2015年10月の記事一覧

On October 23rd, Prof. Kawai and Mr. Saeki came from the research facility for advanced integrated studies in human survivability, “Shishu-kan,” Kyoto University Graduate School.

Prof. Kawai’s lecture title was ‘How to do your best in globalization – Fly from the cage－.’  She spoke about her experiences in foreign countries, the ways students should gain necessary English skills, and attitudes toward classes.  She gave the students an impressive message, “It is important to work on everything actively.”

Mr. Saeki, who is a graduate student, spoke about importance of thinking about Japan again by going overseas.  Every student seemed interested in going out into the world.

[Lecture Notes]

＊In learning English, it is necessary to memorize words with examples, and to use English-English dictionaries.  Also, it is necessary to repeat practices and study while enjoying music and movies.

＊It is important to talk actively with foreign friends without being afraid of making grammar mistakes.  Improving communication skills in Japanese is also important.

＊Attitudes in foreign countries:

＊Recognize the diversity of sense of value / discard an obsession with being always correct

＊Think that you learn from failure / you should not be afraid of challenges

＊Try to assert yourself

＊Things to do at school from now 

＊Master the basis of English and experience going abroad

＊Study widely and take part in internships and extra activities

＊It is important to work on everything actively!!

 On October 17th, the students had a lecture about understanding foreign cultures given by Mr. Futatsuyama, a graduate from Kyoto University who specializes in Asian and African cultures.

[Lecture Notes]

＊In his study, he conducts fieldwork mainly in small villages in Tunisia, a country located in northern Africa.

＊What he found in Tunisia:

    The culture is completely different from Japan’s. 

     Example: toilets have neither seats nor paper

　　　　　　　brides and grooms have separate wedding ceremonies

＊In conclusion…

It is important not only to accept foreign cultures but also to RE-construct our point of view or way of thinking based on what you found in foreign cultures.

[the participants’ comments]

＊I learned how important it is to try to understand foreign cultures.  Before the lecture, I didn’t try to do so very much.  But now I want to know more about foreign people and their backgrounds, and appreciate them.

＊I think I have to change my attitude toward different cultures.  I want to actually go abroad and see a lot of inspiring things, so that I can take a broader view.

＊I understood that things like lifestyles and concepts of love are very different from those in Japan.  It is a great thing to experience these different ideas by actually going there, and I wanted to go abroad like him.

 On 5th, October, a special workshop with staff from United Nations University was held by UNU-IASOUIK.  Yuto Kitamura and Eri Yamazaki came as moderators.  Mr. Kitamura gave a lecture on SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and Ms. Yamazaki instructed the students in the workshop.

After the lecture, the students were divided into groups and discussed three themes:

＊What is “Sustainable Society” in Japan?

＊What is “Sustainable Society” in Kanazawa?

＊How will society have changed by 2030 and what’s their role in society?

After discussion, they shared their opinions with one another.

[the participants’ comments]

＊According to the lecture, the United Nations picked up 17 goals and divided them into small parts.  I want to learn about their contents.  After the lecture, I thought about “Sustainable Japan and Kanazawa” and found it difficult to connect the lecture with those goals.  But by sharing our opinions with members of my group, we found that we can connect “Sustainable Japan and Kanazawa” with SDGs.  As a result, we found what we should do in terms of “rich water.”

＊I deeply felt that thinking about solutions for abstract problems is very difficult but very important. 

＊All the participants took part in the discussion very actively and expressed their opinions very well.  Some students said that that was the first time to think about such a serious problem, and that they could do something to solve it.