School of Contemporary Sociology - curriculum

FUJIWARA, Norimichi

Seminar

My research interests are in empirical studies of: position and rules of mass communication in the total structure of Japanese communication behavior; social functions of mass communication or the meaning of viewing; entertainment functions; relationships between the communication in the local community and mass media; the way mass media should be as journalism, and so on. For these, I would like to develop effective survey and research methods.

Mass Communication

Mass media and information environments are around us and exert major influences in our contemporary life on various aspects. Mass communication that surrounds us in out time ins the largest ever in scale in human history both in terms of quality and quantity. In the course, students are asked to enhance their awareness about the characteristics of the mass communication phenomena and their problematic conditions.

HIBINO, Shozo

Seminar

The major themes I work on is research in thoughts seeking specific solutions that match certain conditions such as: projects and planning theory, arguments on paradigm shifts of thoughts; theories for neo-system design and I am grappling with various research projects. I am especially engaged in many international joint programs. Using internet, I will be holding my seminar with universities all around the world. I am interested in developing "internet seminar."

Planology

The subject of planology is to create or resrunture situation specific solutions. Specific solution planology is an important theme in such fields as:event planning, product development, organizational development, management strategy, social development and so on for the future solutions. In this course, students will learn in grobal logic for integrating human knowledge information and creating sitiation specific solutions.

NIWA, Toshiyuki

Seminar

In this seminar we discuss the following topics.

  1. Application of multi-media
    • Buildin a web site and designing a dynamic page by Javascript and Flash.
    • Picture processing
    • Moving picture and sound processing.
    • Communication by internet and its application
  2. .How to work well with computers.
  3. How to win and how to enjoy amateur tennis games.

Media Design

In this course we design Web pages by HTML language. Writing a source text in HTML encourage better understanding about the configration of Internet. And we also discuss fundamental techniques for applications of multimedia data by exercises in picutre processing

Maltimedia Design

This course offers an introduction to the concepts and techniques as follows. 1) Outline of how to input pictures from cdigital camera and image scanner. 2) Fundamental picture processing as contrast emphasis, color revision, resambling, etc. 3) Outline of how to output pictures to printer.

ONO, Masao

Social Education

Social education' is an educational practice promoting self-education and cultural activities by people from a child to an advanced age. In this course, we will pursue the contemporary meaning of lifelong learning and social education, following the trends in the international community where the right to learn was brought forth. The total picture of the system and practicein social education will be outlined and described.

Seminar

I am studying child, education and family in the socio-histrical approach. In this seminar we will investigate the meaning of the difficulties and sufferings young people have when they live and grow up in the contemporaly society and culture. Besides we will discuss the problem of education reform.

MATSUDA, Noboru

Social Change

Social change is ont of the central problems of sociology since the first attempts at sociological analysis by Saint-Simon Auguste Comte. Dramatic structural change occurred in Western Europe and the former Soviet Union at the begining of the 1990s. Firtst we will examine the main theories of structural social change, and then explore the relationship of industrialism and post-industrialism, globalism and regionalism, the global strategy of TOYOTA, and so on

Seminar

Today people seek a society and lifestyle in which they are given the opportunity to freely pursue their intellectual, social, physical, and spritual development as individuals. They consider job satisfaction to be not only the extrinsic satisfactuins such as wages and hours but also the intrinsic satisfactions such as opportunities for creativity and sociability. On the other hand, leisure is generally regarded as involvement in free and pleasureable activities. We sedire our work-life balance and seld-realization in work and free time.

SHIMURA, Akiko Seminar

Family Sociology

Without special study, we all know a great deal about family. But this is not to say that we know family theoretically from the scientific points of view. In this course, we will be asking questions about "what is family." We would like to clarify on the characteristics held by groups called family. At the same time, we will be thinking about family in contemporary Japan.

Social Problems:Special Lecture 2(Family Relations)

In the Family Relations course, we have the following goals: think scientifically about human relationships among family members; pursue the essence of family relationships; and possibility of good human relations among family members. Therefore, we will be considering how family events and problems will affect family relationships, which in tern affects husband-wife relationships and parent-child relationships. This year, we will be taking up "violence among family members" in relation to problems of "becoming a family" and "being a family."

