Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
15946:IR18‐AE107 Peace Studies Seminar (R) § 15947:IR-AS110 Peace Studies Seminar (R) § 17826:RUIR-2532 Special Lecture (PGSCR)(R) 2024 Spring College　Of　International　Relations KOBAYASHI KAZUSHIGE 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

Kinugasa

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

This seminar is about Hiroshima – its historical legacies and its aspirations for global peace. But this course is much more than the visit to Hiroshima – it is designed to be a student-led action-learning initiative where you develop and practice transferable skills that will help you deal with the unscripted challenges in your life beyond university. This course is not about me taking you to Hiroshima (we are not schoolkids); it is about you as a community of young IR specialists designing your own fieldwork inquiries. In this spirit of inquiry, this seminar intends to take full advantage of the diversity of research interests embraced by our students. Each student will be asked to set his/her own exploratory question that will guide the learning journey towards and in Hiroshima. Examples of these exploratory themes may include: nuclear arms control, foreign security policy, peace education, national identities, civil society, educational tourism, visual anthropology, and more. By exploring these themes, we will learn to think critically and reflectively about global peace and to acquire interpersonal skills that enable us to build effective and enriching learning partnerships.

Students are expected to attend all classes, including the course guidance (to be held in April 2024) and the preparatory sessions. The total cost of the fieldtrip for each student will be approximately JPY55,000-60,000 (including roundtrip shinkansen tickets, hotel accommodations for three nights, travel insurance, and museum entrance fees). The expected class size for this course is around 8-16 students (to be chosen through a competitive selection process). Students who intend to apply for this course should consult the 2024 Registration Guidebook (to be released on manaba+R in late March) for more detailed information on the selection process (e.g. application procedure). Results of the selection process will be announced in early April 2024. For logistical and practical reasons, this course may not be offered in case there are less than 8 participants.

For more detailed information about this course, watch this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/EoVv7ozgjTQ

Student Attainment Objectives

In the near future, you may work for private companies, non-profit initiatives, government agencies, or international organizations; perhaps you may plan to pursue further study in graduate schools. Wherever you intend to go, the ability to plan purposeful fieldwork, facilitate meaningful intellectual conversations, and engage in collaborative learning is essential to succeeding in your future professional endeavors. This course entails the following five practical learning outcomes. By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1) set their own learning goals and draw forward-looking lessons from historical materials;
2) use basic methods of sociological inquiry to gain insights into the everyday practices of global politics;
3) build effective learning partnerships that form the basis of a culture of peace;
4) design and implement purposeful fieldwork in collaboration with their peers; and
5) produce critical reflections on their learning journeys.

Recommended Preparatory Course

N/A

Course Schedule

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

Course Guidance

18:00-19:30 | 18 April 2024 (Thu.)

Overview of the course and course requirements

◼ Required Readings/Videos
N/A


This course will progress through two stages. First, students will acquire essential knowledge of fieldwork methods and other relevant skills through preparatory seminars and group work (April – July 2024). Second, students will engage in fieldwork throughout the 4-day trip to Hiroshima between 5 and 8 August 2024. During the fieldtrip, student groups will take the lead in facilitating conversations with local citizens and officials at each visit site. At the end of fieldwork, we will share our learning experiences in reflection sessions.

In order to develop and practice the higher-order thinking skills described above, course sessions are organized in an interactive manner integrating group work, fieldwork, and other active learning methods. Each student is expected to complete reading/video assignments before each class. Through class discussion and other team-based exercises, we will learn how to engage in the collective knowledge-building that is foundational to future global cooperation. Students interested in advanced materials are encouraged to consult supplementary readings provided below (see also Reference Books listed below).

Though this course does not entail fieldwork in Nagasaki (another important site of active learning), students will have the opportunity to virtually explore the historical legacies of Nagasaki and to compare and contrast the lived experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the preparatory sessions.

* Below is a provisional course schedule as of 20 January 2024 and the date and time for preparatory sessions may be subject to change.

