The goal of the Arts Studies programme is to provide students from both schools with an opportunity to interact in the classroom, to their mutual academic enrichment and benefit. The general theme of 201 focuses on aspects of inter-cultural communication, the experience of being an outsider and the pressures caused by crossing cultures. Arts Studies 202 deals with historical and contemporary interactions among the nations of the Pacific Rim in general, and Japan and Canada in particular. In both courses specific topics vary from year to year. This course was co-developed by the faculties of Arts and Education.
Students choose a stream that they are most interested in studying.
Each apartment, shared by UBC and Ritsumeikan students, has four private bedrooms, two bathrooms and a shared kitchen, dining and living areas. The residence provides recreation and support facilities, such as a Japanese-style tatami room, seminar rooms, laundry and storage. In addition, the lab boasts a Sony LC9000 language lab, VHS cassette recorders and colour monitors at each station, colour scanner and printer, a comprehensive hardcopy resource library.