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Applications opened today for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), an online course conducted in English to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice annually in the fall and spring by the  (91�Թ�) at 91�Թ� and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. It is open to Japanese students in their first and second years of high school. The fall 2023 course will be taught by Irene Bryant and will run from late October 2023 through February 2024. 

The application form is now live at . The deadline to apply is September 8, 2023 23:59 Japan Time. 

SeEJ offers students an opportunity to engage with various scholars and entrepreneurs from 91�Թ� and beyond through its virtual classes, which are held twice a month on Sundays. The course will culminate in an individual research paper and final group projects. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from 91�Թ� and NPO e-Entrepreneurship.

“When I came across this program, I had to look up what the word ‘entrepreneurship’ meant,” said Juria Kawabe, a student in the summer 2022 session of SeEJ. “Three stimulating months later, I now have a clear vision of what entrepreneurship is, a goal that I desire to achieve, and a countless amount of information about our world’s issues.” 

For more information about Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, visit the program webpage. Interested high school students should  by September 8, 2023. 

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by 91�Թ�.  To stay updated on 91�Թ� news,  or follow us on , , and .

The Stanford/91�Թ� East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawaiʻi (“Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi”) is a professional development program for teachers in Hawaiʻi. It was launched in 2020–21 and the third year ended this month. Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi is generously supported by the Freeman Foundation. 

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

The 91�Թ� staff was pleased to work with the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawaiʻi Teacher Fellows below. 

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

The institute featured welcoming comments by East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum (photo above), who touched upon two of the key themes of the institute: the importance of recognizing diverse perspectives and the interconnectedness of the world. Her comment that “Hawaiʻi can have an impact on the world” especially resonated among the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawaiʻi Teacher Fellows and the 91�Թ� staff. 

President Vares-Lum’s welcoming comments set the context for presentations by University of Hawaiʻi-affiliated scholars and community leaders, and curricular presentations by 91�Թ� staff. The first day’s topics were “Immigration and Migration,” “Japan and World War II,” and “Contemporary U.S.–China Relations”; the second day’s topics were “Immigration, Migration, and the Korean Diaspora,” “Colonial and Post-Colonial Korea,” “The Korean War,” and “International Textbook Comparisons”; and the third day’s topic was “Asian Immigration and Diasporas in the United States.” These topics were taken from the Hawaiʻi Core Standards for Social Studies. The presenters were:

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

Day Two
Merle Grybowski, Director of Teacher Training, Pacific and Asian Affairs Council
Edward J. Shultz, Professor Emeritus of History, UH Mānoa
Duk Hee Lee Murabayashi, Director, Korean Immigration Research Institute in Hawaiʻi
Naomi Funahashi, Manager of Teacher Professional Development, 91�Թ�

Day Three
Gary Mukai, Director, 91�Թ�
John Rosa, Associate Professor of History, UH Mānoa
HyoJung Jang, Instructor of the Sejong Korea Scholars Program and Curriculum Specialist, 91�Թ�

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

Over the next month, each Teacher Fellow will submit a lesson plan to 91�Թ� that incorporates content that was introduced during Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi. The 91�Թ� staff awaits in anticipation of seeing how content from the seminar will reach hundreds of secondary school students throughout the Hawaiian Islands. 

Rylan Sekiguchi, Manager of Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi, and Sabrina Ishimatsu, 91�Թ� Event Coordinator, organized the institute, which was facilitated by 91�Թ� Manager of Teacher Professional Development Naomi Funahashi.

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Applications opened recently for the Fall 2023 session of the 91�Թ� Scholars Program for Japanese High School Students (also known as “Stanford e-Japan”), which will run from the end of September 2023 through the end of February 2024. The deadline to apply is August 12, 2023.

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

All applications must be submitted at  via the SurveyMonkey Apply platform. Applicants and recommenders will need to create a SurveyMonkey Apply account to proceed. Students who are interested in applying to the online course are encouraged to begin their applications early.

Accepted applicants will engage in an intensive study of U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. Government officials, top scholars, and experts from 91�Թ� and throughout the United States provide web-based lectures and engage students in live discussion sessions.

Stanford e-Japan is offered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (), 91�Թ�. Stanford e-Japan is generously supported by the , Tokyo, Japan.

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

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and 91�Թ�’s other student programs,  or follow us on , , and .

91�Թ� offers separate courses for U.S. high school students. For more information, please visit the Reischauer Scholars Program (online course about Japan), the , and the .

In March 2022, 91�Թ� released Introduction to Issues in International Security, an online lecture series that was developed by Irene Bryant in consultation with the  (CISAC). Four CISAC scholars are featured in accessible video lectures that aim to introduce high school students to various global security issues. 

