japan, Nagano), Renee Ohnuki (Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba, Saitama), and Kota Watanabe (Waseda University Senior High School, Tokyo)¡ªwill be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on ¡°Hollywood and U.S. Society: A Study Through the Ages,¡± ¡°U.S.¨CJapan Drone Technology Collaboration and Its Application to Photocatalytic Technology to Resolve Air and Water Pollution,¡± and ¡°A More Sufficient Language Learning Environment for Foreign Students in Japan: A Comparison with the American ESL Education System.¡±

Isshin Yunoki (Kaisei Academy, Tokyo) received an Honorable Mention for his research paper on ¡°The Characteristics and Social Influence of Traditional Music in Japan and America.¡±

In the Spring 2019 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools successfully completed the course: Canadian Academy (Hyogo); Clark Memorial International High School (Osaka); Fudooka High School (Saitama); Hiroo Gakuen High School (Tokyo); Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School (Hiroshima); Hiroshima University High School (Hiroshima); Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School (Hokkaido); Ichikawa Gakuen Senior High School (Chiba); Inagakuen Comprehensive High School (Saitama); Kaisei Academy (Tokyo); Kaishi Kokusai High School (Niigata); Kaiyo Academy (Aichi); Katayama Gakuen Senior High School (Toyama); Katoh Gakuen Gyoshu Senior High School (Shizuoka); Keio Shonan Fujisawa High School (Kanagawa); Komaba Toho Senior High School (Tokyo); Kwansei Gakuin Senior High School (Hyogo); Kyuyou High School (Okinawa); Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba (Saitama); Shiba Junior and Senior High School (Tokyo); Tokyo Metropolitan Mita High School (Tokyo); Tokyo Minamitama Secondary Education School (Tokyo); UWC ISAK Japan (Nagano); and Waseda University High School (Tokyo).

For more information about the Stanford e-Japan Program, please visit .

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s other programs, and follow us on , , and .

Related articles:

• 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Stanford e-Japan Instructor Waka Takahashi Brown Honored with the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award
• Stanford e-Japan: My Window to the Wider World
• The Yanai Tadashi Foundation and Stanford e-Japan: Cultivating Future Leaders in Japan
• Honoring High School Students from Japan and the United States: A Glow for Global Peace

This webinar was made possible through the Freeman Foundation¡¯s support of the (NCTA), a multi-year initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Jonas Edman and Naomi Funahashi coordinate 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s NCTA seminars and webinars.

While walking along the hallways of the Ethnic Studies Department with Professor Khatharya Um at U.C. Berkeley on December 3, 2019, I shared some remembrances of my first quarter at U.C. Berkeley in fall 1972. I had enrolled in two courses in the Ethnic Studies Department that quarter: one focused on the Asian American experience with Patrick Hayashi and Colin Watanabe and the other focused on diverse perspectives on U.S. history with Professor Ronald Takaki. Most of the Asian American students in these classes were of Chinese and Japanese descent with a few of Korean, Indian, and Filipino descent. Through these classes, I was introduced for the first time in my life to Asian American literature like No-No Boy (1957) and America Is in the Heart (1948). I had enrolled at U.C. Berkeley less than three years after the establishment of the Ethnic Studies Department (1969) and during the anti-Vietnam War protests.

According to its website, the Ethnic Studies Department emerged from student and community members¡¯ demands for scholarly programs that focused on the ¡°understudied histories and situations of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos, and Native Americans.¡± This year marks the 50th year since its establishment; 2019 also marks the 44th anniversary since the fall of Saigon (1975).

I was at the Ethnic Studies Department on December 3, 2019 because my colleague, Naomi Funahashi, had organized a 91³Ô¹Ï webinar, ¡°Culturally and Experientially Responsive Pedagogy: Teaching to Diverse Asian and Asian American Students,¡± that featured Professor Um. Approximately 30 educators from many states and also Pakistan and Japan participated. During her talk, Um pointed out that the resettlement of refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia began with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 and continued through the early 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. She noted that unlike economically motivated migration from other parts of Asia, immigration to the United States from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia was largely due to flight from war, authoritarianism, and genocide. Largely as a result of these waves of immigration to the United States, the Asian American student population in U.S. schools and universities like U.C. Berkeley has become increasingly diverse.

To help meet the educational needs of this increasingly diverse population, Um argued for the importance of culturally and experientially responsive pedagogy. She explained that ¡°culturally and experientially responsive pedagogy is a student-centered approach to teaching in which the students¡¯ experiences and cultural strengths are identified, validated, and used to empower students, enrich and promote learning.¡± Like many other communities, Asian and Asian American students represent a wide spectrum of ethnicities, languages, histories, generations, cultures, and religions. She acknowledged that ¡°Providing culturally and experientially responsive instruction to these students can be daunting¡­ and schools are faced with both opportunities and challenges in providing instruction that is rich and meaningful. Diverse student populations offer valuable opportunities for classroom and community enrichment.¡±

Um interspersed some statistical information in order to show the significance and some characteristics of the Asian American population.

