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The international order is currently undergoing a major transformation. Perceptions of values and interests shared by the international community are changing, and the rules of the game, such as norms and institutions of the international community, are becoming unstable. Because Japanese society has enjoyed peace and prosperity within the existing international order, it is necessary to be sensitive to these changes, calmly analyze the current situation, formulate countermeasures, and disseminate and implement them.

China, the subject of our seminar's research, is a major actor driving changes in the international order. China is a huge player that is no longer allowed to rest on its laurels and play with arbitrary images of itself. The increase in China's national power, accompanied by rapid economic growth, has changed the distribution of power in the international community and has had a profound impact on the dynamics of international politics.

The purpose of our seminar is to try to understand the characteristics of the mechanisms of Chinese politics and the social context that gives rise to them, and to deepen our understanding of contemporary Chinese political diplomacy. Furthermore, our seminar will provide insights into "how to deal with China" and clues for the future of international politics.

Our seminar will address another important research question. We will try to understand authoritarian politics. Authoritarianism is on the rise and democracy is in retreat. In the past, authoritarian politics was always viewed as unstable, while liberal democratic politics was seen as a necessary condition for a nation's economic development and stability. China, however, presents a different reality from this view. Why has Chinese politics maintained one-party rule? Why has Chinese society accepted one-party rule? Through the study of China, we should be able to obtain clues for understanding the politics of authoritarian states, which account for more than half of the world's population, and international politics, in which authoritarian states are rapidly expanding their influence.

In our seminar, we will (1) deepen our understanding of contemporary Chinese political diplomacy and (2) obtain clues to understanding authoritarian states. We will discuss contemporary Chinese politics and comparative political science literature materials to build the intellectual foundation necessary for a systematic understanding of Chinese politics, authoritarian politics, and international politics.

Our seminar is a place to provide the intellectual training necessary to analyze and disseminate knowledge and systematic understanding of Chinese politics, authoritarian politics, and international politics, which is necessary for Japanese society and for you to play an active role in the international community, using Chinese politics and diplomacy as the subject matter.

This seminar explores contemporary European politics and international security - particularly trying to "understand international security (and interntional politics) through Europe" and "understand Europe through international security (and international politics)." Everything will be conducted in Japanese.

This study group examines the relationship between science and technology policy and national security, and the relationship between science and technology and strategic decision-making, and considers future directions.

This is a study group that review the histrrical perspective on the relationship between technology and strategy, especially focusing on the implication on the national security.

This kenkyukai provides an opportunity for students with specific research themes to gender, where they come together to learn. The aim is to explore various perspectives and ideas about gender through discussions within the kenkyukai and attending special lectures. Additionally, this kenkyukai puts focus on projects undertaken as a part of its activities. Through working on projects, students are expected to enhance their learning and to connect their activities to action.

Based on the understandings on the origin and the characters of the Japanese employment system, this kenkyukai focuses on issues and problems on the labor policies which are in the middle of great changes of the social environment and those of individuals, and tries to propose answers to the issues.
The examples of changes of the social environments are as follows: population shrinking and aging, technology innovation, impacts caused by the COVID-19.
The examples of changes in the individual sides are as follows:ideas and choices on working styles as well as carriers, and views of lives.
Students will deepen their thoughts in labor policy through group work and discussions. Participants will further their individual research on the issues they identify and compile their findings into research papers.

Based on the understandings on the origin and the characters of the Japanese employment system, this kenkyukai focuses on issues and problems on the labor policies which are in the middle of great changes of the social environment and those of individuals, and tries to propose answers to the issues.
The examples of changes of the social environments are as follows: population shrinking and aging, technology innovation, impacts caused by the COVID-19.
The examples of changes in the individual sides are as follows:ideas and choices on working styles as well as carriers, and views of lives.
Students will deepen their thoughts in labor policy through group work and discussions. Participants will further their individual research on the issues they identify and compile their findings into research papers.

See the Japanese version.

See the Japanese version.

The theme of this study group is "Practical knowledge of the transformation of Japanese society" and we will deepen our learning mainly through project work, reading in turn, and management of the study group.

Taking into account that the instructor in charge is a practitioner with experience as a management consultant, an employees of a government agency, an executive of an extra-governmental organization, a founder of a venture company, and a long-term intern of a major overseas political party, the following two points characterize our approach to problem finding and solution.
(1) An approach that includes setting the subject matter of issues across a variety of positions as a means of social change
(2) A fact-based approach to issues that have an expiration date

In this study group, the scope of questions will be the challenges of Japanese society, the direction of change, and strategies to realize such change. The questions can cover Japanese society, governance, Japanese-style organizations, administrative organizations, careers, social security, and so on.

The project work activities of the study group will include research activities for social change, advocacy activities for social change, and practical activities to bring about social change.

For other details of the study group, please refer to the briefing material by the study group members (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Uu2Sw9dO70stK0TNfAHLWDPU01fN8qtpxCFI4XlU8aU/edit?usp=sharing). Please note that keio.jp authentication is required.

In this seminar, we are going to tackle topics related to Islamic studies.

In this seminar, we are going to tackle topics related to Islamic studies.

The seminar will focus on Chinese politics and Japan’s foreign policy toward China. Students are choose their own research topic and conduct their own independent research.

In this seminar, students will study a broad range of materials on Cognitive Science. The focus will be, but not limited to, 1) issues related to language use and First and second language acquisition; 2) issues related to conceptual development and learning in preschool and school age children; 3) how people reason and make decisions.

Based on broad range of knowledge on the Middle East, this laboratory will examine and discuss multiple issues of today.

