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The Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91�Թ�) honored two of the top students of the 2015 at a Japan Day event at 91�Թ� on August 13, 2015. The two 2015 RSP Japan Day honorees were Meera Santhanam and Katie Goldstein.

Japan Day commenced with welcoming comments by Dr. Gary Mukai, 91�Թ� Director, and opening remarks by Consul General Jun Yamada, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. Praising Meera, Katie, and their fellow RSP students for their dedication to the study of Japan and U.S.–Japan relations, Consul General Yamada noted, “The U.S.–Japan relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world today. Without a doubt this is due to past generations’&�Բ�����;tireless efforts to understand each other and build the kind of mutual trust that has made this relationship so durable and successful. To assure the future vitality of the U.S.–Japan relationship, it is therefore our joint responsibility to prepare the future generation for continuing this task. Through the Reischauer Scholars Program which has been instrumental in fostering future leaders who have acquired a deep and broad understanding of Japan, a solid foundation for this purpose has been established.” 

Mukai recognized Naomi Funahashi, RSP Manager and Instructor, for her tenth year of teaching the RSP. Funahashi has empowered over 250 Americans with not only subject matter content knowledge on Japan and U.S.–Japan relations but also tools of critical analysis and perspective taking. Reflecting on her ten years of teaching the RSP, Funahashi commented, “While advancements in distance-learning technology over the past ten years have eased the logistical challenges of the RSP, the students remain at the heart of why I continue to love teaching this course. I have the unique privilege of guiding some of the most talented high school students in the United States through an exploration and examination of Japan, and I am confident that many of them will comprise the leadership of future U.S.–Japan relations.”

Funahashi gave an overview of the RSP to the Japan Day audience of over 30 people, which included Professor Indra Levy, RSP advisory board member, and Maiko Tamagawa, Advisor for Educational Affairs, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. Named in honor of former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer, a leading educator and noted scholar of Japanese history and culture, the RSP is an online course on Japan and U.S.–Japan relations that is offered annually to 25–30 high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors across the United States.

Meera Santhanam (junior, The Nueva School, CA) and Katie Goldstein (senior, Crystal Springs Uplands High School, CA) were recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays. They articulately presented their research that focused on women in the Japanese workforce and equity-related issues concerning LGBTQ people in Japan, respectively; and skillfully answered provocative questions from the audience. 

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Since 2003, the RSP has provided a creative and innovative approach to teaching high school students about Japan and U.S–Japan relations. The program provides American students with unique opportunities to interact with diplomats and top scholars affiliated with 91�Թ�, the University of Tokyo, the University of Hawaii, and other institutions through online lectures and discussions, and introduces both American and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues.

The 2015 Japan Day honorees were reflective of the introduction of varied topics and perspectives in the RSP curriculum. When asked to comment on her RSP experience, Santhanam remarked, “With exposure to a wide array of perspectives and in-depth content alike, participating in this program is a decision I would make a thousand times over again. This rare, interdisciplinary opportunity allowed me to connect with my topic on not just an academic, but personal level as well.” Goldstein shared a similar sentiment, also noting the scholarly, yet congenial atmosphere of Japan Day: “The speakers—Dr. Gary Mukai, Naomi Funahashi, and Consul General Yamada—wonderfully set the formal yet fun tone of the academic event. The conversation, while centered around Japan, revolved around a myriad of topics: literature, current events, policies, you name a topic and it was talked about.”

For the first time in the history of the RSP, several RSP alumni introduced high school life in the United States to Japanese students enrolled in 91�Թ�’s inauguralcourse, which introduces U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations to Japanese high school students.

Stanford e-Japan students indicated early on in the course their desire to interact with students from the United States, and as a result, Waka Takahashi Brown, Stanford e-Japan Manager and Instructor, invited RSP alumni to comment on the discussion boards and guest speak at the virtual classroom on “U.S. High Schools and Education” on August 14, 2015. Brown noted, “The response from both the e-Japan students and Reischauer Scholars has been overwhelmingly positive. Not only have students been more engaged in the discussion boards, but the Stanford e-Japan students also seemed very eager to know what about Japan interested the U.S. students to participate in the Reischauer Scholars Program. I would not be surprised if the RSP and e-Japan students strike up a friendship from these initial brief exchanges.”

