SU’s School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Partners with Yamaguchi University to Explore the Humanities in the AI Era

In an era of rapid advances in AI, the role and value of the humanities are undergoing unprecedented changes. To promote academic exchange and international research collaboration, Dean Chien-Kuo Mi of School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences led faculty and students from the Department of Sociology on a visit to Yamaguchi University in Japan from June 30 to July 6, 2026, where they conducted field research, participated in academic exchanges, and co-hosted an international symposium. 

The exchange program was funded by the Ministry of Education’s Wisdom Igniting Society Education project (WISE) and the School’s University Social Responsibility (USR) project. Four students worked in two groups on separate research projects. 

The first group focused on The Value and Potential of the Humanities and Social Sciences in the Age of AI. The students conducted in-depth interviews to explore the core values, challenges, and future directions of these fields as AI advances rapidly. Findings from the interviews showed that participants generally viewed AI as an important tool for learning and work, particularly for improving efficiency in organizing data, searching for information, and handling administrative tasks. However, they also believed that AI cannot replace the core competencies fostered by education in the humanities and social sciences, including critical thinking, ethical judgment, empathy, intercultural understanding, narrative skills, and interpersonal skills. Participants also agreed that universities should focus on AI literacy, digital skills, information literacy, and AI ethics. Field research, problem-based learning (PBL), interdisciplinary courses, and digital humanities should also be integrated into their curricula to help students develop both technological proficiency and a human-centered perspective. 

The second group compared Yuda Onsen (Yuda hot spring) in Yamaguchi City with the Waishuangxi (Waishuang River), where Soochow University is located. Drawing on perspectives from the humanities, hydrology, history, culture, politics, and economics, the students conducted fieldwork and documented their observations through videos to explore the interplay between local culture and environmental development. With a history of around 800 years, Yuda Onsen is known for its legend of the white fox and is an important cultural symbol of Yamaguchi City. In recent years, it has brought together its hot spring culture, historic landscape, local revitalization efforts, and tourism industry. Yuda Onsen is now a hub for cultural, economic, and tourism activities, more importantly, and also served as an important site for the students’ video documentation during their cross-cultural fieldwork. 

On July 5, Soochow University and the Faculty of Humanities at Yamaguchi University co-hosted a student presentation session and faculty symposium titled Possibilities of the Humanities in the Age of AI. The event brought together faculty and students from both universities to exchange views in English on the development and future of the humanities in the AI era. It reflected the fruitful academic collaboration between the two universities. 

The exchange further strengthened academic collaboration between Soochow University and Yamaguchi University in the humanities and social sciences. Through field research, cross-cultural interviews, and research presentations delivered entirely in English, Soochow students demonstrated their ability to engage internationally and conduct interdisciplinary research, as well as their AI literacy. Looking ahead, Soochow University and Yamaguchi University will continue to promote faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research, and international courses.The two universities will work together to explore the future of humanities and social sciences education in the AI era and build stronger academic collaboration between Taiwan and Japan.