AUK students return from Japan where they studied the media and were 'Cultural Ambassadors' for Kuwait

Thirteen students and two instructors from the American University of Kuwait (AUK) came back this week from a special study abroad course that took them to Tokyo, Japan to study Japanese Media and introduced the Japanese to Kuwaiti culture.

The class titled, Comm 389: Special Topics, Study Abroad in Tokyo, Japan was the first such trip for the communication and media program, the second largest major at AUK, and allowed the students the opportunity to learn from the Japanese model of conducting and running media enterprises and campaigns in the areas of public relations, advertising and journalism.

"We wanted to give the students something completely foreign to anything they encountered in the field of mass communications. Many had travelled to Europe and North America and we felt Japan's reputation for being pioneers and for innovation was the perfect case study for our first such course," said Charles Mitchell, instructor of journalism at AUK.
 
Mitchell further added that the students were also ambassadors for Kuwait and AUK. The scenario of Middle East meets Far East was something the University, the instructors and the students were acutely aware of. Not only did the students learn about the Japanese media, they were acting as representatives for education and for Kuwaiti culture. Many of the major media enterprises in Tokyo had never encountered anyone from Kuwait or the Gulf region before and many companies expressed their delight at the fact that they too learned great things about Kuwait, education in the country and about the media through the eyes and opinions of the students. 

"I thought they were a curious, intelligent, promising group. They asked a lot of good, honest questions and seemed pretty open-minded and eager to learn. I do perceive that journalism is still young in the Gulf, and it would be great to see the students being part of establishing a vibrant press
presence there," said one local journalist from Tokyo.

Many major Japan-based advertising, public relations firms and news outlets echoed this sentiment. All going on to say how thoroughly impressed they were with the graciousness and expertise the Kuwait students showed while in Japan. 

"The trip was very academic and productive. To say we learned a lot is an understatement. However, the fact that many of the Japanese learned so much from us was a pleasant surprise. We really took our roles as ambassadors for Kuwait and our University quite seriously. And we represented both country and University professionally and proudly," said Fatima Al-Sabah, a second-year communication and media student at AUK.
 

AUK students with Charles Mitchell, instructor of Journalism at AUK & Kumi Sato (lady on the far left), President and CEO of Cosmo PR