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On Saturday, May 22, 2021, Stanford Global Studies (SGS) hosted the , which featured presentations by 11 2020–21 EPIC Fellows. 91�Թ�, along with the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis, is SGS’s EPIC Partner. The following reflection is a guest post by EPIC Fellow Maiya Evans, assistant professor at Skyline College, who gave a presentation on “Reimagining Public Health.”

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Last week, I had the chance to visit one of my uncles, George Mukai (92), who is a veteran of the Korean War. He recently moved into an assisted-living facility and had very few items delivered from his home to his new residence. One thing that he did have delivered was a curio cabinet that contains Korean War-related items including medals, a cap, a United Nations Command certificate, and a piece of wire from the DMZ.

As he has in the past, he shared recollections of his experiences during the Korean War, but unlike when he was young, his recollections felt more poignant. He is a very proud veteran. Another one of my uncles, Roy Mukai (deceased), was also a Korean War veteran, and a third, Toichi Mukai, was stationed in Korea after the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953.

This month marks the 71st anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. After my visit with George, I started to reflect on the work that my colleagues (past and present) at 91�Թ� have done to promote the study of Korea in U.S. schools and directly to students in the United States. They are:

• Waka Brown
• Jonas Edman
• Andre Haag
• Joon Seok Hong
• HyoJung Jang
• Grace Kim
• Se-Woong Koo
• Stefanie Lamb
• Annie Lim
• Rennie Moon
• Rylan Sekiguchi
   

They have developed extensive curriculum on Korea. The offerings can be found on this and includes offerings such as the following:

• Colonial Korea in Historical Perspective
• Divided Memories: Comparing History Textbooks
• Dynamics of the Korean American Experience
• Economic Development: The Case of South Korea
• Inter-Korean Relations: Rivalry, Reconciliation, and Reunification
• Traditional and Contemporary Korean Culture
• Uncovering North Korea
• U.S.–South Korean Relations
   

In addition, the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, an online course for high school students in the United States, has been offered by 91�Թ� since 2013. The SKSP annually selects 20–25 exceptional high school students from throughout the United States and engages them in an intensive study of Korea and U.S.–Korea relations. Selected students participate in the online course on Korea from February to June of each year. The current instructor is Jang.

Lastly, 91�Թ� offers annual summer institutes to middle school and high school teachers in partnership with the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, and also the East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawaii. These are facilitated respectively by Edman, Naomi Funahashi, and Sekiguchi. These programs focus in part on Korea and are funded by the Freeman Foundation.

I wish that I could inform veterans of the Korean War about programs such as these that help to promote a greater understanding of Korea and U.S.–Korea relations among students in the United States, and also to encourage students to reflect upon the sacrifices that were made by the veterans.

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, Stanford Global Studies (SGS) hosted the 2021 (EPIC) Symposium which featured presentations by the 12 2020–21 EPIC Fellows. 91�Թ� along with the are SGS’s EPIC partners. Jonas Edman worked with six of the EPIC Fellows during the academic year as they sought to increase the international, intercultural, and global dimensions in their curriculum.

During the EPIC Symposium, Edman moderated two panels that featured the following six instructors. The “pitches” for their talks can be found .

Panel One

• Sravani Banerjee, Evergreen Valley College, San Jose, California; “Incorporating Social Justice and Global Issues in Freshman Composition”
• Maiya Evans, Skyline College, San Bruno, California; “Reimagining Public Health: Expanding the Borders of Public Health Curriculum”
• Joanna Sobala, Mission College, Santa Clara, California; “Women and Feminism in the World”
   

Panel Two

• Julia diLiberti, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois; “The Need for Globalizing Curriculum Post Pandemic”
• Melissa King, San Bernadino Valley College, San Bernadino, California; “Defining Moments in Global Studies Education”
• Rebecca Nieman, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, California; “Internationalizing Business Law Curriculum in Community Colleges Through Experiential Learning Activities”

The EPIC Fellows not only conceptualized and developed ways to globalize their curriculum through the incorporation of new subject matter knowledge but also carefully considered the importance of pedagogical content knowledge, which was popularized by Stanford scholar Lee Shulman. Shulman argued that subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge—teachers’ interpretations and transformations of subject-matter knowledge in the context of facilitating student learning—should not be treated as mutually exclusive. Edman commented, “While moderating the two panels, I was struck by how each embraced this notion.”

