91�Թ�

91�Թ� has been transformed from a small local high school program begun by Professor Victor Hao Li (formerly of Stanford Law School), a number of Stanford students, a visionary group of nearby teachers and educators, and me in 1973 into a major national project. 91�Թ� began as a modest start-up focused on Asia and has evolved into an extraordinary asset contributing to broad global education. It is an honor to have been in on the beginning of such a noble effort.

—John Lewis, William Haas Professor of Chinese Politics (Emeritus);         faculty member

Today, the efforts of the Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education (91�Թ�) to internationalize the K–12 classroom span a broad range of topics—security, the arts, the environment, global health, and international relations. With the dawn of 2013, 91�Թ� looks back to its roots and celebrates 40 years of promoting the study of China. The roots of the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91�Թ�) date back to the Bay Area China Education Project (BAYCEP), which commenced operation in 1973. John Lewis was instrumental in the founding of BAYCEP, and several other scholars of Chinese studies, including Albert Dien, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures (Emeritus), were actively involved in BAYCEP’s early years and still remain involved with 91�Թ� today.

The first director of BAYCEP was Dr. David Grossman, 91�Թ�’s founding director. He noted the following about the creation of BAYCEP:

“The original impetus was the Nixon visit to China in 1972, and the realization that the general public and students were not prepared for this radical shift in geopolitics. The problem was how to bridge this profound knowledge gap.” 

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A BAYCEP publication from the 1980s

The purpose of BAYCEP was to serve as a bridge between Stanford experts on China and K–12 schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. This was accomplished in two ways—China-focused curriculum development and teacher professional development. By 1976, other projects on Japan, Africa, and Latin America were established, and they along with BAYCEP came to form the nucleus of 91�Թ�.

Continuing the 40-year tradition of teacher professional development on China, 91�Թ� staff members Jonas Edman, Naomi Funahashi, Rylan Sekiguchi, and Johanna Wee recently collaborated with Dr. Clayton Dube, Executive Director, , University of Southern California, to lead a series of China-centered sessions at the annual European Council of International Schools November Conference. The sessions were held in Nice, France, from November 22 through 25, 2012, and included an intensive daylong institute called “China in the Humanities.” The institute comprised four theme-specific mini-sessions—Dynasties, Cultural Revolution, Rural and Urban China, and China in the World—each of which involved both a lecture and a pedagogically-focused curriculum demonstration. The featured 91�Թ�-developed curriculum units (with primary Stanford academic advisors listed) were (Albert Dien, Professor Emeritus);  (Andrew Walder, Professor, Sociology);  (Scott Rozelle, Director, ); (Karen Seto, former Assistant Professor, School of Earth Sciences); and (Gi-Wook Shin, Professor, Sociology, and Director, , and Daniel Sneider, Associate Director, ).

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Authored by Rylan Sekiguchi, Curriculum Specialist, and HyoJung Jang, Curriculum Writer

As 91�Թ� moves into its fifth decade, the staff will continue its China-focused curriculum development and teacher professional development seminars. 91�Թ� recently began developing a curriculum unit on sustainable development in China in consultation with Len Ortolano, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Also, from January 2013, 91�Թ� will begin its twelfth year of offering two 30-hour seminars on East Asia—one for middle school teachers and one for high school teachers. The seminars feature lectures by FSI and faculty and curriculum demonstrations by 91�Թ� staff that focus on China, and other northeast Asian nations.

In addition, 91�Թ� plans to create of a high school student-focused national distance-learning course on China that is parallel to 91�Թ�’s current distance-learning course offerings, which include the on Japan and the .

With Stanford President John Hennessy’s announcement of the K–12 initiative in 2006, Stanford renewed its long-time commitment to improving public education in the United States. 91�Թ� will continue to make FSI scholarship in the areas of security, the arts, the environment, global health, and international relations accessible to young students. FSI believes it has the opportunity and the obligation to utilize its resources to help address issues facing our schools.

The Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91�Թ�) honored three top students of the 2012 Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP)—Brooke Nowakowski (San Antonio, TX), Seunghwa Madeleine Han (San Ramon, CA), and Emily Waltman (Tenafly, NJ)—at the RSP Japan Day event at 91�Թ� on August 10, 2012. The RSP, an online course on Japan and U.S.–Japan relations that is offered to high school students across the United States, recognized the students based on their coursework and exceptional research essays.

The event featured remarks by Consul General Hiroshi Inomata, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco; Renay Loper, Associate Program Officer, Center for Global Partnership (CGP), Japan Foundation, New York; Naomi Funahashi, RSP Manager and Instructor; and Gary Mukai, 91�Թ� Director. Professor Emeritus , 91�Թ�, gave a compelling talk on Japan’s energy options since the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan. 91�Թ� also presented a plaque to Consul Midori Yamamitsu, Director of the Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, in honor of her longtime support of the RSP.

The program was highlighted by presentations by student honorees Nowakowski, Han, and Waltman, who wrote research essays on the modern consequences of cultural change in Okinawa, the rise of feminism in Japanese politics, and the role of propaganda in fueling racism and public support for Japanese-American internment, respectively. Many individuals and organizations from the San Francisco Bay Area’s Japan and U.S.–Japan community and 91�Թ� were in attendance. Funahashi noted the following about her three student honorees: “The poise and intellect of these young scholars is truly impressive. It is an honor to work with such bright, inquisitive, and engaging students who share a genuine interest in learning about Japan and fostering U.S.–Japan relations.”

Brooke Nowakowski	Seunghwa Madeleine Han

Entering its tenth year in 2013, the RSP presents 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 top scholars and diplomats, and introduces both American and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. 

