Kyoto Summer Program held for ASEAN and Japanese students (31 Jul-13 Aug 2016)

From 31 July through 13 August, the Kyoto University Asian Studies Unit (KUASU) held its Kyoto Summer Program 2016 for students from ASEAN countries and Japan. The program was organized in partnership with the Education Center for Japanese Language and Culture, KU Institute for Liberal and Arts and Science, as well as the Kyoto Prefectural Government and Kyoto Prefectural International Center.

Of the 36 participants, 18 were short-term international students from five leading institutions across ASEAN -- Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; the University of Indonesia; the National University of Singapore; the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH); and the University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS); the last two of which are affiliated with Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The students were supported and joined in collaborative learning by 18 KU students from eight faculties and four graduate schools.

All the participants attended lectures together and took part in cultural excursions, organized around the themes of "Japanese language and culture" and "interdisciplinary and international collaborative learning". They also delivered presentations on related topics as well as engaging in lively discussions about the presentations given.

The program received significantly positive feedback from both the participants and the faculty of the participating ASEAN-based universities. The success of this program, which followed a series of short-term ASEAN-bound programs for KU students, also implemented by KUASU in cooperation with the host institutions, indicated that there now exists a solid, bidirectional exchange partnership between Kyoto University and its ASEAN counterparts.