Sessions 2 & 3

Practical Skills (I): Designing Fieldwork

13:00-14:30 & 14:40-16:10 | 11 May 2024 (Sat.) or 18 May 2024 (Sat.)

◼ Required Readings/Videos
• University of Manchester. Fieldwork. Accessible at this link.
• McLaughlin, Levi. (2010). All research is fieldwork: A practical introduction to studying in Japan as a foreign researcher. The Asia-Pacific Journal 8 (30/1): 1-21.
• Reiher, Cornelia. (2018). Fieldwork in Japan: New trends and challenges. German Journal on Contemporary Asia (149): 5-13.

◼ Supplementary Readings
 Verovšek, Peter J. (2016). Collective memory, politics, and the influence of the past: The politics of memory as a research paradigm. Politics, Groups and Identities 4(3): 529-543.
 Millar, Gearoid. (2018). Ethnographic peace research: The underappreciated benefits of long-term fieldwork. International Peacekeeping 25(5): 653-676.

Sessions 4 & 5

Practical Skills (II): Thinking Critically

13:00-14:30 & 14:40-16:10 | 15 June 2024 (Sat.) or 22 June 2024 (Sat.)


◼ Required Readings/Videos
• NHK. (2020). Searching for the Standing Boy of Nagasaki. NHK Documentary, 30 August 2020, Accessible at this link.
• Schelling, Thomas C. (2006). An astonishing sixty years: The legacy of Hiroshima. American Economic Review 96(4): 929-937.
• Thakur, R. (2018). Japan and the nuclear weapons prohibition treaty: The wrong side of history, geography, legality, morality, and humanity. Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament 1(1): 11-31.

◼ Supplementary Readings
 Betts, Richard K. (1988). Nuclear peace and conventional war. Journal of Strategic Studies 11(1): 79-95.
 Hoey, Fintan. (2016). Japan and extended nuclear deterrence: Security and non-proliferation. Journal of Strategic Studies 39(4): 484-501.

Sessions 6 & 7

Practical Skills (II): Learning Reflectively

13:00-14:30 & 14:40-16:10
23 July 2024 (Tu.) or 24 July 2024 (Wed.) or 25 July 2024 (Thu.)

◼ Required Readings/Videos
• Open University. Reflective learning. Accessible at this link.
• The Hinckley School. (2020). Sociology: Participant observation research. 28 March 2020, Accessible at this link.
• Chen, Chia-Li. (2012). Representing and interpreting traumatic history: A study of visitor comment books at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Museum Management and Curatorship 27(4): 375-392.

◼ Supplementary Readings
 Katayanagi, M., & Kawano, N. (2023). Reconstructing Hiroshima as a peace memorial city: Local agency and identity-making in peacebuilding. War & Society [OnlineFirst].
 Yamane, T. (2023). Hiroshima’s ongoing peacebuilding and beyond: How does this local initiative seek to extend to world peace?. War & Society [OnlineFirst].

Sessions 8-15

Hiroshima Fieldwork

5 August (Mon.) – 8 August (Thu.) 2024

Day 1 | 5 August 2024 (Mon.)
◼ Heading to Hiroshima
◼ Session 8: Visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (3h)
◼ Session 9: Reflection activities (1.5h)

Day 2 | 6 August 2024 (Tu.)
◼ Session 10: Participation in symposium 1 (1.5h)
◼ Session 11: Participation in symposium 2 or participant observation in Hiroshima of memorial day (1.5h)

Day 3 | 7 August 2024 (Wed.)
◼ Session 12: Visit to government/civil society offices 1 (1.5h)
◼ Session 13: Visit to government/civil society offices 2 (1.5h)

Day 4 | 8 August 2024 (Thu).
◼ Session 14: Final reflection session/student presentations (1.5h)
◼ Session 15: Final reflection session/student presentations (1.5h)
◼ Returning to Kyoto

Class Format

All sessions are to be conducted in person.

