Japanese version of this article
The course “Cultural Psychology, Frontiers in Cultural Psychology 2018” was held as one class for Hokkaido Summer Institute 2018. The course lasted for 3 days, and was held from July 11th to July 13th.
24 Students from both Hokkaido University and other schools participated in this course
Once again, Alberta University’s Professor Takahiko Masuda was invited to jointly teach the class alongside the Faculty of Letter’s own Professor Masaki Yuki from the Behavioral Studies department. Together, the two of them taught participating students the most advanced information available on the topic of cultural psychology. This was the 4th consecutive year that the course has been held.
Professor Masuda mixing plenty of examples and jokes into his lecture
How do the behavioral models of persons living in the North American cultural sphere differ from those of people living in Japan? What kinds of mechanisms are at play in the background of these differences? Moreover, what kinds of skills are necessary in order to overcome these differences and improve intercultural communication? This class was rich with the newest information available on the topic, which was enhanced with several concrete examples and opportunities for discussion.
In this class, University of Wisconsin Green Bay’s Professor Sawa Senzaki as well as two of Professor Masuda’s students from the University of Alberta acted as teaching assistants. These three participated in student discussions by answering questions, helped facilitate debates, and provided support for student presentations.
This year’s lecture particularly focused on student presentations. In their presentations, students would compare commercials made in Japan with those made abroad. The students would then try to explain the differences in these commercials from the standpoint of cultural psychology. Professor Masuda found that the level of each group’s presentations went beyond his expectations.
Everyone sharing and discussing the commercials they found on the internet
Beer Commercials: In a Japanese beer commercial, we see a group of people drinking together. Meanwhile, in an American commercial, we see only the product displayed with rhythmic noises mixed into the background.
Even in the case of the same sports-gear brand, we find that the commercial that was aired in Japan is different from the one aired in North America. In Japan, we see a team running together, while in North America, there is only a solitary individual.
Posters that show the dangers of tobacco-usage were different as well. In Canada, such posters emphasized the risks smoking may have for one’s own health, while the Japanese poster emphasized the risks to other people’s health that smoking in public can cause.
Professor Senzaki, who graduated from Professor Masuda’s laboratory, discusses the topic of acculturation. Professor Senzaki also discussed with students concerning the possibility of studying abroad, and encouraged many Hokkaido University students who were interested in going overseas.
The class had an extremely tight schedule, as it hosted 15 classes held over 3 days. However, many students left the class satisfied: “Being able to debate with students from various countries and hear such interesting content makes me feel glad to have participated in this class,” “The schedule was tight, but the class was worth participating in anyway,” “The Instructors and the Staff were all very kind.”