Named in honor of former Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer, a leading educator and noted scholar of Japanese history and culture, the RSP annually selects 25–30 exceptional high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from throughout the United States. Since 2003, the RSP has cultivated a model for reaching a diverse population of students by utilizing technology to share high-quality course material across large distances. Using online lectures and discussions, the program provides students with a broad overview of Japanese history, literature, religion, art, politics, economics, education, and contemporary society, with a focus on the U.S.–Japan relationship. Prominent scholars affiliated with 91�Թ�, the University of Tokyo, the University of Hawaii, and other institutions provide lectures and engage students in online dialogue. The RSP received initial funding for the program (2004–2006) from the United States–Japan Foundation. The program is currently funded by a generous grant from CGP, Japan Foundation, and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at 91�Թ�.

The RSP will begin accepting applications for the 2013 program in September 2012. For more information about the RSP, visit or contact Naomi Funahashi, RSP Manager and Instructor, at nfunahashi@stanford.edu.  

Stanford’s Korean Studies Program (KSP) has recently been awarded with a major gift from Hana Financial Group and a grant from the Korea Foundation, which will provide a major boost to Stanford’s already strong K-12 outreach education offerings. KSP will collaborate closely with the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91�Թ�) on its outreach activities.

Hana Financial Group has provided $600,000 for the next five years in support of an annual Hana-Stanford Conference on Korea for U.S. Secondary School Teachers. The first conference took place this summer, from July 23 to 25, at Stanford. It brought together secondary school educators from across the United States and a cadre of Korean teachers from Hana Academy Seoul for intensive and lively sessions on a wide assortment of Korean studies-related topics ranging from U.S.-Korea relations to history, and religion to popular culture. In addition to scholarly lectures, the teachers took part in curriculum workshops and received numerous classroom resources developed by 91�Թ�.

The Korea Foundation has awarded a three-year grant of $609,527 to support the new K-12 Education on Korea in the United States curriculum development project. Gary Mukai, director of 91�Թ�, noted, “The coverage of Korea in U.S. high school curriculum is often limited to the Korean War.” To help address the identified need to broaden the coverage of Korea, KSP will work with 91�Թ� to develop three high school-level curriculum units and Stanford’s first distance-learning course on Korea for high school students. The curriculum units will examine the experience of Korean Americans in U.S. history; various aspects of traditional and modern Korean culture; and the development of South Korea’s economy. The distance-learning course, called the Sejong Korean Scholars Program (SKSP), will be offered in 2013.

The SKSP will annually select 25 exceptional high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (from public and private schools) from throughout the United States to engage in an intensive study of Korea. The SKSP will provide students with a broad overview of Korean history, literature, religion, art, politics, and economics—with a special focus on the U.S.–Korean relationship. Top scholars, leading diplomats, and other professionals will provide lectures to students as well as engage them in dialogue. These lectures and discussions will be woven into a broader curriculum that provides students with reading materials and assignments. The SKSP will encourage these students to become future leaders in the U.S.–Korean relationship and lifelong learners of Korea.

“We’re grateful to receive these two major sources of funding for Korean studies outreach education, and look forward to working with 91�Թ� to establish Korea as a subject taught regularly in classrooms throughout the United States,” said Gi-Wook Shin, director of KSP.

On February 1, 2012, the Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP) embarked on its ninth year with a new class of 27 exceptional high school students from across the United States. Named in honor of former Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer, the RSP is an online course about Japan and U.S.–Japan relations for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors that is supported by a grant from the Center for Global Partnership, The Japan Foundation, and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. The primary instructor of the RSP is Naomi Funahashi, Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91�Թ�). The RSP was established in 2002 with a grant from the United States–Japan Foundation.

The RSP is a rigorous, college-level course that provides students with a broad overview of Japanese history, literature, religion, art, politics, economics, and contemporary society, with a special focus on the U.S.–Japan relationship. Ambassadors, top scholars, and experts throughout the United States and Japan provide online lectures and engage students in live discussion sessions. Students also complete readings and weekly assignments, with the coursework culminating in an independent research project.

Students were welcomed to the course with recently videotaped remarks by Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, Japanese ambassador to the United States, and Ambassador John Roos, U.S. ambassador to Japan. Ambassador Roos commented, “The relationship between the United States and Japan today is closer than it has ever been. As strong as our ties are, though, they are not self-sustaining. I encourage all of you to become the ‘Reischauers’ of your time, guiding the way to an even stronger friendship between our two great countries.”

The 2012 Reischauer Scholars are deeply engaged in the course, and have been active participants in meaningful dialogue about a variety of Japan-related topics. Topics discussed thus far in 2012 include Shinto and Buddhism in Japanese society, feudal Japan, the modernization of the Meiji era, Japanese colonial legacies, World War Two and war memory, and the impact of the 3.11.11 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan. Concerning 3.11.11, Ambassador Fujisaki commented, “The tremendous goodwill and support from American friends and people around the world… we will never forget it. We count on you to be a future bridge between Americans and the Japanese.”

The 2012 RSP class is comprised of students from the following 14 states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Upon completion of the RSP in June 2012, students will earn Stanford Continuing Studies Program credit and a Certificate of Completion from 91�Թ�, 91�Թ�. The RSP has the goal of equipping participants with a rare degree of expertise about Japan that may have a significant impact on their choice of study and future career. Since 91�Թ� started offering the RSP in 2003, Funahashi has noticed that many RSP students have continued to pursue Japan-related academic and extracurricular interests in college and beyond.

The advisory committee members are Consul General Hiroshi Inomata, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco; Ambassador Michael H. Armacost, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, 91�Թ�; Professor Emeritus , 91�Թ�; Professor Emeritus Nisuke Ando, Doshisha University; Professor Phillip Lipscy, 91�Թ�; and Gary Mukai, Director, 91�Թ�, 91�Թ�.