91³Ô¹Ï director receives commendation from Japanese foreign minister
Gary Mukai, director of the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91³Ô¹Ï), was awarded the Foreign Minister's Commendation at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco on Oct. 5. The commendation recognizes Mukai for "greatly contribut[ing] to the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the United States, especially in the field of education...[and] lend[ing] his energy and expertise to actively supporting and implementing the goals and objectives of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET Program) and the activities of the JET Alumni Association of Northern California."
Mukai has been developing curricula on Japan and U.S.-Japan relations for secondary school students since he joined 91³Ô¹Ï in 1988. As part of his leadership of 91³Ô¹Ï, he helps oversee the , a distance-learning course co-sponsored by 91³Ô¹Ï and the Center for Global Partnership at the Japan Foundation. Each year the program selects 25 exceptional high school juniors and seniors from the United States to engage in an intensive study of Japan. Though his own experience teaching English in Japan, from 1977 to 1980, predated JET, Mukai has been closely involved with the 20-year-old program. He has been an interviewer since 1989 and has also spoken at JET orientations and panel discussions.
In bestowing the commendation, Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine called Mukai a "bridge between our two countries."
Mukai accepted the commendation with characteristic graciousness, thanking the foreign minister and crediting his 91³Ô¹Ï and FSI colleagues for the honor. "I am very humbled by this honor from the Japanese Foreign Minister," said Mukai. "I would like to say that none of my work at 91³Ô¹Ï would be possible without my 91³Ô¹Ï colleagues. Also, I truly feel indebted to my colleagues at FSI. Without them, 91³Ô¹Ï wouldn't be what it is today and 91³Ô¹Ï wouldn't have such an embracing home."
With regards to promoting cross-cultural understanding, Mukai said, "Since joining 91³Ô¹Ï nearly 20 years ago, one of the highlights of my work has been working with Stanford faculty and the Consulate General of Japan, San Francisco, on helping young American and Japanese students better understand one another and appreciate the importance of U.S.-Japan relations."
Retired Stanford professor , who recently received a medal of honor from the Japanese government for his role in U.S.-Japan relations, praised Mukai in a short speech. "No one deserves this honor more than Gary Mukai," Okimoto said. "I think Gary is a remarkable leader, mentor, entrepreneur, and friend."
Since 1976 91³Ô¹Ï has supported efforts to internationalize elementary and secondary school curricula by linking the research and teaching at 91³Ô¹Ï to the schools through the production of high-quality curriculum materials on international and cross-cultural topics. Housed in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at 91³Ô¹Ï, 91³Ô¹Ï has produced over 100 supplementary curriculum units on Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the global environment, and international political economy. 91³Ô¹Ï draws upon the diverse faculty and programmatic interests of 91³Ô¹Ï to link knowledge, inquiry, and practice in exemplary curriculum materials.
TeachAIDS and 91³Ô¹Ï have collaborated to provide pedagogically-grounded interactive health materials that promote a powerful and dynamic approach to HIV/AIDS education. Built by an interdisciplinary team of experts at 91³Ô¹Ï, these high-quality materials have been rigorously tested and are used in dozens of countries around the world. Given the tremendous need for these materials, TeachAIDS and 91³Ô¹Ï are offering this unit for free download.
616 Jane Stanford Way
Encina Hall, C332
Stanford, CA 94305-6060
Rylan’s professional interests lie in curriculum design, global education, education technology, student motivation and learning, and mindset science. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Symbolic Systems at 91³Ô¹Ï.
He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen curriculum units for 91³Ô¹Ï, including , , , and . His writings have appeared in publications of the National Council for History Education and the Association for Asian Studies.
Rylan has also been actively engaged in media-related work for 91³Ô¹Ï. In addition to serving as producer for two films—My Cambodia and My Cambodian America—he has developed several web-based lessons and materials, including
In 2010, 2015, and 2021, Rylan received the Franklin Buchanan Prize, which is awarded annually by the Association for Asian Studies to honor an outstanding curriculum publication on Asia at any educational level, elementary through university.
616 Jane Stanford Way
Encina Hall, E007
Stanford, CA 94305-6060
Naomi Funahashi is the Manager of the Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP) and Teacher Professional Development for the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91³Ô¹Ï). In addition to her work as the instructor of the RSP, she also develops curricula at 91³Ô¹Ï. Prior to joining 91³Ô¹Ï in 2005, she was a project coordinator at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and worked in technology publishing in San Francisco.
Naomi's academic interests lie in global education, online education pedagogy, teacher professional development, and curriculum design. She attended high school at the American School in Japan, received her Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Brown University, her teaching credential in social science from San Francisco State University, and her Ed.M. in Global Studies in Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
She has authored or co-authored the following curriculum units for 91³Ô¹Ï: , , , , and .
Naomi has presented teacher seminars nationally at Teachers College, Columbia University, the annual Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning Conference, the National Council for Social Studies and California Council for Social Studies annual conferences, and other venues. She has also presented teacher seminars internationally for the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools in Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, and for the European Council of International Schools in France, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
In 2008, the Asia Society in New York awarded the 2007 Goldman Sachs Foundation Media and Technology Prize to the Reischauer Scholars Program. In 2017, the United States–Japan Foundation presented Naomi with the Elgin Heinz Teacher Award, an honor that recognizes pre-college teachers who have made significant contributions to promoting mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese. Naomi has taught over 300 students in the RSP from 35 U.S. states.
The Cultural Revolution in China (1966–1976) was a decade of enormous change and upheaval with a lasting impact on the country, its citizens, and the world. China's Cultural Revolution teaches students about the social, cultural, educational, political, and economic changes through hands-on activities requiring critical thinking skills.
An Introduction to Sovereignty: A Case Study of Taiwan examines the key issue of sovereignty and provides an in-depth look at the unique status of Taiwan among the nations of the world.