Miyuki Kamiyama

When I decided to come to Germany to study, the global pandemic was already very serious so I did not expect we were going to have in-person classes. I knew things will not be the way I wish them to be, but still, I do not regret that I made my decision to choose this program. Unfortunately, I had very limited chance to explore the city and enjoy seasonal Franconian events in my first year, but I would never trade the study experience with SDAC!

Although everything was uncertain and many things were far from usual, the program staff and professors did everything they could do to support us during this difficult time and provided as many as learning opportunities we could have by making changes and rearrangements. I am deeply thankful for that.

Learning objectives are super fascinating! Because SDAC is an interdisciplinary study program, you will be introduced to various topics. If you are not yet familiar with anthropology and cultural studies, don’t worry, there will be comprehensive yet vibrant introductory classes in the first semester. Even if you are already an expert, you will have the SDAC lecture series that will take you on a journey of up-to-date and ongoing study projects that experts in diverse academic fields are working on as well as a variety of elective courses.

Since the program is not only interdisciplinary but also intercultural, you will have a great chance to learn cultural dimensions and influences on people’s decision-making. The regional focus is not limited to East Asia, and if you want to do a comparative study it can be beyond a simple West-East comparison.

The one last thing I want to mention is that you will be able to learn a lot about cultures not only from lectures and seminars but also from your peers. SDAC attracts students from all over the world, and there are tons of things you learn from each other. Simply chatting with my peer students who have very different academic and life experiences is already mind-blowing and eye-opening, and I am confident that all of them I have met in SDAC will be my lifetime treasure!

I hope you will join the program and become a part of this community!