Culture and coexistence

Community Studies in the global perspective

With rapid globalization, problems attributed to aspects such as the environment, ethnicity, immigration, language, and communication are complexly intertwined. From the perspective of coexistence with local cultures, this course of study will investigate this complex range of problems in an interdisciplinary manner with special reference to fieldwork.

 

AKAMINE Jun (Southeast Asian Studies)

HAMAMOTO Atsushi (Sociology of Development and the Environment/Contemporary Chinese Society)

NOMURA Naoki (Culture and Communication)

SANO Naoko (Sociolinguistics of Minority Languages in Europe)

SUNG Koomi (Lifelong Learning)

 

Study of Western Cultures

European and American cultures from around the 17th Century to the present are studied in terms of their nature, possibilities, and their significance in the present times. Naturally, we take into consideration the society, history, and thought producing these cultures. Our studies regard the West not as the ideal of modernity or of civic society, as was often the case with Euro-American-centrism. Rather, we regard Europe and the U.S., which have transformed themselves through their continuous encounter and exchange with the world without, as regions whose boundaries change incessantly. Even within these boundaries, these regions are not simple civic societies based on individuals: they are multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, chaotic spaces. The contemporary problems related to multiculturalism and coexistence―such as cultural crossings, the languages and cultures of minorities, culture and gender, the clash of different cultures―will be examined interdisciplinarily. Our academic perspective includes the problems of nation, regional leagues such as the EU and NATO, security treaties, and environment (of living space as well as coexistence with nature).

 

BESSHO Yoshimi (German Philosophy)

HIKI Mitsuru (English Linguistics)

HIRATA Masaki (Contemporary American Politics)

MATSUMOTO Saho (English and Italian Modern History)

TANAKA Takako (American Literature)

TERADA Motoichi (History of French Philosophy)

TSUCHIYA Masahiko (Austrian Literature and Culture)

YAMAMOTO Akiyo (Eastern European and American Social History/ History of International Migration)

 

Study of Japanese culture

The origins of and problems with contemporary Japanese culture will be considered and the future will be envisioned while taking into account the common and particular aspects of Japanese culture. Specific topics will include: the history of acceptance of Buddhism in ancient and medieval Japan, the establishment of Japanese legal codes and elucidation of their form, discussion of the system of the Japanese language and variations as gauged by linguistic activity in contemporary Japan, analysis of Okinawan folk customs, rituals, and entertainment predicated on Orikuchiism, reading of modern Japanese literature and analysis of authors’ backgrounds and the worlds they created, and inquiry into the related history of East Asia and modern Japan. The foundations of Japanese culture and society will be considered and a society in which the varied cultures of modern Japan can coexist will be reconsidered from a variety of aspects. Within the areas above, topics in line with issues considered by individual students will be examined through comprehension of source materials and data from fieldwork and discussions with faculty.

 

NARITA Tetsuo (Japanese Language Studies)

SAKAI Yoshiki (Japanese Folklore)

TANIGUCHI Sachiyo (Contemporary Japanese Literature)

YAMADA Atsushi (Japanese Colonial Socio-economic History)

YOSHIDA Kazuhiko (Japanese Religious History & Ancient Japanese History)

 

Society and collaboration

Study of regional issues, labor, and media culture

The topics and subjects in this area of study will approach multi-faceted socio-economic systems from theoretical, historical, and empirical perspectives. Contemporary society is marked by a blending of globalization and decentralization, and issues spanning economics and sociology will be studied with an emphasis on “regional studies,” “labor,” “media culture,” and information. Research advice will emphasize individual instruction in completing a master’s thesis. Research will proceed based on interdisciplinary collaboration from fields such as local public finance theory, labor sociology, socio-economic history, decision-making theory, and media and political sociology. In addition, this course’s topics and subjects are intended to encourage research related to the areas of “gender, human rights, and social welfare.”

 

FUJITA Eishi (Sociology of Labor)

IIJIMA Nobuhiko (Sociology of Politics and Media)

YAMADA Akira (Local Public Finance Theory)

YANO Hitoshi (Decision-making Theory)

 

Study of gender, human rights, and social welfare

The central themes of this course will be accurately perceiving contemporary social issues and learning what fundamental perspectives are needed to analyze them. Often slighted in the past, the perspectives of “gender,” “human rights,” and “social welfare” will be used to focus on issues in society. The necessity of such perspectives will be studied theoretically, historically, and empirically, and various issues concerning today’s welfare society will be covered specifically.

 

ANDO Kiwamu (Family Sociology)

ISHIKAWA Hiroaki (Social Pathology)

ITOH Yasuhiko (Political Science & Study of Normative Theory)

KIKUCHI Natsuno (Study of Gender and Sexuality)

SUGAWARA Shin (Constitutional Law)

TAKIMURA Masato (Special Needs Education and Social Welfare)

YOSHIMURA Kimio (Social Welfare Studies)

 

Human growth and development

Developmental psychology

The aim of this area of study is to elucidate the mechanisms of psychological and physical development throughout the entire life span. Such development involves both genetic factors and diverse environmental factors, including social interactions. To investigate the interrelationships among them, it will be necessary to establish appropriate behavioral indices and develop valid and reliable tools to measure them. Based on this perspective, scientific research is encouraged in social psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology, focusing on culture and biology.

 

KUBOTA Kenichi (Social Psychology)

NAKAGAWA Atsuko (Cognitive Neuropsychology)

SUKIGARA Masune (Psychometrics)

Studies on Modern Society and Education

Modern society has witnessed such phenomena as the aging population and falling birthrate, the advent of information technology, and the progress of internationalization. These social phenomena have given rise to serious educational problems: childcare concerns, declines in academic achievement, bullying, refusal to attend school, multicultural education, and so on. Educators as well as parents are at a loss how to deal with them effectively. In this field of studies, we will approach these current educational issues from various perspectives. Research topics will include early childhood education and childcare, comparative education, the history of education, curriculum development and methodology (in science, music, English, physical education). Students are expected to tackle one of these problems, and advice will be provided by one or more members of our teaching staff.

 

ARUGA Katsuaki (Science Education & Education in China)

KOGA Hiroyuki (Music Education)

MIYATA Manabu (Teaching of English as a Foreign Language)

NIWA Takashi (Early Childhood Education & Study of Korean Education)

NONAKA Hisako (Growth and Development)

YAMADA Mika (Comparative Education & History of Education)