In panel one, Banerjee introduced her project, which focused on incorporating social justice and global issues in freshman composition, and spoke about how her thematic units on topics like human rights not only introduced students to subject matter knowledge such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also engaged them in an inquiry-based learning pedagogical approach. Similarly, Sobala described how she internationalized her social justice course by including the critical viewing of documentaries that focus on women from around the world among her pedagogical approaches. Evans introduced her Reimaging Public Health Roundtable Series, which invites students to reshape and rethink approaches to health and health care in the United States by borrowing from public health methodologies from other countries. She not only introduced students to topics like international perspectives on mental health (including stigma) but also spoke about how she engaged students in creating podcasts as a pedagogical approach.

In panel two, King described her project, which crystalized around the question, “How can San Bernadino Valley College students learn about the world from a different perspective?” Her project engaged students with a podcast that she created called “Within a Grain of Sand” and focused on topics such as migration and refugees as she sought to encourage her students to seek connections between the local and global. Nieman and diLiberti focused their projects on faculty professional development. For Nieman, she challenged faculty to think about how to teach an unfamiliar topic, which happens to be a learning objective of the course, to students. She recommended the engagement of students in experiential learning activities as she internationalized her law courses in areas such as tort law, dispute resolution, and corporate governance. diLiberti developed an eight-week professional development course that has the goal of having the participants gain a more concrete understanding of globalization in tangible ways. As an example, she recommended the use of narrative maps, which she learned from EPIC guest speaker , as a pedagogical tool.

During the question-and-answer period, 2018–19 EPIC Fellow Dave Dillon, Grossmont College, El Cajon, California, asked how the projects of the 2020–21 EPIC Fellows evolved especially given the pandemic. Evans and Sobala noted that they felt the need to keep strict parameters around the scope of their EPIC projects, and throughout the 2020–21 EPIC Program, the EPIC Fellows expressed the challenges they faced as they transitioned to teaching online. After the Symposium, Edman commented, “despite the enormous challenges that the pandemic posed to the EPIC Fellows, they produced very engaging and meaningful globally focused projects that had direct outcomes on faculty and students, and will continue to have an impact in the years to come.” Edman was especially struck by a comment from one of King’s students who commented on a lesson on refugees: “… I was very unaware of the global refugee situation, and still feel like I do not understand the entire scope of it… when doing more research for the assignment, I found a refugee resettlement tracker that actually showed me how many refugees had resettled in my area historically… That was something I had not previously considered, and the questions asking what my community is doing to help refugees and immigrants really made me think about this issue and how much more there is that we can do at a community level.”

After hearing this student reflection, Edman commented that “perhaps a silver lining to the pandemic is that students began to vividly see the connection between the local and global not only in terms of health but also in other areas that the EPIC Fellows touched upon… for example, refugees, climate, hunger, feminism, immigration, and law as well.”

To stay informed of 91�Թ�-related news, and follow us on , , or .

The following is Part 4 of a multiple-part series. For Part 1, please visit here, for Part 2, please visit here, and for Part 3, please visit here.

On December 8, 2020, January 19, 2021, and March 16, 2021 91�Թ� posted three articles that highlight reflections from 25 students on the question, “What does it mean to be an American?” I have decided to continue the series based on the enthusiastic engagement that I have felt from students and teachers from throughout the United States. Part 4 features eight additional reflections.

The 91�Թ� staff’s hope is that the free educational website—“”—will help students reflect upon their civil liberties during this challenging time. On March 24, 2021, 91�Թ�’s Rylan Sekiguchi was honored by the Association for Asian Studies for his authorship of the lessons that are featured on the website, which was developed by the Mineta Legacy Project in partnership with 91�Թ�.

For part 4, a special effort was made to include some reflections of students of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent since May is AAPI heritage month. The reflections below do not necessarily reflect those of the 91�Թ� staff.

Kaliʻu Boteilho, Hawaii
As a Hawaiian language speaker, something that I’ve always understood and live by is a Hawaiian proverb that says “‘A‘ole pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho’okahi” or “All knowledge is not taught in the same school, one can learn from many sources.” Much like this proverb says, we are not all from the same school, place, or background. We all have different ethnicities, races, and religious beliefs, yet in America we’re able to live side by side and coexist. To me being an American not only means to respect people’s beliefs but to uphold the integrity of my country, my home, and most of all my people. Being an American is an honor, but I shall not forget who I truly am...a Hawaiian.

