Boston College Summer Program at Sophia University

Boston College Summer Program was held at Sophia University from May 18 to June 16, 2026.

During the program, two Boston College faculty-led programs, “International Environmental Policy And Law ” and “The Good Life: Success, Happiness, and Purpose in East and West” were conducted by Boston College in collaboration with Sophia University.

The program began with an orientation and campus tour, and introduction to both universities.

As part of the program, guest lectures were delivered by Sophia University faculty members.

Prof. Sakai of Department of Theology, Faculty of Theology gave a guest lecture on June 2, while Prof. Huang and Prof. McDonald of Global Environmental Studies delivered guest lectures on May 25.

The student discussion session in “The Good Life: Success, Happiness, and Purpose in East and West” course was a great success. The students from both universities engaged in lively discussions, exchanging perspectives on the concept of the “good life” from philosophical, theological, and psychological viewpoints across Eastern and Western cultures. The class session provided a valuable opportunity for both university students to share their own ideas while learning from one another’s diverse perspectives.

A lunchtime session for students from both universities was held on May 25.
A total of 56 students from both universities participated in the session, where students could continue their conversations beyond the classroom and interact freely with one another. The lunchtime session provided a valuable opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of both the differences and similarities between their cultures while building new friendships.

As an activity outside the classroom, once a week or more, students were able to have lunch with their buddy student and go sightseeing in the Tokyo area, deepening exchanges between students from both universities.

This successful collaboration between both universities will serve as a model for future collaborative courses and further strengthen the partnership between Sophia University and Boston College.

Comments from Sophia University students:

“This experience makes me realize that even if where we live or grown up is different, we value similar thing to each other for good life.”

“Through exchanging ideas and discussing what we think about, I could expand my perspectives.”

“It was very nice to interact with students from different countries. I really enjoyed hearing different perspectives during the discussion and learning how people with different cultural backgrounds can still share similar thoughts. The discussion made me feel more interested in communicating with people from other cultures.”