NEWS
ICU-Senior High School Collaboration Project 2023 for Senior High School Students
Update: October 27, 2023
We hold the ICU Global Challenge Forum twice a year (summer and winter) to provide senior high school students the opportunity to experience the liberal arts education at ICU. This summer, we implemented two programs based on the themes "posthuman" and "time." Senior high school students with different backgrounds and values from all over Japan gathered at ICU to engage in dialogue for several days to deal with questions with no definite answers. It was the first time to offer accommodation in the student dormitories for the ICU-Senior High School Collaboration Project and approximately 50 senior high school students stayed to experience communal life on the ICU campus.
【Debating the Posthuman: Liberal Arts Perspectives】
- Duration: August 8-12, 2023
- Format: Online and hybrid （Two-night stay in the student dormitories on campus）
- Quota: 25 students
- Faculty in charge: Program Coordinator Rekishu Yamazaki (Physics）, Katsuhiko Mori （International Relations, Politics, Global Studies）, Yasunori Morishima（Psychology）, Natsumi Ikoma（Literature, Gender and Sexuality Studies）
In this program, four ICU faculty members gave online lectures based on their respective specialties on the posthuman debate from a liberal arts perspective, and posed various questions that have no definite answers to students. After the lecture, participants split in subgroups for discussions led by ICU student facilitators. At first, the students seemed a little nervous, but soon opened up to take active part in the dialogue.
From the third day of the program, those wishing to do so, stayed at the ICU student dormitories. Many chose to participate in the communal life on campus. These dorms have an educational purpose: they were intended for students to engage in dialogue to respect human rights and diversity, share and divide responsibilities. They engaged in a lively conversation with their classmates back in the dormitories in the evenings and this distinctive environment had an inspiring effect on their future study plans. In preparing for the group presentation on the final day of the program, they connected online with members taking part away from the campus to discuss the content. The uneasy feelings existing in the initial days of the program were gone, students filled with the joy of thinking with like-minded friends. By pondering over the question of how to live the posthuman era from an interdisciplinary perspective during the five-day program, high school students experienced the core elements of the liberal arts education at ICU such as critical thinking and discussions, inspiring them to think about their future study plans.
【What is "TIME" ? -Are you bound by TIME ?-】
- Duration: August 16~19, 2023
- Format: Online and hybrid
- Quota: 25 students
- Faculty in charge: Program Coordinator Yasunori Morishima（Psychology）, Csaba Olah（History）, Mari Tsujita（Language Education）, Tomoo Matsumura（Mathematics）
Four ICU faculty members gave online lectures about "time" from various perspectives in the arts and sciences, and posed questions that have no definite answers to the participants. After the lecture, they took part in discussions in small groups. On the final day, each group gave a presentation on campus and using multiple cameras in the room, students who participated from outside ICU were able to feel the atmosphere on campus. The question assigned for the final group presentation was, "Let's explain the concept of 'time' on earth to aliens." The participants made unique presentations, such as using innovative theatrical format and drawings. After the presentation, participants, ICU faculty members and students gathered for a discussion on questions that they had about "time" in their daily life, which gave birth to new perspectives in the process. By approaching a familiar theme from various academic perspectives in the arts and sciences, students were able to reconsider their values and common sense which is a core element of the liberal arts education at ICU. It became an inspiring four-day program to think about their future studies.
【Comments from participants】
I was able to think about the concept of time and what it means to me: I only had a vague idea about it until now. It was a good opportunity to rethink the time axis in my life. I'm also very happy that I was able to experience liberal arts education for the first time, something I had longed for. It was a refreshing experience and very inspiring, strengthening my desire to study at ICU all the more.
Thank you for leading us in the discussions, and showing us how to think and keep the debate going in the appropriate direction. From now on, when I take part in discussions and think deeply about a subject, I will remember what the facilitators taught me. Your advice showed that at ICU you really think and engage in deep discussions.
It was a wonderful opportunity to converse with students from all over Japan to acquire a new perspective on the posthuman concept, and to listen to their experiences in different parts of the country. The presentations on the final day of the program were very innovative, offering another unique opportunity to learn, and methods in delivery were very inspiring. The five days was a lot of fun.