Cultural Consulting for Samurai Products

UF Faculty: Matthieu Felt Department: Languages, Literatures and Cultures College: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences	Partner Faculty: Carmella Lieske Department: Center for Foreign Language Education Partner Institution: Shimane University

Project details
Title:	Cultural Consulting for Samurai Products
Project Description:	This virtual exchange project is focused on culturally informed product design. UF students develop a samurai-inspired product or service through iterative research, AI-supported ideation, and prototyping. Japanese students serve as cultural consultants, providing feedback on historical accuracy, aesthetics, branding, and marketing for Japanese audiences. Through structured Zoom meetings, collaborative deliverables, and bilingual presentations, students build intercultural communication skills while exploring ethical, creative, and culturally responsive uses of emerging technologies.
Learning Outcomes:	By the end of this project, students will be able to: Apply historical and cultural knowledge of samurai traditions to contemporary product or service design. Analyze how cultural values, symbolism, and aesthetics influence consumer products and branding. Use AI tools critically and effectively for brainstorming, design, translation, marketing, and presentation development. Collaborate professionally with Japanese cultural consultants and incorporate cross-cultural feedback into revisions. Adapt products and marketing strategies for different cultural audiences, especially Japanese and American markets. Create visual prototypes and persuasive marketing materials using digital design platforms. Evaluate ethical issues related to cultural representation, commercialization, and AI-generated content. Produce and refine Japanese-language presentation materials using AI-assisted translation tools. Deliver a professional multimedia pitch integrating research, design, cultural adaptation, and reflective analysis. Reflect critically on the relationship between technology, creativity, historical interpretation, and intercultural communication
Participating Countries:	Japan
Number of Participants:	30 UF students and 10 Shimane University students
Discipline:	World Languages
UF Course Code & Name:	JPT3300 - Samurai War Tales
Project Duration:	8 weeks
Activity Type(s):	Student-to-Student Dialogue
Time allotted to each activity:	Synchronous Activities: 1 hour a week Asynchronous Activities: 1-2 hours a week Local Group Activities: 1 hour a week Individual Work: 1-2 hours a week
Technology Tools:	Online meetings & scheduling: Zoom; When2Meet Collaboration & brainstorming: Padlet; Miro AI writing & general productivity assistants: ChatGPT; Microsoft Copilot; Notion AI Note-taking & transcription: Otter.ai Translation & language tools: DeepL; Google Translate Presentation & content creation: Gamma; Canva Public speaking & communication coaching: Yoodli Design & prototyping: Figma Image generation (AI art): DALL·E; Midjourney AI video creation (avatars/synthetic media): Synthesia; Heygen; DeepBrain Institutional/enterprise system: NaviGator
Sequence of Activities:	Icebreaker Activity: Students introduce themselves to their international partners via a short written or video post, sharing basic background information and a personal fun fact. Engagement Activity: Students explore samurai history and aesthetics through guided research and AI-supported brainstorming, creating visual concept boards that actively engage them with cultural themes and creative inquiry. Collaboration Activity: Mixed U.S.–Japan teams meet synchronously on Zoom to review product concepts, with Japanese students acting as cultural consultants who provide feedback on cultural appropriateness, design choices, and marketing strategies. Reflection Activity: Students complete written reflections examining what they learned about cross-cultural collaboration, AI-supported design, and cultural adaptation.