[Feature: International Exchange at Keio University] Hisayo Ogushi: The Current State of Internationalization at Keio University

2024/10/07

When Keio University established its college in 1890, Yukichi Fukuzawa requested cooperation from Charles W. Eliot, then president of Harvard University. Based on Eliot's recommendation, Keio welcomed three lead instructors. Furthermore, in 1899, Fukuzawa established a study abroad system for faculty, sending Keio personnel overseas while also actively accepting international students. In this way, Keio University has emphasized international exchange since the founding of its college, recognizing that education and research develop precisely through such rich exchange. In this article, I would like to provide an overview of the current state of internationalization at this Juku by looking at the situation in each faculty, graduate school, and related center, with a focus on the International Center.

According to "Retrospect and Prospect: 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Keio University International Center" (1984), international exchange at the current Juku is said to have begun immediately after the end of World War II. It is well known that the Hiyoshi Campus buildings were requisitioned by GHQ in September 1945, and the book explains that the negotiations for the return of those buildings marked the beginning of "international exchange" at the Juku in the postwar era. Tracing the origins of the current International Center leads back to the "Liaison Office" established in 1947 for the Hiyoshi Campus building return project. After the return, it became the "International Affairs Department," which eventually led to the establishment of the International Center in 1962.

The formal student exchange program at this Juku began in 1972 with the start of a program with Western Michigan University in the United States. More than half a century has passed since then, and today we have partner institutions worldwide, including Brown University, Dartmouth College, Georgetown University, King's College London, the University of Edinburgh, Sciences Po, Freie Universität Berlin, Yonsei University, Fudan University, National University of Singapore, and the University of Sydney, engaging in active exchange.

The primary business of the International Center is the operation of the outbound exchange program for all Keio students. As of November 2023, there are 146 partner institutions for this outbound exchange across 33 countries and regions, and in the 2023 academic year, 274 Keio students went abroad as exchange students. The number of exchange students wishing to study at Keio is also increasing year by year, with 507 students (special short-term international students) accepted from partner institutions. In 2013, there were 172 outbound and 190 inbound students, meaning that over the past 10 years, the number of outbound students has increased by approximately 1.6 times and inbound students by approximately 2.6 times (Table 1).

Among the partner institutions (Table 2), applications for universities in English-speaking countries are consistently popular. However, in other countries and regions, the number of universities offering courses in English is increasing, and the range of choices for applicants is expanding. Of course, we believe we are also able to provide a wide range of options for students who wish to master the language primarily spoken in the partner institution's country or region and study its culture and society. Regarding outbound exchange agreements, we are in discussions with new universities toward concluding agreements, and the number is expected to continue to increase.

Most of the special short-term international students accepted at Keio belong to the International Center. The International Center offers approximately 60 courses centered on East Asian studies, covering a wide range of fields such as literature/linguistics, cultural studies, intellectual history, history, sociology, politics/law, international relations, economics, and media studies. In addition, for subjects offered by each faculty, graduate school, and Research Centers and Institutes, enrollment is generally possible for those without registration restrictions.

In addition, the International Center hosts short-term overseas training programs during the summer and spring. Before the spread of COVID-19, four courses were offered each in summer and spring, but when they resumed in the 2023 academic year, they were offered with a limited number of programs. Keio students were sent to Downing College, University of Cambridge, and the College of William & Mary in the summer, and to Sciences Po in the spring.

Regarding short-term inbound programs, we implement the Keio Summer Program, the Keio Short Term Japanese Studies Program (KJSP), and Thesis@Keio. The Summer Program is a program where students belonging to overseas universities take four-quarter system courses (latter half of the spring semester) provided by the International Center. KJSP also allows participation by Keio students, making it a unique program where Keio students and international students from overseas learn about Japan together. In addition to lectures, it incorporates group work and off-campus learning such as sushi workshops and museum visits, which have been well-received. While these programs are generally for undergraduate students, Thesis@Keio is a program specialized in research guidance for graduate students. It is a program where overseas students who wish to receive research guidance from faculty members of this Juku can study at Keio for up to three months.

As mentioned earlier, the outbound exchange program conducted by the International Center is for all Keio students, but some faculties and graduate schools have their own study abroad and overseas training programs for their students. It can be said that active international exchange is taking place across the entire Keio University.

Currently, English is the mainstream language serving as the cornerstone of internationalization, and using English as a common language, students from diverse backgrounds can gather and learn together. At this Juku, a wide range of classes that can be taken in English are offered, and International Center courses are part of that. In addition, the Professional Career Program is offered in the Faculty of Economics, and the Global Passport Program is offered in the Faculty of Business and Commerce, allowing students to take systematic research courses in English. Furthermore, the Global Interdisciplinary Courses, which is a university-wide program, provides content that is useful for career formation utilizing English in the future.

Programs where degrees can be obtained solely in English include the GIGA (Global Information and Governance Academic) Program by the Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies established in 2011, and PEARL (Programme in Economics for Alliances, Research and Leadership) in the Faculty of Economics started in 2016. Students wishing to broaden their global perspective gather here from Japan and abroad. At the graduate level, nine graduate schools have programs where degrees can be obtained solely in English: the Graduate School of Economics, Graduate School of Business and Commerce, Graduate School of Medicine, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Graduate School of Health Management, Graduate School of System Design and Management, Graduate School of Media Design (KMD), and the Law School.

The way degrees are obtained is also changing due to internationalization. Through agreements between this Juku and overseas universities, the double degree system, where degrees are awarded by each university, is currently operating with a total of 30 programs across two faculties and eight graduate schools as of May 2024. Among them, the Graduate School of Science and Technology has as many as 12 programs, including those with RWTH Aachen University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and the Écoles Centrales Group. In addition, the Master in International Management (CEMS MIM) program, in which the Graduate School of Economics, Graduate School of Business and Commerce, and Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) participate, is a degree program operated in collaboration with world-class universities, companies, and NGOs. Only one school per country is allowed to participate, and this Juku participates from Japan, conducting research and practice to be active globally.

When we speak of globalization or internationalization, the aspect of overseas orientation immediately comes to mind, but on the other hand, education and information dissemination regarding the location where this Juku is situated—namely, Japanese language, culture, history, and society—is also important. At this Juku, Japanese language education began within the Keio Gaigo in 1958, shortly after World War II. Later, after passing through the International Center Japanese Language Program, the Center for Japanese Studies was established in 1990. International students study Japanese language and culture primarily at this center, and in that sense, the Center for Japanese Studies can be said to be one of the cornerstones of internationalization at this Juku. Mutual understanding will become possible not only by learning abroad but also by widely communicating Japanese language and culture to people coming from overseas.

Similar dissemination from Keio is also evident in the use of online courses on FutureLearn. FutureLearn is one of the platforms for MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) where one can take lectures from universities and educational institutions online. At the time of writing this manuscript, 13 courses are offered, including "Modern Japanese History: Yukichi Fukuzawa's Struggle," "The Practice of Creative 'Vacant Lots' in University Museums," "Japanese Culture Through Rare Books," and "An Aging Population: Learning 'Healthy Longevity' from Japan," and people from various countries and regions are enjoying taking Keio's classes.

Finally, I would like to mention the support this Juku provides to students wishing to study abroad. For the outbound exchange conducted by the International Center, this Juku provides financial support through the Keio University Exchange Student Scholarship (Outbound) and the Tokyo Club International Exchange Scholarship.

Now that more than half a century has passed since the start of outbound exchange, the nature of internationalization, including study abroad, is also diversifying. Within this, we must continue to think about what we want Keio students to learn through overseas experience and what the Juku can provide for that purpose.