The distinguished RSP advisory committee members are Consul General Jun Yamada; Professor Emeritus Nisuke Ando, Doshisha University and Kyoto University; Ambassador Michael Armacost, Shorenstein Asia Pacific Research Center, 91�Թ�; Professor Indra Levy, 91�Թ�; Professor Phillip Lipscy, 91�Թ�; and Professor Emeritus Daniel Okimoto, 91�Թ�.

91�Թ� has received numerous grants in support of the RSP from the United States-Japan Foundation, the Center for Global Partnership (The Japan Foundation), and the Japan Fund, which is administered by the at 91�Թ�.

The RSP will be accepting applications for the 2016 program in September and October 2015. For more information about the RSP, visit or contact .

In a ceremony held last night on Stanford campus, 91�Թ� Director received the 2015 in recognition of his leadership and service in the field of education.

“This year, we cannot be more honored to recognize Dr. Gary Mukai for his tireless and selfless work in advancing educational equity and increasing cultural competency in classroom curriculum and instruction,” remarked Van Anh Tran, Board Member of the Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club (). “Gary pushes the boundaries of education and culturally competent K–14 curriculum.”

SAPAAC presents the Alumni Award annually to a distinguished Stanford alumnus who has made exceptional contributions to the Stanford community and broader community in service, leadership, or financial contribution. Past recipients of the award have included distinguished Stanford alumni from throughout the decades, comprising activists, philanthropists, artists, civil rights lawyers, businesspeople, a mayor, a California Supreme Court justice, and other luminaries.

“I feel so undeserving of this award,” reflected Mukai. “I am very humbled.”

That humility belies Mukai’s fierce commitment—and tremendous contributions—to the fields of international and cross-cultural education. Since joining 91�Թ� in 1988, Mukai has workshopped with thousands of K–12 teachers, locally and internationally, on culturally sensitive pedagogical training and curriculum resources. He has provided immersive enrichment opportunities to hundreds of teachers through 91�Թ�’s free multicultural professional development seminars. And he has established an intensive series of free online international relations courses for high school students—the first of its kind.

Despite these contributions, Mukai is perhaps best known for his work in curriculum development. Throughout his tenure at 91�Թ�, Gary has overseen the development of well over 100 curriculum units on themes as diverse as , , and . These cross-cultural materials have touched countless students over the past 27 years, both within the United States and abroad.

Mukai’s strong dedication to this work has inspired others to take up the banner of international and cross-cultural education as well. Victoria Yee was one. As a Stanford undergraduate, she worked under Mukai’s supervision to develop . It was her first exposure to the field of education, and her first glimpse of what life as an educator might be like.

“I had little training in curriculum design or pedagogy. However, Gary was incredibly nurturing, patient, and supportive through every proposal, revision meeting, and draft,” says Yee. “Through his mentorship, my confidence in navigating the education realm…dramatically improved, [as well as] my conviction in institutionalizing diverse global curriculum at schools and my ability to make a difference in education.” Today she is a U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in rural Taiwan, and she credits her path largely to Mukai’s tutelage and encouragement.

“He is truly an invaluable asset to Stanford and beyond.”

For his part, Mukai prefers to downplay the praise with humor. After formally accepting the Alumni Award at last night’s ceremony, he stepped to the podium and thanked the award’s presenters and his family for their unwavering support. “I am very touched,” he continued, “that many 91�Թ� staff (past and present)—as well as some of my friends—chose to come to see me instead of watch the top American Idol finalists this evening.” 

Established in 1995 by the Association for Asian Studies, the Franklin Buchanan Prize is awarded annually to recognize an outstanding curriculum publication on Asia designed for any educational level, elementary through university. 

