Thomas Fast is an associate professor at Notre Dame Seishin University in Okayama, Japan, where he teaches English (EFL) and global citizenship. He holds a PhD in Human Sciences from Osaka University, and an MA in Latin American Art from New York University. His primary research interests center around global competence development, culture studies, and language learning. For over a decade he has been involved in organizing the Japan University English Model United Nations (JUEMUN).