STAGE × フォート・ルイス・カレッジ COIL レポート
甲南大学のSTAGE演習では、アメリカ・コロラド州にあるフォートルイス大学（FLC）と、2回目となるオンライン国際協働学習（Collaborative Online International Learning: COIL）プロジェクトを実施しました。今年は、FLCの学生10名とSTAGEプログラムに所属する1年生26名が参加し、「食・文化・グローバリゼーション」をテーマに、お互いの文化や食習慣の違いや共通点などについて理解を深めました。
Exploring Food, Culture, and Globalization
甲南大学のSTAGE演習では、アメリカ・コロラド州にあるフォートルイス大学（FLC）と、2回目となるオンライン国際協働学習（Collaborative Online International Learning: COIL）プロジェクトを実施しました。今年は、FLCの学生10名とSTAGEプログラムに所属する1年生26名が参加し、「食・文化・グローバリゼーション」をテーマに、お互いの文化や食習慣の違いや共通点などについて理解を深めました。
Exploring Food, Culture, and Globalization
Konan University’s STAGE program recently completed its second COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) project with Fort Lewis College (FLC) in Colorado, USA. This year, 10 FLC students and 26 first-year STAGE students met online and took turns introducing traditional dishes and personal stories about the local dishes they selected. Students also interviewed each other to explore similarities and differences between their food traditions as a means to digging deeper into cultural identity and the impacts of globalization.
This COIL project highlights how food issues touch us all and can therefore be used to connect students from diverse cultures. For STAGE students―who will study abroad twice before graduating―the project also provided the chance to reflect on and reconsider their regional food customs in a new light. Introducing representative local dishes to students in the US sparked a sense of pride and appreciation for their own cultural identity before studying abroad.
The project also encouraged students to think critically about how food culture is changing. Some students noted shifts in daily life, such as family members eating at different times due to busy schedules. Others noticed an increasing reliance on convenience stores for quick meals and snacks. Several students observed that food cultures from other countries feel more and more familiar, suggesting how globalization is reshaping daily lifestyles and experiences. While yet another student noted, “almost all of the dishes were new to me, and it made me think that some people might be forming assumptions—like whether a certain country’s food is tasty or not—without really knowing anything about it. I hope there will be more opportunities to learn about food cultures around the world.”
Students’ post-COIL reflections demonstrate how even a brief COIL project such as this one can open eyes to cultural diversity and identity. In addition to developing communication skills and intercultural understanding, students gained practical experience in using digital tools to connect across oceans. The project provided a valuable stepping-stone for first-year STAGE students on their path to becoming thoughtful, globally minded individuals.