Santiago Calderon, Florida
Many people in Latin America think of Whites as the stereotypical American. I have been perceived as White due to my palish skin despite my proud Venezuelan and Peruvian heritage. Regardless of how I have been perceived, I am proud of America’s unique ability to diffuse diverse talents, perspectives, and cultures as a point of opportunity and refuge. Of course, America isn’t perfect. Someone once told me to stop speaking Spanish because this is an “English-only” country, but my passion is to continue fighting for my American dream while contributing to a better society for other Americans, regardless of their biases about me. Working at my parents’ Latin restaurant, I engage in conversations with customers visiting from all over the world to share ideas with others, bonded not by ethnic background but by our pride as Americans.

Selina Chen, California
A year ago, I received my U.S. passport, a blue booklet with a silver eagle that replaced my red one with “People’s Republic of China.” Yet I can’t think of myself as “American” in entirety because I’m only comfortable with using the adjective for certain traits or parts of my personality. My full identity, rather, is “Chinese-American,” perhaps because my entire American experience has been during the pandemic, in which, initially, my identity meant being too scared to cough or to wear a mask after the first time someone hollered “Corona!” at me and, now, the weight of pepper spray is in my pocket wherever I go. But although society deems that my appearance is the most defining part of me, being “American” means the opportunity to right this wrong.

Haley Goto, Hawaii
As a Japanese American growing up in Hawaii, I was surrounded by people of different ethnicities and the idea of “‘ohana”—being family with those in my community. My world was small, but now as a teenager, I realize America’s pressing issues of racism and injustice. What happened to the famous “all men are created equal”? Why is there so much disunity in the “United” States of America? To me, being American means being a part of this large country as one great ‘ohana, embracing the diversity that makes our nation unique with different ideas, races, and cultures. “Patriotism” should mean respecting and devoting oneself to America’s diversity. The amazing thing about America is we have the freedom to choose to support diversity over division and respect over ego.

Kyle Kotanchek, California
The foundation of the United States is the Constitution, but I believe the 1st Amendment is what really makes our nation the United States of America. The freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition together are in essence the freedom to change people’s minds. We aren’t the only country with these freedoms, but we were the first to have all five specified in a constitution. The United States doesn’t always hold up these freedoms, and we’re far from perfect, but we’re also far from completely broken. The January 6th insurrection proved the United States’ vulnerability to ideas, while the Black Lives Matter movement showed our resilience and fighting desire for equality. The United States is the land of the people, and it’s up to Americans to decide whether we create good or evil.

Faizah Naqvi, New Jersey
There’s nothing about my appearance that suggests I’m American. However, after a conversation with me, it’s apparent that I am—because I’m not afraid to speak my mind. This is in stark contrast to my culture, where women are traditionally quiet. It’s the American part of me that is outspoken, and the American half that chooses to address controversy. What’s unique about being American is that you don’t have to choose between your nationality and heritage—being American enhances your ability to advocate for your own culture. The spirit of American duality inspires me to face controversial topics head on, fielding vitriolic comments. America is not perfect—racial inequality, polarized politics, and systemic imbalances plague the country—but there’s something to be said for the way America makes those who were once invisible shine.

Rylynn Toyama, Hawaii
As a 13-year-old Asian American who has lived in Hawaii all my life, my idea of what being an American means has been largely shaped by my family and local community. Like America at large, Hawaii is home to many cultures and ethnicities. Here, we embrace the differences of our multicultural population, enjoying traditions and cuisines from all over the world. Unfortunately, some Americans disdain races other than their own, which leads to hate crimes and violence. These aggressive acts do not depict my ideal America. My vision of a true American is a person who respects and supports his fellow citizens by treating them with care and kindness, as they would their own family. Every American should be willing to protect the freedom and individuality of all citizens. To me, that is what it means to be an American.

Samantha Williams, California
A few years ago, I would have said that being an American means having the freedom to lead a life full of opportunities and having the ability to achieve anything you desire. After experiencing a year that no one could have predicted—full of protests, demonstrations, and racial injustice—I now realize that these opportunities are not afforded to all Americans equally and that they vary among racial and socioeconomic lines. Personally, it has recently meant that I have the ability to work towards my goals, have some sense of equality, and the freedom to voice my opinions. I have hope that we, as Americans, can exercise our freedoms by speaking our minds, implementing change, and fighting for all to receive equal rights.

