Exposing American Undergraduates to Monozukuri and Other Key Principles in Japanese Culture, Design, Technology and Robotics.

Exposure to varied cultures and related design principles has the potential to impact designers in a positive way. However, despite the potential for cross-cultural experiences to influence designers, American undergraduate liberal arts colleges do not typically include these topics as part of the standard computer science curriculum or as part of their general education requirements. We present a case study in exposing undergraduate students at an American liberal arts college to Japanese culture, technology and design through an immersive three-week course that includes two weeks of study in Japan. Through this cross-cultural course, students learn about Japanese culture, technology and design with an emphasis on the way these three areas are interrelated.