Recommendations for Private Study

Students are expected to read/watch assignments before preparatory sessions. The expected amount of preparatory/review study time for each class is around 2-3 hours. In addition, students will independently and collectively prepare for the fieldtrip under the guidance of course instructor.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written) 0

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)		 0

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

• Active Participation: 30%
• Preparatory Assignments: 40%
• Final Reflection Presentation (10 minutes including Q&A): 30%

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

■ Active Participation (30%)
In this course, each session (both in Kyoto and Hiroshima) entails class discussion and other practical exercises designed to enhance your learning experiences. In this context, “active participation” means continuously and constructively engaging in class activities as a proactive learner. All of us in the class – you, me, and your peers – share the responsibility of fostering an enabling environment where we can engage in constructive mutual learning. Everyone is expected to actively participate, so that we can all benefit from the insights and experiences each person brings to our class.

■ Preparatory Assignments (40%)
Between April and August 2024, students will be asked to submit several short assignments in preparation for Hiroshima fieldwork. These assignments include:
• A note on individual exploratory questions (e.g. What are your personal learning goals in this course?);
• A proposed list of potential events/symposia to participate in Hiroshima between 5 and 7 August;
• A comment paper on reading/watching assignments for preparatory sessions; and
• A pre-fieldwork reflection note (e.g. What do you hope to learn from the fieldtrip?).
The expected amount of preparatory time for each assignment is around 2-3 hours. More detailed information on these assignments will be provided separately at Session 1.

■ Final Reflection Presentation (30%)
At the end of Hiroshima fieldwork (Sessions 14 & 15), each student will be given 10 minutes to present a summary of their learning experiences (this includes Q&A). In their final presentations, students are also expected to review and suggest ways to improve the course design for future purposes. More detailed information on this assignment will be provided separately at Session 1.

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

There is no assigned textbook for this course. Students are required to read/watch assignments listed above before preparatory sessions. All learning materials will be made available on manaba+R.

Reference Books

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills Halperin, Sandra & Heath, Oliver Oxford University Press 978-0198820628
Doing Fieldwork in Japan Bestor, Theodore C. et al. (eds.). University of Hawaii Press 978-0824825256
Listening to People: A Practical Guide to Interviewing, Participant Observation, Data Analysis, and Writing It All Up Lareau, Annette University of Chicago Press 978-0226806433
Changing Arms Control Norms in International Society Adachi, Kenki Routledge 978-0367741686
Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II Dower, John W. WW Norton & Company 978-0393320275
History, Memory, and Politics in Postwar Japan Iokibe, Kaoru et al. (eds.). Rienner Publishers 978-1626378773
After Defeat: How the East Learned to Live with the West Zarakol, Ayşe Cambridge University Press 978-0521145565

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

Web Pages for Reference

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

Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Other Comments

Please make sure to regularly check the course page on manaba+R for announcements and notifications. I am here to support your success in this course and beyond. If you have any concerns or questions, I encourage you to contact me as early as possible. I prefer to be contacted by e-mail. I usually respond to e-mails within 48 hours, excluding holidays and weekends.

Feel free to stop by my office during open office hours (to be announced at Session 1). We can alternatively arrange for virtual office hours via Zoom. Beyond these designated office hours, I will also be available for you by appointment.

Between 2012 and 2022, I lived in Geneva and I have been actively involved in the delivery of executive education programs for UN officials (e.g. action learning courses for peacebuilding and humanitarian professionals), as well as in policy consulting projects for various government agencies and international organizations. My teaching approach is informed by my continuous engagement with these professionals and I look forward to sharing my practical insights with you throughout this course. Thank you for reading this course syllabus until the end. In case you are interested in applying to participate in this course, you will be asked to provide answers to the selection questions in the application process. These include the following question: “Have you thoroughly read the course syllabus of the Peace Studies Seminar? Provide your answer in 15 words”. The correct answer to this question is: “I have read the course syllabus until the end and the passcode is 06082024”. Make sure to copy and paste this sentence in order to prove that you have actually read the syllabus until the end.
【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html