JET alum Professor Emily Metzgar (Courtesy of Indiana University)
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A little over a year ago, we posted a request to the JET alumni community by JET alum Emily Metzgar, Assistant Professor at Indiana University’s School of Journalism, to take part in a survey as part of her research on the impact of the JET Program. (See the original post on JETwit.) Here are the results of Emily’s survey in her paper titled:
“Promoting Japan: One JET at a time” (PDF)
The paper is about trying to measure Return On JET-vestment. In its own words, it “attempts to identify various ways in which participation in JET has affected the lives of alumni and the ways in which this influence may be of benefit to Japan in the medium- to long-term.”
Also, for those interested, there’s a review of Emily’s paper by Dr. Robert Banks on the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy website.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey and helped in other ways. For anyone who reads the paper, please feel free to share thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Here’s the URL for the paper: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/publications/perspectives/CPD_Perspectives_Paper_3_2012.pdf
Via JETAA Pacific Northwest. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle is now accepting applications for the following 2013 Japanese Government Scholarships for studying in Japan.
U.S. citizens living in the states of Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho are eligible to apply at our office.
The application forms are available on our website at: http://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/ Read More
Thanks to JETAA DC Secretary Leigh Ann Mastrini. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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On April 7, 2012, the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, DC (JCAW) will be hosting a symposium on “Global Opportunities through Japanese Language” – The purpose of the Symposium is to provide a networking opportunity for students of Japanese language who want to pursue related careers, and corporations or government agencies interested in hiring American students who speak Japanese and understand Japanese culture.
Please see the link and introduction below for more information and more importantly, to register by 03.23.12!
http://www.jcawf. org/japanese/ program/cherry_ blossom_centenni al/education/ symposium/ Read More
Discover the Doshisha Global MBA – Designed for the 21st century
- Build your own program from courses in General Business Management or our innovative focus areas: Business in Asia, Green Business, and Culture and Creativity. – Gain a global perspective through an international student body, overseas study options, and classes taught by experts from around the world. – Scholarships available for all international students. – Career opportunities in Japan and with Japanese companies seeking global talent. – A strong focus on the Social Responsibility of business. – Opportunities to learn Japanese and take classes in our sister Japanese MBA program. – Looking to advance your career, and help make the world a better place? Come and join us at Doshisha Business School.
The University
Doshisha University is widely recognized as one of Japan’s top comprehensive universities, with 15 Faculties and Centers and 15 Graduate Schools. Founded in 1875, it has a distinguished history of education based on the founder’s philosophy of education guided by conscience. Doshisha is one of the top four prestigious private universities in the Kansai (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto) region, and is one of 13 universities selected by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology for the Global 30 Project for Establishing Core Universities for Internationalization. Doshisha Business School’s English-language Global MBA is a flagship program for the university’s Global 30 participation. Read More
Seattle-based JET alum Regina Durr (Shimane-ken, 2008-10) got in touch to let JETs and JET alums know about the Meiji University “Law in Japan Program.” Here’s what she has to say:
I participated in the 2010 Law in Japan program at Meiji University between my JET tenure and returning to the States… and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! There was a mix of JETs current and exiting, U.S.A. MBA students, French Master in Law students, interpreters, and ad hoc foreigners who enjoy getting out of their box and into an academic setting.
The Meiji Law in Japan Program was the perfect dive back into academia and the professional career lifestyle immediately after JET. The days are filled with lectures and trips to places such as the Supreme Court, the former Ministry of Justice, a local prison, and even enables you networking opportunities with top, international law firms in Tokyo. I took the course as a cheaper alternative of finding out whether or not I would want to specialize in Japanese Law back in the States. With a brief overview from top experts (even flown in from Washington, D.C.!), I am now finding myself applying to Law School to formalize the training began through this program.
A little background info about me: I am currently a Project Coordinator at the global headquarters of a high-tech consulting company located just outside Seattle, WA. I am active in the Pacific Northwest JET Alumni Association chapter and continue to mentor high school exchange students in the community, while also playing volleyball and completing triathlons.
About the Meiji University “Law in Japan Program”
“Law in Japan Program” is an introductory course for studying Japanese laws, at Meiji University, a private university in Tokyo.