Seminar

  1. Ideas on women and women movements in pre-war Japan. Especially, ideas and women's welfare in the Taisho Period and Pre-War Showa Period.
  2. Family studies especially husband-wife relationships, parent-children relationships, and brother-sister relationships. Death of family members
  3. Views on genders among university students

SUZUKI, Michiko

Artistic World in Human Body

  1. The reason why there is "Art"course in the Department of Sociology
  2. The relationships between arts and society
  3. Meaning of "to live is to live art."The intention of these worlds
  4. What are "different cultures?"
  5. The Basic World on Arts: Body

World of Folkloric Tradition

Arguments about climates for cultures are themes that are old and yet new. We will be taking up narrated folklore, which is literature that concern ethnic arts and performing arts. Even if the themes are the same, such folklore go though varied development according to different history of the folks, race, culture and climate. Then, these will contribute to new accumulation of tradition. We would like to pursue the dynamic forms of folklore while mainly taking up heroic folklore of Asian nations.

Seminar

The relationships between the ceremony and arts and performances: expressions of religious beliefs and one's mind The fields I have in mind include West Asia to South-East Asia, including Japan. The subjects I am interested in are, in concrete terms, ethnic narrative poems and stories. Stories and folklore appearing in ethnic performing arts and classic performing arts of Japan. Dances and theaters the above are expressed. Acts of artistic creation in general.

OTOMO, Masako

History of Social Welfare

Research and learning in history is one way of understanding our lives, society, and social welfare. The course is developed along this basic view points.

Seminar

Research on history of social after modern times.

  1. Historic thought on educational system and actual live of general public in Japan.
  2. Historic research on practices at child welfare facilities.

NOGUCHI, Noriko

Seminer

It works on the policy of the social welfare as a social policy turned to the solution on the basis of analysis of the life problem in modern society. Research positive about especially the cultivation and training of professionals that perform the care about an elderly-people care is done. However, I do not necessarily limit to elderly people's field, and think that he wants to deepen [ professionals/the aid provider of social welfare, or/of a related domain ] research also about the way that should be

Old-people's-welfare theory I. II

An understanding about today's social structure is deepened through the synthetic understanding about man's old age. He understands the influence and its problems to the area and individual whom the social change in the 21st century will bring about, and an understanding is deepened about the state of the welfare as the social policy. It lets an understanding about the policy of the social welfare especially to a care problem, or a related domain, and the example of the various activities by citizens pass, and aims at considering future welfare.

Social welfare assistance methodology I. II

It learns about the value and the principle of social work common to social welfare practice, and aims at mastering the technology for practicing concretely. An understanding is deepened [method/the/ concrete] through a case study etc. about personal assistance, group work, a community work, etc.

SAITO, Hisafumi

Cultural Anthropology

The object of this lecture is to learn the basis of cultural anthoropology. The basis has two aspects.

  1. Knowledge of concepts and theories on cultural anthoropology
    You read the text, and learn the basic concepts and theories on cultural anthropology. When you cannot understand the concepts and theories written in the text, you ask my comments and explanations.
  2. Field work
    For cultural anthropology, it is most important to go to the research field and to learn about the behavior and the ways of thinking of the people living there. In this lecture, the students will become a researcher, try a brief field research out of campus, interview each other in the lecture room, and analyze narratives. I hope you use your brains, eyes, mouth, ears, hands, legs, and heart, experience the basic research method of cultural antoropology, and improve your ability to communicate with the people living in the same world.

Seminer

The object of this seminar is to obtain some abilities necessary to live as a citizen, which includes the skill to collect and analyze information, to appeal to others, and to construct human networks. Ths students have to experience community activities out of campus. These activities will tell you what and how you should learn in the campus to improve your ability necessary to live as a citizen.

KATO, Haruhiro

Information Society

The main theme is impact of personal media. In this course, we will be pursuing the three personal media and their influence, telephone, mobile phone and internet. We will consider the three problem.

  1. Dual reality problem: relation of everyday world and virtual world.
  2. Real-seld problem: relation of real seld and mediated-self.
  3. New media problem: relation of personal media and mass media.

Seminar

In this class, we have studies and discussed the media society and media culture in recent Japan. And we think much of media literacy activity. Then, we have practiced the radio broadcasting in campus. All students have to be the radio personality in this media event. In addition to radio practice, we have used internet Home Page and BBS to manage this seminar for this five years.

OGISO, Yoshi

The Community

This course will look at how communities administer and make use of residents' shared resources and the changes in this realm that have taken place over time. The resources that have been targeted for administration and use encompass everything from the relationship among the residents to various services and public plans. In view of the trend toward decentralization and cutbacks in central government social services, the role of the community is now being viewed with renewed interest.