91�Թ� currently runs four regional programs for high school students in Japan: Stanford e-Hiroshima, Stanford e-Kawasaki, Stanford e-Oita, and Stanford e-Tottori. These online courses are coordinated in collaboration with school and government officials at the city and prefectural levels, with the goal of presenting creative and innovative approaches to teaching Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and global themes.

All four courses recently finished their 2020–21 term. This summer, two top students from each course will be honored through a virtual event hosted by 91�Թ�, 91�Թ�. Congratulations to the eight honorees below on their academic excellence!

Stanford e-Hiroshima (Instructor Rylan Sekiguchi)

Student Honoree: Sara Arakawa
School: Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Kokutaiji Senior High School
Project Title: Silicon Valley: Secrets Behind Success

Student Honoree: Chika Isone
School: Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Senior High School
Project Title: Making Innovation by Design Thinking in Silicon Valley

Stanford e-Kawasaki (Instructor Maiko Tamagawa Bacha)

Student Honoree: Eric Silang
School: Kawasaki High School
Project Title: Humor and America

Student Honoree: Shunya Tani
School: Kawasaki High School
Project Title: Possible Ways to Promote Renewable Energy in Japan and the U.S.

Stanford e-Oita (Instructor Kasumi Yamashita)

Student Honoree: Hana Burkart
School: Hofu High School
Project Title: Social Discrimination Against Foreigners in Japan

Student Honoree: Yayano Okuda
School: Usa High School
Project Title: Environmental Education

Stanford e-Tottori (Instructor Jonas Edman)

Student Honoree: Eri Tamura
School: Tottori Nishi High School
Project Title: Teachers’ Treatment in the U.S.

Student Honoree: Hinata Yonemura
School: Yonago Higashi High School
Project Title: Veganism: How Japanese Society Can Promote It

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The 91�Թ� staff is looking forward to honoring these eight students in a virtual ceremony on August 23, 2021 (August 24 in Japan). Each student will be given the opportunity to make a formal presentation to members of the Stanford community and the Japanese community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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91�Թ� also offers online courses to U.S. high school students on Japan (Reischauer Scholars Program), China (), and Korea (), and online courses to Chinese high school students on the United States () and to Japanese high school students on the United States and U.S.–Japan relations (Stanford e-Japan).

To stay informed of 91�Թ� news, and follow us on , , and .

¿�ʲ����� ���é son estas cajas?  As my grandma and I stuffed Home Depot boxes full of food and hygiene products, I thought of this question (“What are these boxes for?”) and drew the connection to the catastrophic news stories playing in the background of the humanitarian and political crisis in Venezuela. Ever since I was young, I would have seemingly endless conversations with family members over what I would see on TV. I was really scared for my family suffering the brunt of the crisis.

So how does this relate to the (CSP)? The Venezuelan crisis being my catalyst, I was propelled to research international relations and policy to understand the internal political systems that were failing the Venezuelan people. At the same time, I joined my school’s debate team, where China became a major focus in many of my topics, ranging from whether the European Union should join the Belt and Road Initiative to if the United States should join the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to limit Chinese military posturing in the South China Sea. 

When applying, I believed the CSP would deepen my prior understanding and create new areas of interest in the study of China. I was most definitely right. I knew the program was going to be a challenge, yet with each reading, lecture, and discussion, I would find myself hungry for more. The diversity of talent 91�Թ� brought together was quite enlightening, and the structure of the program encouraged the diffusion of complex ideas, ranging from “urban and rural inequality” to “technology and social control,” across all of its students in an inclusive and entertaining environment that extended beyond the individual Zoom sessions. Something the CSP offered, unparalleled to any high school experience I have had, is access to professors on a biweekly basis to answer my pressing questions about their lectures or other readings I went through; this particularly helped me grasp unfamiliar concepts and confirm any prior knowledge I had in certain subject areas. 

One of my favorite experiences in the program by far was learning about the Chinese American experience, especially since our discussion took place right as the COVID-19 pandemic was ramping up in intensity. This discussion in particular helped me understand my Chinese American peers, along with the experiences of discrimination they have experienced as well as their ancestors—something difficult to intellectually grasp without the program’s unique instruction. 

Finally, the program’s flexibility is shown in its culmination, as students are given the opportunity to write a research paper regarding any Chinese social, political, or economic issue. I chose to write about the political and economic implications of Chinese telecommunications investments in Sub-Saharan Africa, through which I practiced all the skills of analysis I learned through the program. I was especially pleased when we could collaboratively share our work on a website and give presentations to share our findings with others.