• Largely as a result of ongoing migration, Asians are among the fastest growing populations in the United States.
• The Asian American population has grown by 72% between 2000 and 2015.
• Currently, the population is approximately 20.4 million.
• The diversity among and within Asian American communities has increased with new immigration.
• 59% of the U.S. Asian population was born in another country.

Um encouraged the educators in the United States to keep these statistics in mind and noted that ¡°Effective learning depends on more than just the curriculum. It is about creating a space where students can feel safe, empowered, valued, and feel that they belong¡­ It begins with knowing your students or at least knowing how to know¡­ and it rests on knowing what to do with what you know.¡± The words, ¡°knowing how to know,¡± brought back memories of a question¡ª¡°What does epistemology mean to you?¡±¡ªthat Takaki raised to students in his first class lecture at U.C. Berkeley in fall 1972. After acknowledging a student¡¯s answer, he replied that epistemology focuses on the question, ¡°How do you know that you know what you know?,¡± and this has stayed with me since and continues to shape my work at 91³Ô¹Ï.

While in Um¡¯s office, I noticed some books on her shelf that I once read back in the 1970s¡ªliterature that was ¡°culturally relevant¡± to me. But what most stood out for me was a copy of Um¡¯s book, From the Land of Shadows: War, Revolution and the Making of the Cambodian Diaspora. Other than America Is the Heart by Filipino American Carlos Buloson, there was no other Southeast Asian American-focused literature that we were assigned during fall quarter 1972. Um is the first Cambodian American woman to receive a PhD. I left campus thinking of how fortunate I was to have scholars like Hayashi, Watanabe, and Takaki who taught and empowered me, and also how fortunate Southeast Asian American students and others are today to have scholars like Um concerned about their education and advancement.

Following the webinar, Funahashi reflected, ¡°I not only received overwhelmingly positive feedback about Professor Um¡¯s lecture from participants, but I too gained a greater awareness of the growing diversity in our schools that is also reflected in my online class, the Reischauer Scholars Program. After listening to Professor Um¡¯s thoughts on culturally and experientially responsive pedagogy, a big take-away for me was the importance of a teacher¡¯s capacity for empathy as one works with students from very diverse backgrounds.¡±

To stay informed of 91³Ô¹Ï-related news,  and follow 91³Ô¹Ï on , , and .

Related articles, videos, and curriculum:

• Rylan Sekiguchi Receives Buchanan Prize for His Work on Cambodia
• My Cambodia
• My Cambodian America
• 91³Ô¹Ï in Vietnam

The Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese. administers the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award, which is funded by the . The 2019 Award focused on the humanities and the 2020 Award will focus on Japanese language. It is named in honor of Elgin Heinz for his commitment to educating students about Asia as well as for the inspiration he has provided to the field of pre-collegiate education.

¡°Waka walks in the footsteps of Elgin Heinz as a key leader in educating the next generation about the U.S.¨CJapan relationship,¡± stated David Janes, Chair of the Board, EngageAsia. Heinz was born in China in 1913 and taught in the San Francisco Unified School District for 40 years. Challenging Americans¡¯ lack of knowledge about Asia was central to Elgin¡¯s life¡¯s work. Janes has overseen the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award since its inception in 2001. Daniel Tani, Director of Foundation Grants at the U.S.-Japan Foundation, and Janes formally presented the award to Brown.

In addition to teaching Stanford e-Japan for the last five years, Brown previously served as instructor for 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s (RSP). The RSP is an online course that introduces Japanese society and culture and U.S.¨CJapan relations to high school students in the United States. Current RSP Instructor and Manager Naomi Funahashi is a 2017 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recipient.

Waka Brown, Professor Daniel Okimoto, and Miles Brown (husband of Waka)

Prior to joining 91³Ô¹Ï, Brown taught Japanese language at Silver Creek High School in San Jose and served as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. Brown obtained both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from 91³Ô¹Ï.

In her acceptance speech, Waka noted: ¡°As a Japanese American growing up in Kansas in the 1970s and 80s, and then as a Japanese American woman working in Japan, I¡¯ve felt the need and immediacy for fostering cross-cultural understanding for my entire life. I feel extremely fortunate that I am able to work toward this goal through my professional work. My students and their knowledge and passion humble me. I am constantly in awe of them and their accomplishments. It is a true honor to receive the Elgin Heinz Award, and I am grateful for the opportunity to use these funds to foster connections between the future leaders in U.S.¨CJapan relations.¡±

Through Stanford e-Japan, Brown has engaged Japanese high school students from throughout Japan in an intensive study of U.S. society and culture. Since its first session in 2015, over 200 Japanese students have successfully completed the course. Some of her students have matriculated to universities in the United States.