Sociology of Youth and Identity

During the 1990s the life course of the Japanese people underwent a rapid transformation as a result of the plunging birthrate, graying population, rising divorce rate, shrinking job market, and other factors. In the face of such changes, people became uncertain of the role they were expected to play in society at various stages of life. This course will focus on young people, who were particularly affected by these changes, and are commonly viewed as a paradox by members of their parents' generation, and come to a new understanding of their actions.

KAWADA, Makito

Ethnography

Ethnography as a signficant part of cultural anthropology has a close tie with activities of fieldwork. In this lecture, we will study basic knowledge on ethnography and introductory training of its methods so that we can realize "social facts" and represent them.

Documentary

In this class, participants are expected to write a documentary on the activities of work through interview. Some instructions for the methods of interview are given in the course. Class activities are not always in the classroom, but also outside the school in order to take a field research.

Seminar, Cultural Anthropology Southeast Asian Ethnography

I am studying human activities of religion as everyday practice of the knowledge. Especially, magical practice and its framework of thinking is the focal point. My main topic is Christianity and folk religion in the Visayas, central region of the Philippines. For the activity of my seminar, however, the study of religion will not always be main topic. Instead, all participants should have specific research field and conduct anthropological fieldwork on the theme of active and creative aspects of culture in Asian region(of course including Japan)

TSUJII, Masatsugu

Clinical Social Psychology

In this course, several issues about human relations and clinical topics will be discussed with clinical social psychological and clinical developmental psychological perspctive.

Seminar

In our semiar, we will study several topics about relationships between cultures and personality factors from early age of human development. Main topics are; 1.Cultures and people with Developmental Disorders. 2. Leisure activities and happiness

OZAWA, Hiroaki

Seminar

The theme of this Seminar is learning the Sociology of Education. We research and analyze educational problems such as bullying, truancy and delinquency in comporary Japan society.

Sociology of school problems

In this course, school problems in contemporary Japan society, such as bullying, truancy and delinquency, are analyzed sociologically.

NISHIYAMA, Tetsuo

Seminar

This seminar will provide students the chance to brush up their communication skills, for being a member of the public sphere. We will also investigate cultural sociology to know how everyday practices can make people joined up, or separated. Accomplishing these tasks, we aim to foster the global citizenship in this borderless world of today.

Theory of Comtemporary Culture

This course will give an overview of influential theories of culture and critically analyze diverse social and cultural practices which constitute a major part of today's quotidian duties. The course will concentrate its attention mainly on the development of body cultures that have got vast importance nowadays in Japan. We will also explore the (re)construction of human identity and the body through a vivid network of ideas and actions by studying cyber-feminism, Habitus, Subaltern theory, tattooing, body piercing, plastic surgery, diet, fitness, and sport.

SUNG, Woncheol

Social Change and Environmental Problems

Theme: What are the reasons for the emergence of environmental problems? Goal: We will be reading concrete references on environmental problems of rural areas in Japan and Asia, which will be bridged over to grobal environmental problems. We would like to be thinking in concrete terms as much as possible.

OOKA, Yorimitsu

Sociology of Death and Life

The living people's thoughts about the dead vary between societies and religions. The idea of death is also connected with the idea of life. Comparing Sweden and Japan, we examine how the meanings of death and life in each society affect the relation between family and welfare state.

Seminar

Theme: Welfare State, Family, Death and Life

ASHIKAWA, Shin

Sociology of Self and Communication

So long as we lead ordinary life, we must interact with others. And we have many types of communication in many situations, love, economy, law etc. On the other hand, the form of self is influenced by communication in which we participate. In this course, we will be discussing various aspects of human communication and self in interaction.

Seminar

Research Area, Theoretical Sociology, Social Thought In this seminar, we wead and talk about social theory of N.Luhmann, J.Habermas, A.Giddens, E.Goffman, G.H.Mead, G.Simmel, Ethnomothodology, etc.

ITO, Yoko

Social Welfare

In this course, we will be thinking about Social Work for the people who need social assistance. Especially, how do assist independent living for the people with disabilities? We would like to go to the fields. Activities at an actual place and interaction of a person concerned are important.

Social Welfare: Social Work practices: History and Evolution

The major themes of this course are study of the history of social work, the common base of social work practices and social welfare survey methods and practical applications of these. These are Social Work practices utilized from among adjustments and coordination of social resources of the community as a whole, as the solutions of social welfare problems. Ti is necessary for the students aspiring to be Social Welfare Workers to acquire the Social Work Skills.