FOSTERING LOCAL IDENTITY THROUGH PLACE-BASED EDUCATION: INSIGHTS FROM NIIGATA STUDIES AT A NURSING COLLEGE

Rural and regional areas in Japan face an accelerating population decline, driven by youth migration and falling birthrates. This trend raises urgent questions about how higher education can foster community pride and long-term engagement. This paper reports on the development, implementation, and evaluation of Niigata Studies, a first-year liberal arts course at Niigata College of Nursing, co-designed by a faculty member (the author) and a Joetsu City research institute. The course integrates two core themes—self-identity and regional resources—to strengthen students’ connection to their local context while cultivating transferable intercultural perspectives. The eight-week course (2022–2024) combines lectures, group discussions, and presentations. Drawing on both quantitative survey data and qualitative student reflections, we examine changes in regional awareness, self-perception, and community engagement intentions. Post-course surveys revealed a significant increase in satisfaction scores, rising from 4.52 (2022) to 4.82 (2024) on a 5-point scale. In 2024, positive perceptions of Joetsu City increased from 50% before the course to nearly 90% afterward, and those of Niigata Prefecture from 65% to nearly 100%. Qualitative reflections indicated a shift from seeing regional assets as isolated facts to recognizing their interconnections, human agency, and cultural value. Students increasingly expressed pride in their hometowns and a willingness to contribute to sustaining local resources. By combining academic inquiry with personal reflection and municipal partnership, Niigata Studies fosters both self-identity and place-based competence. Such integrative, human-centered learning is particularly relevant to nursing education, where understanding local context enriches patient care. This case illustrates how interdisciplinary approaches can be embedded within professional curricula to address socio-cultural as well as clinical competencies.