Sophia Magazine vol.5 / SUMMER 2017

11/32

students, the Summer Session program built upon its suc-cess with the establishment of the six-week Summer Session for Japanese Language in 2013. The following year saw the launch of the four-week January Session in Japanese Stud-ies. The Summer Session for Japanese Language answered the calls of students for a program of concentrated Japanese language study, while the January Session in Japanese Stud-ies primarily targets students in those parts of the world where there is a break from classes in January.In 2011, the Summer Session marked its 50th year of en-riching the studies of participants. Although the program has evolved as Japan and the world at large have changed, it re-mains true to the central ambition of, in the words of a 1966 pamphlet, “extending an invitation to those who, knowing that the marvels of ocean depths are open chiefly to trained eyes, can link the fruits of their classroom learning with the opportunities that afternoon and weekend tours, field trips, and special events offer.” In closing, Professor Gardner offers some final reflections on the past, present, and future of the Summer Session:Father Bairy was instrumental in setting the tone for the program and establishing the foundation for its suc-cess. He really treasured the Summer Session. He liked to keep in contact with former students. The Summer Ses-sion staff sent out several thousand New Year’s greeting cards each year, and Father Bairy would be there stamp-ing the envelopes and folding letters with Ueda-san. We also had former students who would stop by the office to visit, as well as second-generation participants who fol-lowed in their parents’ footsteps. The Summer Session’s Jesuit spirit in introducing Japan to the world is interesting to examine alongside Japan’s postwar trajectory. During the 1950s and 1960s, Japan was trying to recover from the war and put itself back together. And at the same time, there was a genera-tion of Jesuits coming to Japan from Europe for whom the war was one of the defining aspects of their lives. I remember asking Father Robert J. Ballon what a Jesuit priest was doing teaching business in Japan. He an-swered that if people can learn to do business together, maybe they won’t go to war with each other. Japan started talking about kokusaika (internation-alization) in the 1980s, and now everyone around the world is talking about globalization. I think Sophia has increasingly realized just how unique the Summer Ses-sion program is. It fits so well into that increasing de-mand for globalization and international exchange. I also think the Summer Session’s quality and tradition have benefited some of Sophia’s recent achievements, such as its selection for the Top Global University Project ad-ministered by MEXT. I am confident that the Summer Session will continue its outstanding tradition in the years to come. Japanese ower arrangement class in 1998 (top) and more re-cently (bottom)Taiko drumming, a popular activity among participants (2015)Schedule: January 9 – 31, 2018 (four-week program)Application Period: September 25 – November 3, 2017Apply Online: http://www.sophia-summer.jp/Registration for the January Session in Japanese Studies will open on September 25, 2017.Summer Sessionpamphlets overthe years11Approach