Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
17139:IR18‐HE301 Advanced Seminar (84) § 17140:RUIR-3303 Advanced Seminar (Research Methods)(84) § 17141:IR-GS301 Advanced Seminar (84) 2024 Spring Mon5 College　Of　International　Relations TSUJIMOTO TOSHIKO 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

RYOYUKAN　RY208

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

　This seminar is designed to provide students with qualitative research skills to prepare an undergraduate thesis, especially in transnational sociology, including the crossing-border movement of people, goods, images, and popular culture. Based on the discipline of transnational sociology that avoids viewing people, things, culture, and social phenomena in the confinement of nation-states, students will learn various skills and methodologies to study global mobility and the lifeworlds of non-state actors as research subjects.
　With the basic knowledge of qualitative research methods, this course reviews various works drawn upon ethnography or interview methods on migration, cross-border marriage, the transborder flow of goods, and popular culture. In doing so, the course intends for students to gain conceptual and practical levels of understanding in qualitative research methods, such as collecting data, scaling down the research focus, and converting it into an operational level of research question or hypothesis.
　Students interested in writing an undergraduate thesis about either international labour migration and people’s cross-border mobility in and outside Japan or the flow of images, information, and popular culture across borders are welcome to take this seminar. Moreover, students keen to write an undergraduate thesis regarding a specific social phenomenon or organizations inside or outside Japan through in-depth interviews, the participatory observation method, and analysis of first-hand data (i.e. interview narratives, a questionnaire, bulletins of an organization) are also encouraged to consider joining the seminar.

Student Attainment Objectives

1）Students will find their fields of interest and convert their primary research interests into meaningful and concrete academic research projects.
2）Students will acquire the skills needed for qualitative research methods, which can be effectively adapted to their research subjects, guiding them to answer the research questions they have adequately formulated.
3）Students will design their thesis proposals and establish their original perspectives to conduct on-site research and data-gathering activities.
4）Students will complete an undergraduate thesis according to the basic principles instructed in the entire course.
5）Students will be able to build a safe and reciprocal learning community with their peers through, for example, the development of skills to work collaboratively with other seminar members and provide constructive feedback to them.

Recommended Preparatory Course

　No prerequisite course is required but taking the introductory course of sociology or transnational sociology will be helpful. Comprehensive skills of academic English in reading, writing, and speaking are necessary.

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1-15

Seminar Management Method

　This course takes an opening seminar style. Students are expected to enroll in the course for at least four semesters to complete an undergraduate thesis. In the first two semesters, students are equipped with delimiting their research interests, developing a feasible research plan, and different qualitative research methods while immersing themselves in various academic works employing ethnography and in-depth interview methods. Students are expected to formulate detailed research proposals and mini-thesis reports in the last two semesters.

●2024, Spring Semester: Gain knowledge of qualitative research methods and familiarize oneself with academic works such as ethnography and articles employing in-depth interviews or participatory observation methods. (The preliminary research design)

●2024, Fall Semester: Determine one’s research topic and survey important academic works that present essential theoretical grounds and unique empirical findings. (Designing a more advanced research proposal cum preliminary mini-thesis report.)

●2025, Spring Semester: Complete a mini-thesis report including introduction, literature review, and data analysis sections. (Formulating the tentative structure of the thesis)

●2025, Fall Semester: Complete an undergraduate thesis according to the format and academic rules instructed in the course. (Writing up the graduation thesis by the deadline)

Class Format

All classes will be held in the classroom unless there are no particular reasons.

Recommendations for Private Study

　You must read the assigned texts before every meeting, even if you are not giving an oral presentation in class. Moreover, you are expected to proactively search for research topics by reading various academic articles and books that interest you the most.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

Term Paper 40%
Book Review or Thesis Proposal
●Clarity of the writing.
●Consistency of the discussion.
●Critical engagement in the academic texts based on enough literature reviews.
●Write a paper with academic integrity by following the formality and citation rules

Continuous Assessment 60%
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)
●Each student will give approximately two to three oral presentations with handouts during the semester (60%).
--Students are required to submit several concept papers related to their tentative graduation thesis themes (i.e. a tentative proposal, a list of references, and the introduction of several important ethnographic works) throughout the semester.
--Students in the final semester will report the progress of their graduation theses.
●Attendance and active participation at every meeting are the responsibilities of every student. No extra points will be given for these minimal duties.
●The details of giving oral presentations and writing a book review will be announced in the class.

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

　Generally, excellent research questions and hypotheses come neither out of a vacuum nor out of the blue. You need to go to the library and search for relevant readings until you come up with a specific idea for writing a thesis. Please take the time and pain to read a lot of academic texts.

Textbooks

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Introduction to Qualitative Research (5th Edition) Uwe Flick Sage 9386062747

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

Reference Books

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Reader in Qualitative Methods in Migration Research Sirkeci, Ibrahim et al (eds.) Transnational Press London 191299710X 978-1912997107
Handbook of Research Methods in Migration Valgas-Silva, Carlos Edward Elgar 978-1849803113 978-1781005422
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China Chang, Leslie T. Spiegel & Grau 0385520174 978-0385520171
The Migration Industry in Asia: Brokerage, Gender and Precarity Baas, Michel (ed.) Palgrave Pivot 9789811396946 9789811396939

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

*More books and articles will be announced later. All necessary reading materials will be provided.

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Talk with Students,Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Other Comments

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URL:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html