April 2, 2010
Address by Director Horvat
Stanford Center for Technology and Innovation (SCTI) is a study-in-Japan program operated by Stanford University, under which around 35 Stanford students come to Japan each year to study at the Stanford Japan Center located on Doshisha University's Imadegawa Campus.
Selected students from Doshisha University and Kyoto University are able to audit the English-medium classes offered as part of the SCTI. This year, ten Kyoto University students were selected from a large field of applicants to participate in the program as auditing students.
On Friday April 2, a joint academic orientation session for SCTI regular students and auditing students was held in the Meitokukan building on Doshisha University's Imadegawa Campus. After an opening address by SCTI Director Andrew Horvat, the auditing students from Doshisha and Kyoto Universities each introduced themselves briefly and were applauded warmly by their colleagues. Next, the program's instructors introduced attendees to their respective courses. The intriguing information provided clearly served to heighten students' enthusiasm for the program.
 Self-introduction by an auditing student from Kyoto University |
 Instructors provide more information on their courses |
About SCTI
SCTI is part of Stanford University's Study in Japan program, launched in 1990. It aims to foster young Americans with the knowledge and outlooks necessary to engage effectively with Japan. Each year SCTI has around 35 participants, all of whom are Stanford University students. Participants come from a diverse range of major fields of study, including engineering, the natural sciences, economics, political science, and international relations, but the program's hallmark is the large number of participants majoring in technology-related areas. Emphasis is also placed on Japanese language education. Participants are required to take Japanese language classes at Stanford prior to arrival in Japan, and the program itself includes a mandatory eight hours of Japanese language instruction each week. The program has been operated on Doshisha University's Imadegawa Campus since summer 2006.
The classes audited by Kyoto University students are held at the Stanford Center for Technology and Innovation located within Doshisha University's Imadegawa Campus. Topics covered in classes held to date include Japanese innovation, political economy, Japan's foreign diplomacy, religion in Japan, and the architecture and architectural history of Kyoto.
The program itself is held from April through June, with applications taken in February. Application guidelines and forms are available through the international students / international education page of the Kyoto University website (Japanese page only), and can also be obtained at the Foreign Student Division.