Underwood International College

Reconciliation:
Towards a New Generation of Japan-South Korea Relations

The LearnUs Global Semester Program is an innovative “hybrid” educational exchange program hosted by Underwood International College (UIC) and International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan. The program combines online and in-person instruction with students traveling to Japan and Korea and taking classes at the ICU and UIC campuses in Tokyo and Songdo, respectively. In addition to in-class instruction, students will enjoy a variety of rich learning experiences through on-site field trips to Nagasaki and Kyoto in Japan and Jeju and Gyeongju in Korea. The LearnUs Global Semester Program seeks to create a new paradigm for higher education by fostering international cooperation and understanding through innovative teaching and learning practices.

During the program, UIC and ICU students will engage in close collaboration as they attend a combination of in-person classes in Korea and Japan, as well as online classes on the LearnUs platform. UIC and ICU students will spend the first five weeks of the semester at the ICU campus in Tokyo and attend in-person classes with ICU professors while taking online classes with UIC professors over LearnUs. The UIC and ICU students will then travel to Korea around October 9, and attend in-person classes with UIC professors at the Yonsei International Campus in Songdo while taking online classes with ICU professors on LearnUs. The entire instructional curriculum in Japan and Korea will be supplemented by program-sponsored field trips to a variety of interesting and educational sites in Japan and Korea. After the initial eleven weeks, ICU students will return to Japan, and UIC students will complete their semester with classes and field trips around the greater Seoul area.

Funding for the LearnUs Global Semester has been generously provided by a Yonsei alumnus, and, as such, program costs including housing and travel expenses in Japan and Korea for UIC participants will be covered by UIC. As a one-semester program that combines overseas stays in Japan and Korea with an innovative cross-cultural curriculum, the LearnUs Global Semester Program offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for UIC students to enjoy a unique and immersive learning experience.