Karen Watanabe, FCLC 2024

MAJOR: Political Science

BIO: I am a rising graduate studying Political Science and Peace and Justice Studies. This past summer, I studied abroad in Japan, where I went to Hiroshima to learn more about the atomic bombs and the consequences they had. Doing so taught me about the comparative politics between Western and Japanese curricula; the nuclear bomb is being taught in two different regions.

PROJECT TITLE: Teaching the Bomb: Lessons from Hiroshima in Comparative Perspectives

MENTOR: Sarah Lockhart, Department of Political Science

ABSTRACT: The objective of this project was to analyze the comparative politics of education between Western countries and Japan. I went to Hiroshima, Japan and visited multiple sites around the region. For example, during my site visit, I have went around the Peace Memorial Museum where I saw primary documents and pictures of the impact the atomic bomb left on vulnerable communities. Moreover, during my time in Japan, I have had the opportunity to meet a survivor of the atomic bomb where he has taken me around Hiroshima where I have seen “physical” markings left behind from the atomic bomb. My studies found that Hiroshima or generally speaking, private schools learn the impact of the atomic bomb more in-depth in comparison to public schools around the region.