Flavius R. W. Lilly, PhD, MA, MPH, Vice Dean of the UMB Graduate School and Vice Provost of Academic and Student Affairs

Takashi Yamashita, PhD, MA, MPH, Professor of Sociology and Gerontology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Public Health at the University of Maryland Baltimore County

In June 2023, 11 students took part in a two-week faculty-led travel experience in Japan. The course is informed by an interdisciplinary gerontological approach integrating visits to and engagement with academic (research centers and universities), business (biotech, pharmaceutical, robotics), health and medical (geriatrics, hospitals, preventative care), policy (local and prefectural government), and socio-cultural (cultural heritage, living environment, social network) sites. Japan is considered one of the healthiest countries in the world and improvements in public health, advances in medicine, and socio-cultural practices have given Japan the highest life expectancy in the world. This course explored and analyzed how broader cultural norms and social institutions of contemporary Japan shape individuals’ experiences of growing older, life stage transitions, and intergenerational relations through a life course perspective.

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