On August 26, Sophia University concluded an academic partnership agreement with Akita International University, International Christian University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and Waseda University. The so-called Global 4 Universities initiated the partnerships in April 2010 for the purpose of enhancing academic exchange at home and abroad.
And this time, it was our rich and long standing expertise in the areas of educational globalization activities that brought Sophia University to a negotiating table of G5 partnership agreement. The Faculty of Liberal Arts (started as the International Division and later reorganized into the Faculty of Comparative Culture), the Graduate School of Global Studies, and the Summer Session Program have developed the curriculum in which all courses are taught in English.
G5 will be engaging in collaborative work that aims to strengthen academic exchange programs and improve the quality of global education. Specifically, collaborative academic programs such as, collaborative internships project and on demand education, joint programs for Faculty Development and Staff Development (FD/SD), jointly sponsored symposium, and campus fairs.
All five universities have already taken the top spot for giving students the unique and excellent education in English. This is an indication of how much dedication has gone into their efforts of developing the curriculum in which courses can be taught in English. By widening the scope of their activities onto the global stage, G5 aims to produce promising individuals who might someday be a success and assume leadership positions in Japan.
At the signing ceremony, President Tadashi Takizawa gave the following comments: “As good partners and as friendly rivals, I feel that there is so much we can learn from one another. By collaborating at many points, I am holding out hopes that together we can bring new development in education and research. This is what we expect as a result of setting up G5 academic partnerships.”
