KIC

RYOYUKAN　RY204

English

【+R-Jugyo】
This course will not have +R-Jugyo. The number of class hours for “+R-Jugyo” will be covered by activities related to the course.

Social and cultural studies can effectively help us get rid of conventional and popular images of ‘society’ and ‘culture’. Among other things, it not only provides useful lexical knowledge on current social issues, but also helps us gain deeper understanding on the changing characteristics of identity in the midst of globalisation from local to global. However, first and foremost, social and cultural studies help us acquire a special way of thinking/seeing that can prevent one from falling a victim to populist speeches.
  To maximise the potential in social and cultural studies described above, this Advanced Seminar course aims to provide guidance in studies on society and culture on an advanced level. Besides producing a graduation thesis, it targets the following three main issues: 1. deepening knowledge in social and cultural studies; 2. acquiring research skills; and 3. obtaining career advice. Students who wish to deepen their knowledge on and produce a graduation thesis in social and/or cultural studies – for instance in subjects such as demographic changes, gender relations, migration, international marriage, tourism, minorities, intercultural relations, changing identities, etc. – are highly welcome to this seminar.

Students will acquire a broad-based understanding on essential concepts, dimensions and research skills, as well as about dilemmas of social and cultural studies. In doing so, they will also become familiar with elementary social and cultural trends both in Japan and in a global context so that they can easily orient themselves in our changing world.

Having taken at least one of the following four courses – Japanese Culture, Japanese Society, Introduction to Sociology and Global Sociology – is desirable, but not required.

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Theme
	Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1-14	Seminar Management Method
	The respective targets set for the four semesters of this Advanced Seminar course are arranged according to the four basic stages of social research. In the first semester, students first choose a research topic for the graduation thesis, and then they map out the related reference literature and come up with an initial research question. In the second semester, students – while continuing with reading the reference literature and further polishing the research question – start to design the research plan. In the third semester, students carry out the research plan. In the fourth semester, students complete the writing of their graduation thesis, based on their research findings.

　

Students are strongly recommended to do preliminary preparations for each seminar, as well as to read and study carefully at home the materials distributed each time so that they can follow the discussions in the seminar smoothly.

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% Each student must submit one term report according to the stage of their respective research status. Continuous Assessment (Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)：60% （Class attendance and assignments: 10%.） （Two presentations: 25% each.） Each student must hold two in-class presentations according to the stage of their respective research status.

The Advanced Seminar course is different from regular lecture courses in that students must be more active and creative than usually. Students not only have to become able to design and carry out their own research plan for the graduation thesis, but they are also required to learn about – as well as to give comments on – their classmates’ research plans through seminar discussions.

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

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