A mission from LACC visited Japan from June 23 to July 3 to enhance liberal arts education at E-JUST and deepen collaboration between the university and other Japanese universities in education and research. The mission consisted of 5 members notably; Prof. said Sadik, Dr. Ahmed Awaad, Dr. Haytham El-sayed, Dr. Amal Gomaa, and Ms. Eman Abdelazim, covering various disciplines at LACC.

The mission began with a visit to Waseda University, one of the major JCUs, where the team observed the processes undergone in the Writing Center to help students facing difficulties in devising strongly expressive and coherent written work for various courses. This was followed by various class observations and discussions with faculty members regarding pedagogy and research regarding numerous liberal arts courses namely peace studies, linguistics, and Japanese language. Dr. Amal Refaat joined the mission on their last day at Waseda University to engage in discussions regarding Japanese language and culture studies.

The following visit was to Sophia University where members interacted in a zemi class with Japanese students studying international relations. Prof. Said gave a lecture to over 100 students in the class of Dr. Erina Iwasaki, Faculty of Foreign Studies, on “The obstacles facing achieving peace between Palestinians and Israelis”.

The mission visited Meiji University as well to further build on last summer’s Art-based Research (ABR) initiative. Members held active discussions with Dr. Kichi and PG students in the field followed by observation of a UG workshop where faculty interacted with students holding the activity to further understand the process.

The final visit in Tokyo was to Tokyo Tech where LACC members discussed the challenges facing liberal arts education in the field of engineering despite its strong advantages. Techniques and ideas were exchanged and mission members were given the opportunity to observe a class where group discussions on research results were held.

The last visit for the LACC mission was to Hiroshima University where strong discussions regarding Japanese language teaching and Peace Studies were held. Prof. Said also gave a lecture on “Rehabilitation of Extremists in Saudi, Egyptian and Tunisian Jails and Deradicalization Programs.

The mission was a success as it fostered stronger ties with our Japanese counterparts and opened gateways for not only research collaboration but also opportunities for interactive sessions between E-JUST students and Japanese students from various universities. It also gave way to finding stronger ties between professors of the different fields hence enhancing teaching methodologies and understanding for both sides.