Intercultural collaborative learning

Since 2000, Chiba University has promoted collaborative learning between international and local students by opening courses on Japanese culture and society, initially designed for international students, to local students. In 2013, the university launched Japanese studies (JS) courses. These courses are taught in English only or in both English and Japanese to bolster intercultural collaborative learning. Since 2020, these Japanese studies courses have become international subjects (extended) in general education.

Intercultural collaborative learning is a dialogue-based learning approach. It values participants' linguistic and cultural diversity to maximize their synergy. Chiba University's courses on Japanese culture and society and Japanese studies courses do not merely teach basic knowledge about Japan. These subjects enable diverse learners to gain novel and profound insights about various phenomena through dialogue-based, task-based learning. In the era of globalization, we encourage learners to acquire critical thinking, intercultural communication, and generic problem-solving skills.

Study Japan in English or both English and Japanese

The following subjects are offered primarily by the Center for International Education as international subjects (extended) in general education. In these courses, participants engage in intercultural collaborative learning in English or bilingually. (The course list below is as of April 2023.)

Subjects taught in English only:

• Introduction to Sustainability: Case-studies from Japan
• Climate Change Leadership -Behavior Change and Culture 1・2
• Mitigating Urban Heat Islands and Motivating Citizen Actions 1・2
• Japanese Pop culture A・B
• Japanese Modern history from a Global perspective
• Deviance and Taboo
• Japanese Economy in Global Perspective
• Japanese Business in Comparative Perspective
• Japanese Politics Today - Beyond the Postwar Regime?
• Multilingualism and Translanguaging
• Japan and the World as Viewed from Social Movements
• Biodiversity and Japan

Subjects taught in both English and Japanese:

• Japanese Culture from Intercultural Perspectives
• Religion & Society
• Japan in American Films