2012 ONLINE APPLICATION FORM is NOW OPEN.
- The 2012 Summer intensive program is from July 23 to August 3, 2012. http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/applications.html (*Application deadline to be extended; to late April*)
- For the 2011 results, please check the Past programs page. http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/past.html
- URL: http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/index.html
- Law in Japan PR Video: http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/programs/law/index.html
Meiji University Law in Japan Program 2012
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Law in Japan Program
Meiji University School of Law
1-1 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 101-8301
E-mail: law_jp@kisc.meiji.ac.jp
Note: Do you have a post-JET program that you’d like to recommend to other JETs and alums? E-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com and tell us about it.
JET alum and JETwit webmaster Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, Nakatsu-shi, 2003-2006) has published a new article about Social Innovation in Brazil. Lee-Sean is a member of JETAA New York, but is currently working in Brazil for a few months. He credits his JET experience as an invaluable resource for his current field of design for social innovation, where he works with cross-cultural communities to create social, cultural, and civic value.
Here is a preview of the article:
Brazil is known for its supermodels, but what about its social innovation models? Besides the economic boom, the country is finding a new groove in the field of digital collaboration and activism.
Last year, I moved from New York to Rio de Janeiro, where Purpose has opened its first overseas office. I have met with local innovators and interacted with all kinds of people on the streets, at the beach, and in botequins (informal bars). These experiences have all enriched my work in social innovation. Besides stimulating my creativity, immersion in a different culture and working in a foreign language have heightened my sense of mindfulness and empathy, reminded me of the virtue of humility, and taught me a few things about what it means to innovate.
Read the rest of the article at Fast Co.Exist.
How has your JET experience helped open doors to other cultures (besides your home culture and Japanese culture)? Are there any other JET alumni out there living in Brazil? Any other JET alumni working in the field of social innovation? Drop us a line in the comments, we would love to hear from you.
Why Japan does not celebrate the Lunar New Year to the extent of its Asian neighbors
By Jessica Kennett Cork (CIR, 1997-2000, Hiroshima-ken)
With the large number of Asians in the U.S., it was hard to overlook the fact that the Year of the Dragon by the lunar calendar began on January 23. But had we been in Japan, January 23 would have passed quite uneventfully. Have you ever wondered why Japan does not recognize the lunar New Year to the extent of its Asian neighbors? And as we approach the Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri), has it ever struck you as odd that this festival is also called the Peach Festival, and yet March 3 is way too early for peach blossoms? The explanation is actually quite fascinating. Read More
Shared by JET alum and YFU alum Jessica Cork who currently works for the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta:
Did you know that scholarships for American students to go abroad have been extended? There is still a chance for students in your area to apply for our 300+ scholarships to have the exchange experience of a lifetime!
Deadlines for Japan summer scholarships have been extended to February 1, 2012 and deadlines for Germany year and semester scholarships have been extended to February 7, 2012. Please spread the word in your area that YFU is actively seeking American teenagers with a sense of adventure to go on scholarship abroad!
Scholarships available include:
- Kikkoman National Scholarship
- Mazda/Nationwide Community Scholarship
- Japan-America Friendship Scholars
- Japan-U.S. Senate Youth Exchange
- Okinawa Peace Scholarship
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
- Stipendium and Stiftung Scholarships
- And more!
All of our scholarship information can be found online at www.yfuusa.org. Please let students know that they can call 1.800.TEENAGE or email admissions@yfu.org if they have any questions.
We’re also always looking for insightful scholarship evaluators – if you would like to help determine who goes on scholarship with YFU, please contact Carla James at cjames@yfu.org.
Thank you for your help in telling students in your area about YFU’s scholarship opportunities!
Mike Finnell
President
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R-MC RECEIVES GRANT IN HONOR OF TAYLOR ANDERSON ’08
http://www.rmc.edu/News/11-12-13%20-%20Taylor%20Anderson.Japan%20Foundation.aspx
Randolph-Macon College has received a grant from The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP) to strengthen Japanese Studies, a part of the college’s Asian Studies program, in memory of R-MC alumna Taylor Anderson ’08. Anderson perished during the March 2011 earthquake & tsunami that devastated parts of Japan.
“We are pleased to receive this generous support from The Japan Foundation,” said Randolph-Macon President Robert R. Lindgren. “This grant will help us increase our students’ awareness and appreciation of Japanese culture and will aid the college in laying the groundwork for a lifetime of engagement and exchange with our Japanese neighbors.”
The Japanese Foundation grant, entitled “Honoring the Life, Work, and Good Spirit of Taylor Anderson – Enhancing Japanese Studies at Randolph-Macon College,” will help Randolph-Macon reach its goal of increasing course offerings in Japanese language and culture. The college received $100,000 for this academic year with the anticipation of receiving additional funds during the five year duration of the grant, which will allow for faculty travel to Japan to develop broader course offerings and establish student travel courses to Japan.