Ultimately, the CSP has furthered my interest in international relations, motivating me to pursue Chinese studies in college and hopefully visit the country one day. The CSP has completely changed my perspective on evaluating the key drivers for China’s domestic and international policymaking. It is an invaluable experience that interested students should 100 percent take advantage of.

The Instructor of the Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP) is Naomi Funahashi.

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When Tai Young Whang, an ambitious high school graduate from Pyongyang, stepped onto the dock in Tokyo in 1933 to attend Hitotsubashi University, he never could have imagined that his personal dream of building economic bridges between Korea and Japan would fuel his great-grandson’s desire to follow in his footsteps almost a century later.

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At the end of my first year of middle school, I chose to study the Japanese language for the first time. What started out as a curiosity of the language and some of Japan’s popular cultural exports (such as Pokémon games) gradually blossomed into a deeper passion for Japan’s culture and history. During my eighth-grade world history class, I turned my focus to researching the intricate sankin kōtai system and skilled political maneuverings underlying the Tokugawa shogunate’s iron grip on power during the 17th century. I even found myself at Eiheiji Temple in Fukui Prefecture that May meditating towards a blank wooden wall at four in the morning. Yet, I was not satisfied. These brief historical vignettes, like still frames in the film reel of humanity, remained fragments of a larger narrative that I was increasingly eager to discover.

As my school did not offer courses in East Asian or Japanese history, I was excited to apply during my sophomore year to Stanford’s Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP), an online program on Japan offered to high school students across the United States. By providing its students with the ability to comprehensively explore Japanese history, economics, society, and more, the program presents a unique opportunity to delve into these topics alongside similarly motivated peers. While the course taught me a lot about Japan proper, I also gained a much deeper understanding of the U.S.–Japanese relationship.

During the course of the 20-week program, we spent the first 14 weeks on a series of in-depth readings and comprehensive seminars led by government officials, business leaders, and scholars. As actual practitioners of the fields we were studying, these visiting experts brought their worldviews and inspiring insights to life. During one of the virtual seminars, for example, we had the opportunity to meet Rachel Brunette-Chen, the then-Principal Officer for the U.S. Consulate General in Sapporo, and learn about both the U.S.–Japan Security Alliance and her own foreign service experience bolstering the ties that connect the two countries. Hearing from an actual foreign service officer provided a tangible sense of the dedication and importance of those who work to link American and Japanese interests on the ground.

Starting from week one, we unpacked what we had learned from our readings and virtual classrooms through weekly discussion boards. These online forums continued throughout the week, often filled with thought-provoking perspectives, respectful rebuttals, and witty banter. We debated the efficiency of Abenomics, the impact of textbook revisions on Japanese history education, and the societal strains of modernization on early 20th century Japan, among other topics. Each new post became another thread weaving our different ideas together into a tapestry of cross-cultural connections that we all grew to treasure. Even today, many of us remain connected both online and by our shared experience.

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In 1956, Tai Young Whang founded the first private commercial television broadcasting company in South Korea, based on the knowledge he had gained from working in Japan. Like my great-grandfather 88 years ago, I’ve come to appreciate the intercultural bonds that tie us all together. Truly, learning from others builds empathy and understanding. I am grateful to the RSP for providing such a comprehensive learning experience and strengthening my own aspiration to pursue further studies and contribute positively to the U.S.–Japanese relationship.

 is an online course that teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. The course introduces students to both U.S. and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. It is offered biannually by the  (91�Թ�). Stanford e-Japan is currently supported by the .

In Summer 2021, top students of the Spring 2020 and the Fall 2020 Stanford e-Japan courses will be honored through an event at 91�Թ�.

The three Spring 2020 honorees—Minami Matsushima (Senri & Osaka International Schools of Kwansei Gakuin), Yuna Naoi (Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School), and Kenta Yoshii (Shukutoku Junior and Senior High School)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “The Price We Pay for Men to be Men: Toxic Masculinity in the United States,” “Online Secondary School Education in Japan and the U.S. Amid the COVID-19 Crisis,” and “In Search of a Realistic Substitute for U.S. Extended Deterrence for Japan.”

Risako Nomura (Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies) received an Honorable Mention for her research paper on “How Untranslatability Between Japanese and English Fosters the U.S.–Japan Relationship.”

