The proposal by Hiroshima University titled “Construction of a Multicultural Collaborative Education System through Problem-Solving Experiential Learning in Collaboration with the Town & Gown Initiative” has been selected for the Type I (Regional Cooperation Type) project under the “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact” for fiscal year (FY) 2024.

The “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact” aims to lead the realization of a multicultural symbiotic society. It is expected that educational and research activities through multicultural collaborative learning will propose solutions to domestic and international issues and lead to the creation of “social impact” beyond social implementation. This project will commence in FY 2024 and will span six years.

In the process of extracting, analyzing, and proposing, and implementing social solutions to issues in regions within and outside Japan where universities and other institutions conduct educational and research activities, Japanese and international students leverage their cultural diversity and study together in foreign languages, primarily English.

In this program, Hiroshima University will build on its extensive track record of thorough internationalization achieved through the Top Global University Project (Top Type). It will hierarchically combine existing initiatives as multicultural collaborative learning courses. Japanese and international students will be able to study together, creating a step-up-type multicultural collaborative education system.

For undergraduate students, peace studies courses in the first year, overseas collaborative learning courses in the second year, and regional issue collaborative learning courses in the third and fourth years will be established. For graduate students, international and regional issue collaborative learning courses will be set up, where Japanese students and international students will study together in each of these courses.

Additionally, in implementing this program, we will closely collaborate with Higashi-Hiroshima City, Kure City, and Hiroshima City through the Town & Gown Initiative. Japanese and international students will visit these regions to explore solutions to social issues.

This program aims to establish a new philosophy of peace science, “Science Leading to Sustainable Development,” by addressing various social issues faced by different regions and taking actions within the community to solve these issues. Through this process, we aim to cultivate international, liberal-minded individuals who are committed to and actively seek peace, equipped with (1) a multifaceted understanding of peace, (2) intercultural communication skills, (3) practical skills to comprehensively grasp issues and propose solutions, and (4) leadership to guide teams in solving problems.

• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: Announcement of Selected Projects for the FY 2024 “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact” (MEXT Website)
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: Evaluation Results of the “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact” (JSPS Website)