NEWS

Orientation event "Retreat" was held for September students

Update: October 7, 2016

On September 24 (Sat), an orientation event "Retreat" was held for students who entered ICU from this September. This year, around sixty graduate and undergraduate students who graduated high school overseas or international schools, and exchange students from other universities, joined this event and attended the keynote lecture and learning programs held by professors, experienced Japanese culture, and visited temples and cultural buildings nearby.

The theme of the keynote lecture was "My Cross-cultural Experience Abroad: Cultural Adjustment and Culture Shock - How I Deal with Them." Dean of College of Liberal Arts, Tatsuhiko Itoh served as the facilitator, and Professor Etsuko Kato and Senior Associate Professor Robert Eskildsen talked about their own culture shock experience when they went abroad or first arrived in Japan and the reverse culture shock they experienced when returning to their home countries, and how they coped with such experience.

The next program consisted of seven sections, respectively held by ICU faculty: "Writing Your Name in Japanese Calligraphy", "Listen, See, Eat, and Feel Japanese ~World of Onomatopoeia~", "Why Humanities Matter in the Global World, "The Macdonaldization of Society", "Experience with Codes", "Enjoy Physics and Biology" and "Let's Talk about Life and Studies of Graduate Students". The participants chose and joined the sections they were interested in and were able to experience what it is like to learn at ICU, and broadened their perspectives.

In the afternoon, the participants were separated into groups, some remaining on the campus to enjoy cultural activities and others to explore interesting spots outside the campus. They engaged in such activities as communication using body language, Japanese drumming; Japanese calligraphy and classic Japanese dance with guidance from student organization members. Others went off campus to visit Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum located within Koganei Park (Koganei City, Tokyo) and Jindaiji Temple (Chofu City, Tokyo)

Students who joined this Retreat remarked "I didn't know that even bilingual professors experience culture shock, especially the reverse culture shock", "It was interesting to find that the point where people sense cultural difference varies by person", "I was able to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of Mitaka City", "It was my first time writing my name in Japanese characters, so it was a valuable experience", "This event made me want to learn the Japanese language even more." These comments show that many students spent a fulfilling time. In a questionnaire after the event, more than half of the students answered "I would strongly recommend next year's students to take part in this event."

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*New Student Retreat

The retreat was first started by a voluntary bible study group in the early 1960s, soon after ICU was built, and around the mid 1970's, it became an orientation event for new students as it is today. This event is intended to build students' identities as ICU students by deepening their understanding of the university's philosophy and liberal arts education. The retreat held this September was planned and managed by a student organization comprised of students who just entered ICU in April.