The three Fall 2020 honorees—Coco Kawaguchi (Keio Girls Senior High School), Sotaro Kunieda (Suwa Seiryo High School), and Yun-Tzu (Allison) Lin (Canadian Academy)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “To Infinity and Beyond! National Survival in the Era of Venture Space Development,” “Fostering Social Enterprises in Japan: Lessons from the United States,” and “Nuclear Deterrence Theory: An Evaluation of Its Effectiveness in Preventing Future Deployment of Nuclear Weapons.”

Satoru Uchida (Tokyo Metropolitan High School) received an Honorable Mention for his coursework and research paper on “What the Japanese Government Should Do Immediately to Protect Children’s Human Rights.”

In the Spring 2020 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: Aoba Japan International School (Tokyo); Clark Memorial International High School (Osaka); Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School (Hiroshima); Hiroshima Prefectural Junior/Senior High School (Hiroshima); Kaijo High School (Tokyo); Kamakura Gakuen High School (Kamakura); Katoh Gakuen Gyoshu Senior High School (Shizuoka); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Kurume University Senior High School (Fukuoka); Meikei High School (Ibaraki); Municipal Urawa High School (Saitama); Musashino University Chiyoda High School (Tokyo); Nirayama High School (Shizuoka); Okayama Prefectural Okayama Asahi High School (Okayama); Seigakuin High School (Tokyo); Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Senri & Osaka International Schools of Kwansei Gakuin (Osaka); Shibuya Makuhari Senior High School (Chiba); Shukutoku Junior and Senior High School (Tokyo); Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School (Tokyo); Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School (Tokyo); Tokyo Metropolitan Ryogoku High School (Tokyo); Urawa Minami High School (Saitama); Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo); Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies (Kanagawa); Yonezawa Kojokan High School (Yamagata); and Zero High School (Fukushima).

In the Fall 2020 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: Canadian Academy (Hyogo), Doshisha International High School (Kyoto), Fukushima Prefectural High School (Fukushima), Hamamatsu Nishi High School (Shizuoka), Hiroo Gakuen High School (Tokyo), Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Senior High School (Hiroshima), Fukuoka Prefectural Kaho High School (Fukuoka), Kaichi Junior/Senior High School (Wakayama), Kamakura Jogakuin (Kanagawa), Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo), Kyoto Prefectural Rakuhoku Senior High School (Kyoto), Miyagi Prefectural Sendai Nika High School (Miyagi), Musashino University Chiyoda High School (Tokyo), N-High School (Okinawa), Otaru Choryo High School (Hokkaido), Seikei High School (Tokyo), Seisho High School (Nara), Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo), Shibuya Makuhari Senior High School (Tokyo), Suwa Seiryo High School (Nagano), Takada Senior High School (Mie), Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School (Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Hitotsubashi High School (Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Ryogoku High School (Tokyo), Tsurumaru Senior High School (Kagoshima), and Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo).

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

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

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91�Թ� offers separate courses for U.S. high school students. For more information, please see the , , and .

On March 26, 2021, a virtual award ceremony was held to honor 91�Թ�’s Spring and Fall 2019 Stanford e-Japan honorees and 2020 Reischauer Scholars Program honorees. The honorees performed at the highest levels of their courses as determined by Stanford e-Japan Instructors Waka Brown and Meiko Kotani, Reischauer Scholars Program Instructor Naomi Funahashi, and research paper review committees.

Spring and Fall 2019 Stanford e-Japan Program Honorees

• Ayano Hirose (Okayama Sozan High School, Okayama)
• Rinko Kawamoto (UWC ISAK Japan, Nagano)
• Yuta Myojo (Rikkyo Ikebukuro High School, Tokyo), honorable mention
• Renee Ohnuki (Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba, Saitama)
• Chisaki Sano (Gunma Kokusai Academy, Gunma)
• Natsumi Shindo (Keio Girls Senior High School, Tokyo)
• Kota Watanabe (Waseda University Senior High School, Tokyo)
• Isshin Yunoki (Kaisei Academy, Tokyo), honorable mention
   

2020 Reischauer Scholars Program Honorees

• Brandon Cho (The Nueva School, California)
• Sara Fujimori (Menlo School, California)
• Noah Harrigan (Great Valley High School, Pennsylvania), honorable mention
• Kristie Moore (Irvine High School, California), honorable mention
• Tyler Vold (Kamiak High School, Washington), honorable mention
• Amy Joy Zhai

 

The Honorable Toru Maeda, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, made opening comments and underscored the students’ critical roles as future leaders in both countries and key players in the U.S.–Japan relationship. He noted, “By enrolling in and completing these programs, you have demonstrated initiative and determination to further your understanding of Japan and the United States. I strongly encourage you to continue your studies. I hope that this experience will inspire you to consider a career involving Japan and the United States… The continued strength of our government, business, and culture relations will be determined by the coming generations.” Consul General Maeda’s comments perfectly set the stage for the presentations by the honorees.

