Introduction

Since the end of the Cold War, the axis of conflict in international society has changed dramatically from differences in ideology to differences in culture. Most of the vital issues in the world today, such as terrorism, economic crises, regional conflicts and persistent poverty, are considered to be based on conflicts caused by cultural differences.

The Culture and Social Development stream in the College of International Studies aims to educate students who are willing to work at various levels in international society, not only by encouraging their abilities to approach various issues from cultural viewpoints, but also by developing their capabilities and skills in communicating with different cultures. We seek to cultivate students who are able to respect the diversity of human cultures without just accepting westernized modern values and institutions. Accordingly, the stream aims to deepen students' understanding in three areas of study in particular: (i) cultural anthropology; (ii) cross-cultural communication theory, and (iii) social development in developing countries.

The stream emphasizes the significance of an interdisciplinary approach in order to broaden students' perspectives to other disciplines related to the study of development aspects such as political science and economics. It also encourages students' abilities to understand, interact, and work well with people of different cultures through dialogue and communication. Students can develop qualitative research skills by studying fieldwork methods based on the cultural anthropology approach. In particular, the stream encourages students to understand and analyze various phenomena and issues caused by cultural differences in the world of "glocalization," ranging from global issues related to education in developing countries, health care, and social development, to local issues such as village revitalization and regional development.