91�Թ� Curriculum Specialist and independent filmmaker Risa Morimoto have won the 2015 Buchanan Prize for their work on —a multimedia curriculum project that features documentary films, primary source readings, student handouts, and a full menu of classroom activities. All materials are available for free on the 91�Թ� website, .

Sekiguchi formally accepted the award at the 2015 Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference in Chicago. Before presenting the Buchanan Prize, AAS President Mrinalini Sinha praised the publication, explaining why it deserved the distinction: “This self-contained online unit is a refreshing update to available Cambodian studies resources at the high school and community college level, going beyond The Killing Fields to bring new information and perspectives from Cambodians and Cambodian-Americans to key themes that span the social studies curriculum.” Following the award ceremony, Sekiguchi was congratulated by AAS Executive Director Michael Paschal. Sekiguchi is a two-time recipient of the prize and the sixth time for 91�Թ�.

Background and Synopses of Films
In 1975, a radical new government assumed power in Cambodia and drastically transformed the country. Religion was outlawed, and money was abolished. Mass executions were sanctioned by the state. By the time the regime was toppled four years later, an estimated two million people—about 25 percent of the country’s population—had died from disease, starvation, forced labor, imprisonment, and execution.

In response to this tremendous upheaval, many Cambodians fled their homes for other countries, including the United States. How have Cambodian individuals and communities come to terms with their forced resettlement? What are the social and cultural implications of Cambodia’s turbulent history for Cambodians and Cambodian Americans today, more than a generation after the genocide and mass exodus? These issues are explored through documentary films that profile two Cambodian Americans as they remember and try to reconnect with their ancestral homeland.

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The first film, My Cambodia, follows a scholar and former refugee—Professor , U.C. Berkeley—as she returns to Cambodia and describes the genocide’s history as well as its profound legacies. Upon hearing about the Buchanan Prize, Um remarked, “[Thank] you all for making our whispered stories audible to others.” In addition to appearing in the film, Professor Um served as an academic consultant to Morimoto and Sekiguchi. She is the first Cambodian woman to receive a Ph.D. in the United States.

The second film, My Cambodian America, highlights a young photographer, , as he travels around the United States to capture the stories and scenes of various Cambodian-American individuals and communities. Through the film, students become acquainted with Cambodian and Cambodian-American history and begin to consider some of the complex issues that are raised by that history. “All immigrants share the same story of cultural assimilation, loss of culture, loss of language amongst…the younger generations,” Pin notes in the film. “And that’s absolutely true with Cambodians, but then you have in addition to that the added layer of having survived one of the great atrocities of the 20th century.”

A Trip to Cambodia
In 2013, Rylan Sekiguchi, Risa Morimoto, Professor Um, and cinematographer traveled to Cambodia to shoot My Cambodia. Reflecting back on the trip, Risa mused about how the structure of the film began to take focus before her eyes. “Professor Um’s personal experience gave us an intimate look into how this tragic history unfolded. It was impossible not to be deeply affected.” She also commented on how the once-in-a-lifetime experience helped her to conceptualize My Cambodian America as the trip gave her a glimpse into the homeland of Cambodian Americans.

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A Bridge Between Higher Education and High Schools
The accompanying teacher’s guide offers suggested lesson plans and provides classroom materials that supplement the information and issues explored in the films: context-setting activities, note-taking handouts, answer keys, discussion questions, and numerous extension activities. “I am so proud of Rylan and Risa’s directing of the films and Rylan’s crafting of the teacher’s guide,” remarked 91�Թ� Director . “The films/teacher’s guide package is an excellent example of making academic scholarship—namely that of Professor Khatharya Um—accessible to high school students, and teaching young students about ways to consider and capture—for example, through Pete Pin’s photographs—the relationship between diasporas and homelands.”

To view My Cambodia, please visit ; to view My Cambodian America, visit .

To download the Teacher’s Guide and other supplementary teaching materials, go to .