R-MC’s Asian Studies Progam will also develop and offer a spring workshop and curriculum website for Virginia elementary, middle, and high school teachers of history, geography, world language, and literature. This seminar workshop will be led by R-MC Professor Todd Munson and provide teachers the opportunity to engage in the study, analysis and discussion of topics related to Japanese history, geography, and culture. It will provide ten hours of instruction and will convene on the Randolph-Macon campus beginning in spring 2012.
The Japan Foundation grant will also support the following Randolph-Macon initiatives in the current academic year:
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Taylor Anderson, who had a lifelong love of Japan, graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree inInternational Studies and minors in Asian Studies and Political Science. She joined The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program and was assigned to teach in Ishinomaki, Japan. The JET program is one of the world’s largest exchange programs and is aimed at developing strong international relationships between Japan and other nations.
“This grant will help to continue strengthening relationships with a country she loved and Randolph-Macon College,” said Anderson’s father, Andy. We are grateful to both the college and the Japan Foundation for so generously supporting this project in her memory and honor.”
Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), has a new paper published as part of JCIE’s “Enhanced Agenda for US-Japan Partnership” paper series titled:
- “A New Framework for US-Japan Development Cooperation“ (PDF) http://www.jcie.org/researchpdfs/USJapanPapers/Gannon.pdf
Click here for other JCIE papers in the series.
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates a think tank of one, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States.
On December 5, the American Lawyer (aka the AmLaw Daily) published Leichter’s most recent article, “Law School Debt Bubble, Part II: Data Show Feds Will Lend $54.3 Billion to U.S. Law Schools by 2020,” in which he uses American Bar Association data to project the exponential growth of law school debt in contrast to the small number of new lawyer jobs in the U.S.
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates a think tank of one, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States.
On November 22, the American Lawyer (aka the AmLaw Daily) published Leichter’s most recent article, “Law School Debt Bubble: Aggregate Law School Grad Debt Grew $475 Million Between 2008 and 2010,” in which he uses U.S. News and World Report and American Bar Association data to illustrate the ever-increasing growth in law school debt graduates have taken on even though law jobs have been disappearing for decades.
Links to Leichter’s previous AmLaw articles can be found here.
I was emailed today by a JET alum who has a daughter of her own getting ready to apply to colleges. She asked if I have any insights on the Waseda University’s international program and on programs in general at Japanese universities.
So, do any JETs/JET alums/other readers have any insights or perspectives to share for an American student who wants to go off to study at a Japanese university in lieu of a U.S. university?
Please post responses in the comments section of this post. Or feel free to e-mail them to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
JET alum and JETwit webmaster Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, Nakatsu-shi, 2003-2006) recently appeared in the Fast Company article “An MFA Degree For Designers Who Want To Change The World” by Michael J. Coren.
So you want to change the world? Cynics may send you off to Wall Street or a white-shoe law firm. Those with gumption will look for another way. The new Master’s of Fine Arts in Design for Social Innovation has opened its doors just for them.
“We’re adamant this not be a program where people sit in a classroom and talk about how great it’s going to be when they go out and change the world,” says program chair Cheryl Heller at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, and a board member of PopTech. “It is helping designers go beyond self-expression, which is how most designers are taught, and how to put [design] into practice to create a change.”
Read the full Fast Company article here.
Lee-Sean, a faculty member in the department, is reaching out to the JET community and encouraging returning JETs and alumni to apply to the MFA Design for Social Innovation program. The program is for applicants from a broad range of backgrounds with an interest in design and social innovation, and not just those with college degrees or prior professional experience in design. Email leesean@purpose.com with inquiries, and apply here. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2015 for Fall 2012 enrollment.
Photo: Lee-Sean with fellow MFA Design for Social Innovation faculty member Alessandra Orofino.
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Matt Leichter (matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) (Saitama-ken 2003-05) is a renegade attorney who plays by his own rules. He operates a think tank of one, The Law School Tuition Bubble, where he archives, chronicles, and analyzes the rising cost and declining value of legal education in the United States.
The popular lawyer periodical, the Am Law Daily, ran an article I wrote, titled, “Media Outlets Claiming ‘Law Is no Longer a Golden Ticket’ Conceal Decades of a Profession in Decline.” In it I use Bureau of Economic Analysis data, charts, and animations to demonstrate that the legal sector of the U.S. economy stagnated about 20 years ago, and along with increasing law school tuition creates a crisis for legal education in the United States.