• Biosecurity, by Dr. Megan J. Palmer, Executive Director of Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives at 91�Թ�, Adjunct Professor in the department of Bioengineering, and Affiliate of the Center for International Security and Cooperation
• Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide, by Dr. Norman Naimark, Professor of History and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
• International Security and North Korea’s Nuclear Program, by the Honorable Rose Gottemoeller, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO and Frank E. and Arthur W. Payne Distinguished Lecturer at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
• Terrorism and Counterterrorism, by Dr. Martha Crenshaw, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies 

In spring 2023, Dr. Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez, teacher at San Jose’s Willow Glen High School and lecturer at the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford, introduced Introduction to Issues in International Security to a group of students at Willow Glen High School. Rodriguez’s course culminated in the second International Security Symposium that was held on May 24, 2023. Three representatives of CISAC gathered online with the students. The representatives were Professor Naimark, Post-Doctoral Fellow , and Associate Director of Administration and Finance . The objectives of the symposium were to offer students a chance to interact with scholars in the field of international security and to learn from the scholars about careers in the field.

During the symposium, Naimark and Courchesne shared thoughts on a teacher(s) in high school or a specific event(s) in high school that had a significant impact on their academic careers and professional careers. This was followed by student presentations, during which the students were given the opportunity to present on one of the four topics covered in Introduction to Issues in International Security. Each student presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session with Naimark, Courchesne, and Remus. 

After the symposium, Rodriguez commented:

I was thankful for the opportunity to provide this educational outreach and collaboration with 91�Թ�. The students are enrolled in the Two-Way Bilingual Immersion program at Willow Glen High School and are highly skilled, analytical, and critical thinkers. They were inspired by the opportunity to learn from Stanford scholars and experts in international security. I look forward to providing more outreach and continuing to collaborate.  

Given the success of the second symposium, CISAC and 91�Թ� hope to expand on the lecture series, which is part of their DEI-focused efforts, and reach more underrepresented minority students. CISAC and 91�Թ� are grateful to Rodriguez for his extraordinary work with the students and to 91�Թ� Event Coordinator Sabrina Ishimatsu for her meticulous planning of the symposium. 

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Sponsored by Stanford Global Studies (SGS), the  (EPIC) Community College Faculty Fellowship program brings together a cohort of community college faculty and academic staff from various disciplines to work collaboratively with Stanford staff for one academic year (August–May). Each EPIC fellow designs a project that aims to internationalize curricula and develop global competencies among community college students. Jonas Edman and I met monthly with six of the 11 2022–23 EPIC fellows throughout the academic year. For me, some of the more meaningful discussions revolved around topics related to culturally relevant pedagogy; non-Western perspectives on topics like psychology, global citizenship, and finance; community college demographics; and the fellows’ communication with Stanford faculty and/or the incorporation of Stanford scholarship in the fellows’ projects. The fellowship culminated with the , “Integrating Global Topics into Community College Curricula,” which was held on May 20, 2023 and featured panels of current EPIC faculty and leadership fellows. The six EPIC fellows with whom Edman worked are listed below and their projects all focused on curriculum, which is a key component of 91�Թ�’s mission to help make Stanford scholarship on global issues accessible to K–12 and community college educators and students. Each fellow gave an overview of their project to an audience of Stanford faculty and staff, EPIC alumni, and other community college faculty and staff. 

• Amy Coren, Professor of Psychology, Pasadena City College 
  

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

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

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

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

  • Project: Decolonizing the United States Food System

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Applications opened this week for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), an all-English online course to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice annually in the fall and spring by 91�Թ� and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. The instructors are Irene Bryant (fall) and Makiko Hirata (spring). It is open to Japanese students in their first and second years of high school. The spring 2023 course will run from early July through September.

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

SeEJ offers students an opportunity to engage with impactful entrepreneurs from California and beyond through its virtual classes offered twice a month on Sundays. The course will culminate in an individual research paper and final group research projects, the latter of which will be presented at the last virtual class of the course in September. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from 91�Թ�, 91�Թ�, and NPO e-Entrepreneurship.

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

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

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by 91�Թ�.

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On May 5, 2023, the  attracted people from across 91�Թ� for professional development, networking, and socializing around undergraduate and graduate teaching and learning. The conference engaged participants in the following key topics: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hollie Fortcamp, one of the organizers of the TEACH Conference, noted, “It was a joy to attend ‘Sound Communication’ by Dr. Makiko Hirata, 91�Թ�, at the TEACH Conference. We are so blessed to have her expertise and delight! She captivated the room. She gave us all much to ponder about how the various aspects of musicality influence communication, especially the communication of teaching and learning. We are still talking about it.” In addition, three of the participants’ written comments noted “Makiko’s lovely piano playing and moments of silence in a great workshop”; “the measurable value of silence in information processing”; and “music/sound and more importantly, silence in teaching is important.” Fortcamp continued, “Makiko was an ideal presenter as she highlighted all three topics of the TEACH Conference—that is, engagement, well-being, and belonging.” 

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Reference: 

“Can music inspire more people to care about climate change?” Los Angeles Times, 31 March, 2023;