On Saturday January 30, Waseda University and TMDU students met on TMDU’s campus for our fifth Discussion Café. Held twice a year, Discussion Café is a Waseda/TMDU collaborative event that brings undergraduate and graduate students from diverse experiences and backgrounds together to discuss a controversial, societal or health/medical, topic in English.

This time, the theme was, “How will genetic testing change society?” Discussion focused on the growing practice of adult genetic testing and the potential practice of designer babies. Participants eagerly engaged with their group members and shared their opinions about this topic from various perspectives—medical, social and political—enriching the discussion.

Discussion Café is a fantastic opportunity to practice English communication skills as well as to meet and network with students from a wide variety of majors, career goals and cultural backgrounds. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of TMDU’s student task force, and the assistance of Waseda’s ICC staff, which all worked very hard to prepare for this event!

The next Discussion Café will be held in June on Waseda’s campus. We hope to see you all there!