ENGR 365 Global Engineering and Technology

co-offered with HIST 308 Explorations of Regional History: Japan

Japan, 2025

Students on this trip all took two courses: ENGR 365 taught by Dr. Yanjun Yan and HIST 308 taught by Dr. Gael Graham. Students recorded journals during the trip, and submitted post-trip assignments and reports to solidify the learning. The memories are for life.

Next year in May 2026, Dr. Yan (yyan@wcu.edu Belk 332) and Dr. Graham (graham@wcu.edu McKee 222B) will lead students to visit Sofia and Plovdiv, etc. in Bulgaria, as well as the nearby towns (Istanbul in Turkey and Thessaloniki in Greece) to immerse in the complicated and intertwinced historical development. We continue offering ENGR 365/HIST 308 (P6 and P3, as ULP) on the next trip.

What the students said

Eye-opening, fun-packed, new friendship

This Japan trip showed me that there’s so much more on this Earth to learn, explore, and dive deeper and truly understand.

Lily S.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a whole new culture and world with veteran guides!

David S.

My Japan 2025 trip was an incredible mix of hands-on learning, cultural discovery, and personal growth that reshaped how I view engineering and life abroad.

Tyler B.

My Japan 2025 trip was life-changing, I was able to learn how to navigate foreign countries, communicate with non-English speakers, and make memories that I will have for the rest of my life.

Emily I.

Definitely worthwhile, an amazing opportunity to be a part of.

Nadia S.

My Japan 2025 trip was a transformative blend of hands-on learning and cultural immersion that showed me how different ways of thinking—engineering perspective and historical reflection—can enrich one another in unexpected ways.

Eduardo P.

This trip has been and will be one of the biggest highlights of my college experience. The mix of personal exploration and guided learning through activities struck the perfect balance.

Alex C.

A really eye-opening and fun experience.

Jaden L.

It was eye-opening and helped narrow down the fields of engineering I want to go into.

Mattingly D.

I enjoyed many aspects of the trip.

Vincent Z.

It impressed me that the Sanja Matsuri parade was proceeding even in the heavy rain, demonstrating the spirit of がまん(我慢: patience, endurance, tolerance). Not only did we hear their chants, they almost pulled me in to help out. 🙂

David B.