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International Student Forum held at Vassar College

2011年2月15日更新

As part of our specially funded project “Developing an Intercollegiate Network for Peace-Building in a Global Society: International Knowledge Cooperation for Bolstering Women’s Roles,” on February 14 and 15, 2011, a two-day international student symposium was held at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, with 10 undergraduate students recommended by professors (one withdrawal) from Vassar College, and 10 students selected through an open call from Ochanomizu University’s Faculty of Science, Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences, and Faculty of Letters and Education. A long-time partner university of Ochanomizu, Vassar College held the symposium as part of its festivities to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding this year.

The participants attended a lecture by Vassar professor Peipei Qiu on the issue of “comfort women,” and by Ochanomizu professor Seiji Utsumi on research into education for the Maasai people, after which each held a presentation on her studies and areas of interest in the theme of Peace-Building over the two-day period, followed by a free discussion where all actively exchanged their views.

The program concluded with an open keynote lecture by Harvard University professor emeritus Akira Iriye. Under the theme “The Making of a Trans-Pacific Partnership: The Role of International Organizations,” he drew on the case of the TPP in discussing the trend in global society where in addition to conventional collaboration between states, non-governmental actors exert a considerable influence on discussions. This lecture on the importance of mutual understanding and the power of NGOs in peace-building became a strong message of encouragement to the students poised to expand their interest in various aspects of peace-building.

For the Ochanomizu students who had worked hard leading up to the symposium, preparing their presentations and holding videoconferences with their counterparts at Vassar, the several days of face-to-face communication offered a chance to experience the true universality—even greater than they expected—of community and international contribution activities, and inspired them in their own initiatives. Students from both universities reported that participating in the symposium further raised their awareness of the significance of offering support to the women and children of the world. The straightforward interaction between international students has proved to be a valuable opportunity to develop a network based in even stronger relations of trust.

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