2021.03.16

News

Online international exchange activities with Changchun University of Technology

Seminar of Professor Taniguchi of the Faculty of Economics conducted international exchange activities through online meetings with the School of Economics and Management at Changchun University of Technology in Jilin Province, China.

In the academic year of 2020-21, the spread of Covid-19 made traveling abroad for studying, internships and research extremely difficult. Amid this challenging situation, the seminar students of Professor Yoji Taniguchi of the Faculty of Economics were able to engage in international exchange with students of Associate Professor He Gao at the School of Economics and Management, Changchun University of Technology. Two online meetings were held on Webex, with presentations and Q&A sessions in English.

 

 

The first meeting was held on January 5th, 2021. The meeting began with greetings from Professor Taniguchi and Professor He Gao and introductions of the presenters by the seminar leaders from both universities. After this, three presentations by students from Changchun University of Technology and one presentation by a Chuo University student were given, followed by a Q&A session. In total, nine students from Changchun University of Technology and 23 students from Chuo University participated.
The second meeting was held on January 12th, 2021. After greetings by the professors and the introduction of the presenters, four presentations were given by students from each of the two universities. Due to the large number of presentations, the presentations and Q&As were conducted as four breakout sessions. Eight students from Changchun University of Technology (different students from the first meeting) and 35 students from Chuo University participated. 

The presentations given by the students of Changchun University covered a wide range of topics, including Chinese culture, characteristics, dietary habits, economy and environment, agriculture, and finance.  The presentations by the Chuo University students were English versions of the presentations given by five groups of third-year students at the presentation competition of the Faculty of Economics.

In the final session after the Q&As, both professors gave some overall comments about the presentations, and then talked about the significance of this international exchange opportunity. They concluded by expressing their hopes for further international exchange opportunities between the universities in the future.

The third-year economics students who gave presentations this time were originally scheduled to participate in international exchange programs in Singapore (National University of Singapore) in March 2020 and in Jilin Province, China (Jilin University and Changchun University of Technology), in September 2020, but unfortunately, due to Covid-19, both programs were cancelled.
For this reason, being able to take part in the presentations and Q&A sessions became an even more valuable international exchange opportunity for them. It was also a good chance for the second-year students to experience the atmosphere of an international exchange meeting.