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At Gustavus, the arts are for everyone. Students can participate in music, theatre, dance, and art regardless of their primary area of study. Whether its ensemble tours from Sweden to Japan or the chance to engage with working artists, dancers, and theatre professionals on campus, Gustavus provides you with the opportunity to flex your creative muscle.

Toshiyuki Sakuragi is a professor of Japanese language and culture whose expertise draws from intercultural communication and cognitive linguistics. His research examines cultural influences on communication and language learning, addressing topics such as the relationship between attitudes toward language study and cross-cultural attitudes, the cognitive processes underlying classifier choice, and cultural influences on shyness. His research articles have appeared in journals such as the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research and the International Journal of Intercultural Relations.

Among his Japanese-language publications are two books. His single-authored book, 映画で異文化体験 (Experiencing Cultures Through Film), explores the use of film to promote intercultural learning. His co-authored college textbook, はじめて学ぶ異文化コミュニケーション (Introduction to Intercultural Communication), has been widely adopted in Japan and has gone through multiple printings.

Professor Sakuragi teaches Japanese language as well as courses on Japanese cinema and intercultural film. He has also led numerous travel courses to Japan and has taught in the Summer and Winter Japanese Language and Culture Program at Hosei University in Tokyo.

We match students with elder partners, enjoying regular visits, shared activities, and meaningful conversations while breaking down age barriers and providing companionship and support. We foster intergenerational learning and support that enriches campus and community life.

As a GWSS major/minor you will examine gender and sexuality as cultural and social categories that organize and shape human experience. You will also explore how they intersect with other social differences such as race, class, ethnicity, nationality, religion, ability, and age. Sample courses and career paths here. 

Through the Gustavus Japanese Studies Department, students study the Japanese language, literature, history, politics, art, and religion. Plus, there's a required semester abroad in Japan, and faculty mentoring.

Dr. Yumiko Oshima-Ryan began teaching at Gustavus in 2004. She enjoys teaching private piano lessons and establishing relationships with her students that focuses on trust and integrity. At her piano studio, students cultivate musical, technical, historical, and theoretical features of piano repertoire which they select to perform for their recital. Students focus on developing piano skills which are vital for artistic self-expression. Dr. Oshima-Ryan values mentoring students as they face their challenges, find new perspectives, and most of all, promote self-belief. All of these things ultimately provide deeper meaning and joy to their performance and creativity.

A native of Japan, Yumiko also teaches keyboard courses to students of all levels, including total beginners. Along with keyboard skills courses for music majors and minors, she offers courses on how to practice and prepare performances, as well as on wellness for musicians.

Dr. Oshima-Ryan believes musical performance is one of the most valuable opportunities students can have, and that it represents a core value in the music department of a liberal arts college. As an instructor, she also values sharing the experience of her own performances with students.

Her recordings, "Piano Works for the Left Hand - Takashi Yoshimatsu" and “From Afar,” are published by the Naxos Records label and available to stream on major digital platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon. "Piano Works for the Left Hand" was selected as a special edition in the August 2022 issue of Record Geijutsu, a top music review magazine in Japan. Dr. Oshima-Ryan hopes this album inspires and encourages people rehabilitating after injury or fighting a major illness, such as cancer. The album includes pieces which were written for the composer’s respected friend, Izumi Tateno, who lost the use of his right hand after a cerebral hemorrhage. She wants the listeners to get past the idea of the left hand as the overlooked partner of the dominant right. She wants them to see, instead, that through courage, compassion, and creativity, the limitations of human frailty can be overcome.

Recently, Dr. Oshima-Ryan started collaborating with the Department of Theatre and Dance at Gustavus by creating original music for dance performances. Performances, recordings, and lectures are available online.

Dr. Laura D. Triplett began her Gustavus career in 2008 with a faculty appointment in geology. Now established in the department of Environment, Geography and Earth Sciences, she teaches courses related to earth surface processes, environmental geochemistry, hydrogeology and climate change. She has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications on topics as varied as reconstructing past water quality conditions in lakes and rivers, quantifying impacts of invasive species on freshwater geochemical cycling, and creating state-wide landslide susceptibility maps. In all her research, Dr. Triplett seeks out collaborations with community stakeholders. And, Dr. Triplett has involved Gustavus students in almost all aspects of her research program from designing preliminary studies, to executing major multi-year projects funded by external foundations and government agencies, to presenting findings at national scientific conferences.

Dr. Loramy (Mimi) Gerstbauer teaches courses in international relations, US foreign policy and Latin American Politics. She contributes to multiple interdisciplinary programs, with longtime leadership roles in Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. Her research is on peacebuilding NGOs and transitional justice and reconciliation in international politics. She has published multiple peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and a book on apologies in US foreign policy. She served as a US Fulbright Scholar at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, Poland, and taught at Kansai Gaidai University outside Osaka, Japan. She serves with the nonprofit organization, Peace and Hope International, working for human rights across Latin America, and has taken student groups to Nicaragua, Colombia, and Peru. She has been at Gustavus since 2001 and completed her PhD at the University of Notre Dame.