About us
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Center for Global Education (UTokyo GlobE)
The University of Tokyo Center for Global Education (UTokyo GlobE) was launched in April 2023 with the mission of training global leaders who will form relationships with diverse people around the globe, contribute to the creation of a peaceful and inclusive society, and thrive on the international stage in the dynamic world of the present and future.\ \
From the Director, Center for Global Education
This photo was taken in a museum called The Broad, located in downtown Los Angeles in the United States. It’s a picture of me in front of a table and chairs.
But wait. What kind of table and chairs? As you see, the scale is completely out of proportion: either I am too small or the table and chairs are too large.
This artwork is entitled "Under the Table" and was created by Robert Therrien in 1994. It focuses on a seemingly mundane set of objects--a table and chairs--that everyone is so used to seeing every single day at home, at school and at work. But it also unsettles the taken-for-grantedness of these objects by enlarging them to an extraordinary size. That is, by turning these furniture into an unnatural size, "Under the Table" urges us to reassess things that seem natural and reevaluate the fundamental significance of norms that we have internalized.
What, for example, are tables and chairs for? After all, some societies, including Japan, did not use them in households for a long time. It’s not “natural” for many of us to have them in our daily lives. Why do we need them now? How do they condition and impact the ways in which we see and understand this world?
This may seem like a silly exercise but it actually resonates perfectly with the fundamental purpose of higher education. Like Therrien's work, the university is a place where widely accepted norms and rules are questioned and reconceptualized to generate new ways of looking and thinking.
The Center for Global Education was established in April of 2023 to do just that. It exists to push UTokyo students to step outside of their comfort zone and think out of the box by offering them cross and interdisciplinary courses taught entirely in English as well as by providing a variety of exciting global programs. Just like Therrien's table and chairs, it encourages students to reassess their internalized norms so that they may cultivate new ways of seeing and appreciating the world.
The new outlook gained through such experiences may not always be pleasant or easy to swallow. Nor do we know when it will become useful--Therrien's table and chairs ostensibly have no functional purposes as there is no way for me to sit at this table comfortably. But the new way of seeing will certainly enrich and deepen one's vision and knowledge by generating so many questions. It will also offer you multiple paths to understand the world from different angles and enable you to become a global citizen who is capable of engaging in a constructive dialog with people of different backgrounds and values.
So please take advantage of the amazing resources we offer. We present chances for you to find your own version of blown-up tables and chairs through such exciting programs as Go Global Gateway (GGG), University-Wide Student Exchange Program (USTEP), Global Unit Courses (GUC), Global Liberal Arts Courses and many others.
We are here to assist your journey into the larger world!
Yujin Yaguchi\ Director, Center for Global Education\ Vice President, The University of Tokyo
Organization
History
| Year.Month | Event |
|---|---|
| 2005.4 | Division for International Relations established |
| 2010.4 | International Student Center integrated with other related sections; Division of International Affairs, International Center, and Center for Japanese Language Education within the Division established |
| 2011.10 | Call for applications for the University-wide Student Exchange Program (USTEP) (student exchange to commence in September 2012) |
| 2012.4 | Global Campus Initiative established within the Division of International Affairs |
| 2014.10 | - Top Global University Project launched - Global Campus Initiative restructured; Global Campus Promotion Office established - Under Global Campus Promotion Office, Planning and Public Relations Division, Education Promotion Division, and Student Exchange Division established |
| 2017.4 | Planning and Public Relations Division, Education Promotion Division, and Student Exchange Division restructured to form Planning and Strategy Division and Education and Student Division |
| 2018.4 | - Division for International Affairs restructured; Division for Global Campus Initiatives established - Under Division for Global Campus Initiatives, International Planning and Strategy Office, International Education Support Office, and Center for Japanese Language Education established - Go Global Gateway (GGG) Program launched |
| 2021.6 | UTokyo Global Unit Courses (UTokyo GUC) launched |
| 2023.4 | - Division for Global Campus Initiatives abolished; Center for Global Education (UTokyo GlobE) established - International Support Division, International Exchange Division, International Education Division, Japanese Language Education Division, Komaba Branch, and Kashiwa Branch established within Center for Global Education - Global Liberal Arts (GLA) Courses launched |
| 2024.4 | Center for the Development of Global Leadership Education abolished; Global Leadership ProgramーGlobal Education for Innovation & Leadership (GLP-GEfIL) transferred to the Center for Global Education |
| 2024.10 | - Global Leadership Program-I (GLP-I) launched - Global Leadership Courses (GLC) commenced |
Brochure and Annual Report
GlobE Annual Report (2024 Academic Year) [A4 single-page version] (PDF: 6.9MB)
GlobE Annual Report (2023 Academic Year) [A4 single-page version] (PDF: 5.3MB)
GlobE Annual Report (2023 Academic Year) [A3 double-page version] (PDF: 5.2MB)
Support GlobE
Our Global Leadership Program is supported by various companies, organizations, and individuals. We deeply appreciate the generous support which enables UTokyo students to gain global experiences.
Go Global Scholarship Fund (Supporting Students at UTokyo to Study Abroad and Gain International Experience)
Your support enables UTokyo students to gain international experiences and nurture a global outlook.