Asia-Pacific Studies Course

To get to know the actualities of the globalizing world, both a “regional” and “cultural” viewpoint is indispensable.

Asia-Pacific Studies Course : Noriyuki ABE, Associate Professor
　What the word “Asia” brings to mind has been changing drastically, from the nostalgia-laden images of the old Far East, to dynamic and vibrant images of remarkable economic development in China, India and elsewhere. With the formation of ASEAN and other regional associations, the Asia-Pacific region is now viewed as a major center of the world economy. Meanwhile, there are complex discords between adjoining nations, whose resolution will be fraught with difficulties. Further, as the interrelationships of the 21st century extend not only among neighboring states but around the world, amid the global flows of capital and culture, the idea of the nation state that has long been taken for granted is beginning to audibly groan. How will we respond to the further advance of globalization?
　This program encompasses not only the national histories within the Asia-Pacific region, but also contemporary interpretations of topics such as cultural conflict, historical understanding, migration, environmental assets and gender, as well as considerations of how particular cultures and societies are shifting amid the currents of globalization and how various problems have come to confront them. These studies are designed to nourish the ability to envisage ways of creating the future, as students come together to further their inquiries.

My overseas internship was a valuable chance to plunge fully into my second foreign language

When I was young we lived for a time in Taiwan for my father’s work, and in high school, I was an exchange student in New Zealand. I enrolled in this faculty because I am interested in international politics and economics, and I want to learn about disputes and environmental problems. It appealed to me as a place where I could supplement my English with an intensive study of my second foreign language, Chinese. Last summer I was an intern at a company in Los Angeles, where I helped out with the “Cool Japan” events put on by the Japanese consulate. That was a fun month that just flew by. In the future, I hope to join a trading company where I can work in various parts of the world and use the English and Chinese I learned at this faculty.