Kwansei Gakuin University campus, in Nishinomiya, near Osaka.

Several Queen’s students will be living, studying and working with Japanese students in both Japan and Canada this summer through a new international exchange program.

The Cross-Cultural College program is a unique partnership with Japan’s Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) and is designed to give undergraduate students from both countries academic credits toward their degrees, entrepreneurial skills, and the chance to deepen their understanding of each other’s cultures and the issues facing each country.

“I think this is a superb pioneering initiative for Queen's, providing a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage academically, culturally and socially in a significant international experience,” says James Lee, Vice-Provost (International).

The Cross-Cultural College offers students three program options of varying lengths. Students in the first option spend five weeks at KGU in Asian Studies Summer School, taking courses in contemporary Japanese and Asian studies in English. They also spend four weeks in a joint seminar program, living and studying with Japanese students in Japan for two weeks and in Canada for another two weeks.

The second option runs for seven weeks in Japan. Queen’s students take the Asian Studies Summer School and then spend two weeks on a business internship, gaining practical experience at companies such as Panasonic and Toyota. The third option is a joint seminar only, with students spending two weeks in Japan and two weeks in Canada living together and studying multicultural issues.

Queen’s students participating in the programs must be in their second or third year of an honours bachelor degree in Arts and Science. This year’s participants are: Cory Bentley, Lisa Quinn and Emily Ho (program option 1); Jae Ik Hwang, Subhi Tarim and Devin McDonald (option 2); and Eve Thorson, Courtney Bergart, Jillian Fugedi, Sarah Yun and Sara O’Sullivan (option 3). Several students also took part in a pilot program for the Cross-Cultural College held at Queen’s in February.

The KGU Cross-Cultural College is a collaborative initiative and also includes students from Mount Allison University and the University of Toronto.