Courtesy Visit to Vice President Deguchi by the University of Arkansas Summer Training Program

　13 June 2019 (Thursday) – A group from the University of Arkansas, U.S., a partner institution of Shimane University, paid a courtesy visit to Dr. Deguchi, Vice President for the Promotion of Globalization. The group comprised of fourteen university students, Associate Professor of Japanese and Linguistics Dr. Tatsuya Fukushima, and Japanese Instructor Mafumi Omura, both of the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
　Shimane University has held the University of Arkansas Summer Training Program since 2008 with the objective of improving Japanese language skills and fostering Japanese cultural experiences. At the courtesy visit following the welcoming remarks of Vice President Deguchi, Associate Professor Fukushima expressed his feelings of gratitude toward the acceptance of this year’s Summer Training group and toward the academic exchanges between both universities across many years.
　Sarah Kearns, the student representative from the University of Arkansas, gave a speech in Japanese, saying, “I want to learn a lot about Japanese history and Japanese language. I also would like to eat a lot of delicious food.” During the subsequent informal chat, Vice President Deguchi asked the students what motivated them to start studying Japanese. Each of the students replied with answers such as, “I like Japanese history and culture,” “I think the Japanese language is beautiful,” and “I like reading Japanese novels.” As the students have been studying Japanese from one to four years, their answers were all in fluent Japanese.
　Over sixteen days from June 13th to 28th, the Arkansas group is scheduled to take Japanese language and culture lectures at Shimane University, have exchanges with Shimane University students, visit cultural properties and other locations in Matsue and neighboring cities, and have a homestay experience with a local Japanese family.

Groupphoto
Prof. Fukushima	Ms.Kearns