In a very meaningful moment of the ceremony, Ryoga Umezawa, one of Brown¡¯s former Stanford e-Japan students and now a university student at the Minerva Schools at KGI in San Francisco, expressed his gratitude to Brown, noting that the online format of Stanford e-Japan eased his transition to the online format of his university studies and also noted that the knowledge he gained from Stanford e-Japan has been invaluable to his transition to life in the United States.

The ceremony ended with a duet by Norman Masuda, an inaugural recipient of the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award in 2002 (Japanese language category), and Irene Nakasone, instructor of kutu (Okinawan koto). Nakasone played the kutu and Masuda, the sanshin (Okinawan shamisen). They performed ¡°Akanma Bushi¡± (red horse folk song), which was symbolic to the occasion as it is a congratulatory classical piece from the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa Prefecture.

Irene Nakasone and Norman Masuda play a duet at the 2019 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award ceremony.

For more information on the Stanford e-Japan Program, visit . The Spring 2020 application period is open now until January 8, 2020. To be notified when the next Stanford e-Japan application period opens, or follow us on , , and .

• Stanford e-Japan: My Window to the Wider World
• The Yanai Tadashi Foundation and Stanford e-Japan: Cultivating Future Leaders in Japan
• Honoring High School Students from Japan and the United States: A Glow for Global Peace
• 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Waka Takahashi Brown Receives 2019 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award

¡°Let¡¯s bring all the planes down¡±¡ªSecretary of Transportation Norman Mineta¡¯s words to ground all U.S. planes on 9/11¡ªelicited a moment of riveted silence in the audience of educators attending the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference in Austin, Texas, as they listened to Secretary Mineta¡¯s keynote address on November 23, 2019. Upon hearing those words, many were transported back to a time when most people probably remember exactly where and what they were doing at the time that they heard of the events unfolding on September 11, 2001. However, most of their current students were not alive in 2001 and Mineta underscored the importance of teaching them about the lessons of 9/11 so that it is never forgotten.

During his address, Secretary Mineta highlighted the importance of conference themes such as informed action and decision making as he reflected upon lessons from his life, and the important role that teachers have in shaping critical attitudes of their students. In a touching moment, he shared his experience as a 10-year-old boy in 1942 who was forced from his home in San Jose, California, and incarcerated with his family in Heart Mountain, Wyoming, the location of one of the 10 major incarceration camps for people of Japanese descent during World War II. He vividly recalled his cherished baseball bat being confiscated by the Military Police as it was deemed a weapon. Mineta also shared how his experience during World War II informed one of President George W. Bush¡¯s comments immediately following 9/11, that is, ¡°We know what happened to Norm Mineta in the 1940s, and we¡¯re not going to let that happen again.¡± A son of immigrants from Japan, Norman Mineta became the first Asian American mayor of a major city (San Jose, California). This led to a distinguished 20-year career in Congress and the first Asian American Cabinet member, having served two U.S. Presidents, a Democrat (Bill Clinton) and Republican (George W. Bush).

As Secretary Mineta spoke, one could sense that he never forgot his roots or the shame and humiliation that he and his family felt during World War II; as a congressman, he led the way for an apology from the U.S. government and redress for Japanese Americans who were interned. As U.S. Secretary of Transportation during and after 9/11, he made critical decisions that would ensure that what happened to Japanese Americans during World War II did not happen to any other group based on ethnicity or religion. His burning desire for all people to be treated equally is at the heart of a film, Norman Mineta and His Legacy: An American Story, that was co-produced by Dianne Fukami and Debra Nakatomi, who were also in the audience. The film premiered on PBS earlier this year.

Following Secretary Mineta¡¯s keynote to an audience of hundreds who gave him a standing ovation, 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Rylan Sekiguchi and Jonas Edman led a more intimate discussion with Secretary Mineta and 70 educators that also included an overview of a 91³Ô¹Ï-produced web-based curriculum unit that is titled, As its main author, Sekiguchi explained that the curriculum unit consists of six lessons with readings, videos, and assignments to examine key themes from Secretary Mineta¡¯s life and career: immigration, civil liberties & equity, civic engagement, justice & reconciliation, leadership, and U.S.¨CJapan relations.

Sekiguchi also noted that the curriculum meets national standards for history, social studies, civics and government courses, and topics are brought to life and connected to students¡¯ own lives through primary source documents, interactive classroom activities, and custom-created video vignettes (produced by Fukami) showcasing a diverse range of American voices¡ªfrom high school youth to former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Each lesson provides a different lens through which students can examine the curriculum¡¯s central question: What does it mean to be an American? The curriculum unit will be released in spring 2020.

