Kokoro Science Research Internship Program (11 July – 10 August 2018)

From 11 July to 10 August, the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies' Department of Human Coexistence, in collaboration with Kokoro Research Center, hosted a Kokoro Science Research Internship Program with six international students taking part. The program was organized under the Wild & Wise Collaborative Learning Program with support from Kyoto University, with the aim of fostering understanding of the human kokoro (mind, psyche, or consciousness) in social, cultural and historical contexts through research projects and discussions.

The six international participants represented five institutions: National Taiwan University, Taiwan; Moscow State University, Russia; the University of British Columbia, Canada; Kansas State University, USA; and Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan. They were joined by seven KyotoU students for collaborative learning experiences.

Each international student was paired with a partner from Kyoto to work together on a "kokoro science" project under the supervision of three faculty advisors. The students also attended a research seminar every Friday afternoon to report on and discuss their work. The projects concluded on 8 August with final presentations by the student teams.

The program also featured a Zen meditation experience on 25 July with a visit to Shunkoin Temple, located within the Myoshin-ji temple complex, as well as a special lecture on Japanese movies, delivered on 30 July by Associate Professor Chika Kinoshita of the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies.

These activities provided the international and KyotoU students alike with invaluable opportunities to experience and understand the diversity and universality of kokoro.