The honorees’ presentations focused on their course research projects that included U.S.–Japan relations in the areas of technology, security, and economics; Japanese education-related topics such as language learning for foreign students and cross-cultural understanding; identity issues and Zainichi Koreans; and topics that are regularly in the news such as Hollywood films, nuclear power and energy policy, and immigration. Their presentations were followed by the presentation of plaques by Brown, Kotani, and Funahashi.

(PhD, Stanford ’13) of the University of Toronto commented, “There is no doubt that the honorees of Stanford e-Japan and the RSP will use the experience they gained from participating in 91�Թ�’s programs to engage in further research and activities that will bring greater awareness of and appreciation for the social, economic, political, and cultural contexts unique to the United States and Japan.” She continued, “What I am most impressed about the honorees of the Stanford e-Japan and the RSP programs are the quality of their research papers and their persuasiveness in conveying their main argument to a larger audience.” Brown, Kotani, and Funahashi hope that their students will have the opportunity to study with scholars like Kijima in their college years—scholars who would encourage them to explore careers involving Japan and the United States, a hope expressed by Consul General Maeda.

I was in touch with each of the honorees following the ceremony and they all expressed their gratitude to their instructors and the supporters of the courses. The Yanai Tadashi Foundation is the supporter of Stanford e-Japan, and Chikano Shiroma and Daisuke Kato represented the Yanai Tadashi Foundation during the ceremony. Naoaki and Yuka Mashita are the current supporters of the Reischauer Scholars Program. These courses and the ceremony would not have been possible with their support.

Established in 1995 by the AAS Committee on Educational Issues and Policy and the Committee on Teaching about Asia, the is awarded annually to recognize an outstanding pedagogical, instructional, or curriculum publication on Asia designed for K–12 and college undergraduate instructors and learners.

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On March 24, 2021 during the annual Association for Asian Studies conference, 91�Թ�’s Manager of Curriculum and Instructional Design Rylan Sekiguchi formally accepted the for his authorship of

91�Թ� co-developed the website for What Does It Mean to Be an American? with the . What Does It Mean to Be an American? was inspired by the life of Secretary Norman Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush. President Clinton, President Bush, and Secretary Mineta contributed video interviews for the website.

Buchanan Prize Committee Chair Kristi Roundtree praised the publication, sharing the Committee’s reasons for why it deserved the distinction:

What Does It Mean to Be an American? was chosen by the committee for its blend of traditional classroom methods and materials with compelling videos, well-conceived discussion questions and activities, and extension lessons as well as its excellent use of primary and secondary sources… Committee members also agreed the curriculum answers an urgent need for teachers to be able to engage students with the ongoing conflicts around race, immigration, civic engagement and activism, while grounding these concerns within a clear historical framework. What Does It Mean to Be an American? skillfully weaves the Japanese experience into each unit, making the curriculum a most worthy recipient of the Buchanan Prize.

In his acceptance speech, Sekiguchi noted

I feel deeply honored to receive the Buchanan Prize… To my team of collaborators on this project—Dianne Fukami, Debra Nakatomi, Amy Watanabe, Hannah Eaves, and Monica Olivera—thank you for truly bringing our online curriculum to life. … I [also] want to thank the members of AAS for the important work you do to promote a better understanding of Asia. As you know, in the U.S. there’s been a recent surge of violence against Asian people. I believe ignorance is a factor in these attacks, because ignorance can breed fear, and even hate. The work that you do to promote a better understanding of Asia is so invaluable. Let’s all continue that work as a community.

Sekiguchi is a three-time recipient of the prize, and his third award marks the seventh time that 91�Թ� staff has received the award.

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What Does It Mean to Be an American? is comprised of six lessons: Immigration, Civil Liberties and Equity, Civic Engagement, Justice and Reconciliation, Leadership, and U.S.–Japan Relations. There are more than 200 primary source images and 23 videos created specifically for the curriculum. To access the free online curriculum, visit .