Sekiguchi¡¯s overview was followed by a discussion between Mineta and the 70 educators that was moderated by Edman. Questions from the audience ranged from Mineta¡¯s legendary lifelong friendship with Republican Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming to issues concerning immigrant families today. Many of the questions and Secretary Mineta¡¯s responses touched upon the political divisiveness in U.S. society today and prompted educators to think of ways to use ¡°What Does It Mean to Be An American?¡± and Norman Mineta and His Legacy: An American Story in their classrooms. Compliments from the audience like ¡°this was the best session of the conference¡± and ¡°this was the best workshop I¡¯ve been to¡± could be heard following the session.

During their work with Secretary Mineta, Sekiguchi, Fukami, and Nakatomi were especially touched when they heard why Secretary Norman Mineta wears an American flag on his lapel. Mineta has noted, ¡°When you¡¯re in close quarters¡­ people will sort of give you the once over. And so, I always wear this [flag pin]. It¡¯s something you feel when you¡¯re doing things. Am I really being fully accepted as an American citizen? I want to make sure everyone knows I am one.¡±

Question & Answer session with Secretary Norman Mineta with Jonas Edman moderating

Related articles:

• Secretary Norman Mineta and 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Rylan Sekiguchi Speak at the Ronald Reagan Library
• Secretary Norman Mineta and 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Rylan Sekiguchi Highlight National Council of History Education Conference in Washington, DC
• Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Interviewed for the Mineta Legacy Project

The following reflection is a guest post written by Miyu Hayashi, a Spring 2016 alum and honoree of the , which is currently accepting applications for Spring 2020. She is now a medical student at Mie University, Faculty of Medicine.

While the United States is often regarded as an individualistic society, Japan, in general, has more of a group mentality with many people not wanting to stand out. But, I think we as Japanese need to be able to explain ourselves more clearly in today¡¯s globalized society where people around the world interact more frequently. I had a strong interest in the Spring 2016 Stanford e-Japan Program because it involved lectures and discussions I usually could not participate in. 

The lectures included historical topics such as the importance of early U.S.¨CJapan relations and World War II, and also contemporary topics such as Silicon Valley and entrepreneurship and high schools in the United States and Japan. Students were expected to complete the lectures and readings that were assigned before the online classes. In our lesson on World War II, I read and compared U.S. and Japanese textbook excerpts for the first time, which helped me learn the American point of view in regard to the war. In our lesson on entrepreneurship, I learned the importance of having an entrepreneur-like spirit to improve companies, thinking outside of the box, and having a culture that accepted failure as a positive experience (as long as the failure taught important lessons). In my experience, most Japanese like to live a standard and stable life, and act and think in the same way as others for fear that they might make mistakes. In contrast, an entrepreneurial spirit shows a true passion for building something fantastic from nothing. Learning about this mindset of pushing oneself to the limit to achieve great goals impressed me a lot.

Another key aspect that made the Stanford e-Japan Program interesting was all my peers. They were highly motivated and discussions with them were always stimulating. We helped each other understand lessons more clearly and generate more ideas about each topic. Trying to answer their questions on the online discussion forums offered me a chance to improve myself because these discussions revealed my mistakes and weaknesses or supporting ideas that I had not thought of before. Also, reading other students¡¯ ideas, listening to their questions, and learning from professors¡¯ answers opened up different aspects of each topic.

Stanford e-Japan alumna Miyu Hayashi outside of the Shanghai Children's Medical Center. Photo courtesy of Miyu Hayashi.

The Stanford e-Japan Program has become one of my most precious experiences. It gave us a chance to learn about different societies, cultures, and ways of thinking. It broadened my horizons so that I would like to make full use of having experienced it, not only in my long-term future plans, but also in my short-term plans. When the 2020 Olympics are held in Japan, I would be willing to help anyone in trouble. And as a doctor, I want to study in the U.S., since it is one of the world leaders in medicine. I would like to improve the field of medicine in collaboration with doctors from around the world.

For more information on the Stanford e-Japan Program, visit . The Spring 2020 application period is open now until January 8, 2020. To be notified when the next Stanford e-Japan application period opens, or follow us on , , and .

Stanford e-Japan is one of several online courses for high school students offered by 91³Ô¹Ï, 91³Ô¹Ï, including the , the , the (on Korea), and . Also, 91³Ô¹Ï offers the following regional online courses in Japan: Stanford e-Hiroshima, Stanford e-Oita, Stanford e-Tottori, and Stanford e-Kawasaki. Students interested in these regional online courses should contact Gary Mukai at gmukai@stanford.edu. 

• The Yanai Tadashi Foundation and Stanford e-Japan: Cultivating Future Leaders in Japan
• Honoring High School Students from Japan and the United States: A Glow for Global Peace
• 91³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Waka Takahashi Brown Receives 2019 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award