Students will experience contemporary urban life in Hiroshima and Kyoto – two major cities in Japan with rich history and culture – and gain exposure to a variety of issues in the built environment and planning, including but not limited to social justice and equity. The City of Hiroshima is well known for its experience with the nuclear bomb in WWII and has been a major advocate for world peace and global justice, which is represented most visibly by the design of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The City of Kyoto is the old capital of Japan with many temples and shrines, unique architectural styles, landscapes, and cityscapes. Both cities are home to UNESCO World Heritage sites and influential examples of Japanese culture and innovation.
This program is a very unique opportunity for students who are interested in the built environment, planning, and social issues that arose in the historical and socio-economic contexts in Hiroshima and Kyoto. The class will have a variety of guest speakers and instructors from the universities, city governments, and other organizations in both cities to offer lectures, field trips, and interactions with students at Hiroshima University, city officials, and practitioners. Program participants will see architecture, planning, historic preservation, development, and sustainable practices along with historical buildings and sites spanning and representing 4,000 years of cultural development in Japan.
If you are interested in the education abroad program, please contact Professor Hiro Iseki at hiseki@umd.edu with the subject "Inquiry about the Japan EA program."