"The Future of the Relationship between Individuals, Organizations, and Society in Relation to Work"
What is the purpose of work? Is it because work is natural? Is it to earn a living? Is it for self-realization? When the purpose of work changes, how will the relationship between individuals, organizations, and society change?
Traditionally, the relationship between individuals and organizations has been built within the Japanese employment system, which is a system of lump-sum hiring of new graduates, lifetime employment, seniority-based wages and promotions, mandatory retirement, in-house education, and company-based labor unions. Individuals spend much of their time in organizations, entrusting their personal growth to organizations, and many of their human relationships are connected to organizations.
In addition, "Japan's social security system has been shaped since the period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s, with a focus on universal health insurance and universal pensions, backed by a two-generation family model of male workers with full-time and lifetime jobs, housewives and children, ample corporate welfare programs, and a community in which people were connected to each other" (the 2012 edition of the White Paper on Health, Labor, and Welfare). The corporate sector has played a major role in the functioning of social securigty through the employment security and the collection of insurance premiums. Many individuals working in companies have been stratified by the organizations to which they belong, and have been connected to society.
In recent years, however, the relationship between individuals, organizations, and society in relation to work has changed dramatically. More and more individuals are designing their own careers, changing careers early on, without being bound by the system of lifetime employment and seniority-based system. More and more individuals are simultaneously holding down multiple jobs. Companies have begun to look for ways to break away from the Japanese employment system of lifetime employment and seniority-based system. These changes in individuals and organizations are likely to continue in the future, given the changing values of generations, the globalization of the corporate competitive environment, and the advancement of ICT technology, as well as the fact that these changes are mutually accelerating other chnages, permeating society as a whole.
How will the relationship between individuals, organizations, and society regarding work change in the future? This seminar envisions conducting research on individual behavior, organizational management, and societal policies in the midst of this shift toward a new equilibrium point, with many variables changing simultaneously in active and passive ways. The research project questions will be formulated according to the interests of the members of the seminar, but topics that might be addressed include, for example, the following. Revolving door career models, disclosure indicators of human capital investment, next-generation Japanese-style talent management, platforms for personal learning and employment records (Learning and Employment Records) required to improve human resource mobility and optimal matching, social security in the age of individuals, etc. Together with SFC students who will create a new era, the instructor would like to explore the future of the relationship between individuals, organizations, and society in relation to work.

The laboratory will discuss the tension and complication of international relationship in the Middle East.

The aim of the seminar is to deepen the understanding of Islam in Japanese society and to implement projects aimed at coexistence with Muslims living in Japan and those visiting Japan as tourists.
Currently, the number of Muslims in the world is about 1.6 billion - 2 billion, and one out of every four people in the world is a Muslim, and the population is increasing. The number of Muslims living in Japan to study or to work and the number of Muslims visiting Japan for sightseeing are also increasing year by year. On the other hand, the image of Islam in Japan is not always good, and Japanese people do not fully understand Islam. In this seminar, students will deepen the understanding of the teachings of Islam and the religious practices of Muslims through literature reading, while conducting fieldwork and joint projects to build a network with Muslims living in Japan, connect Japanese society and Muslims, and consider new forms of coexistence in Japan.

This seminar is for the students who are interested in contemporary issues in Southeast Asia, including society, culture, history, politics, economy, the relationship with Japan, etc. The students study these issues through reading important literature in groups and by individuals.

In this seminar, we explore the mechanisms of human learning, development, and language cognition from the perspectives of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, psychology of language, and neuroscience. During the class, we will study literature from the field of cognitive science, acquire background knowledge for research, and learn experimental methods and statistics. The topics of graduation projects broadly focus on (1) the learning mechanisms of language and the relationship between language and thinking, (2) the cognitive mechanisms of learning and expertise, and the exploration and implementation of effective learning for children, as well as the cognition and brain changes of experts. We mainly investigate the cognitive mechanisms behind native language acquisition to explore what learning means for children. We integrate (1) and (2) to identify the causes of difficulties in learning Japanese for children and develop materials for Japanese language learning.
The topics for graduation projects and master’s theses are determined in consultation with the supervising instructor (Imai) and often pertain to cognitive science, educational psychology, and educational practices. Examples include:
1. The relationship between inference skills (reading between the lines) and reasoning skills.
2. How words indicating color are learned.
3. How parent-child play influences the motivation of young children.
4. The relationship between children’s emotional understanding and vocabulary, and the mechanisms of understanding emotions.
For more information, please refer to [http://cogpsy.sfc.keio.ac.jp/imailab/teaching/graduationthesises/].
We welcome not only those interested in language, child development, learning, and education but also those interested in modeling developmental processes and human behavior, as well as those who wish to study data analysis and modeling.
[Coursework]
In the seminar, students read books and study research related to cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics. Students will be expected to present what they learned in order to develop basic knowledge for conducting research. Furthermore, through graduation projects, students will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for research, such as experimental planning, implementation, data analysis, and learning design. The seminar is divided into two parts. On Thursdays, students will engage in group work based on literature related to the research topic. On Fridays, students will read and present research related to their topic of interest, followed by a discussion. On Thursdays during the fifth period, students engage in activities to learn the basics of statistics, experimental design, and methods. As extracurricular activities, students participate in workshops for children and other outreach activities. For details on extracurricular activities, please refer to [http://cogpsy.sfc.keio.ac.jp/imailab/outreach/].
[Activities outside the seminar]
We study the mechanisms of language acquisition. How do humans learn their native language and foreign languages? Using research methods such as brain measurement, eye-tracking, and other behavioral experiments, we investigate the relationship between language, the brain, and cognition. Students can participate in various methods according to their research interests and learn by participating in surveys and other research practices.
◆ Characteristics of Language Projects ◆
◇ Language Acquisition in Babies and Toddlers: Research on infants and young children is conducted through fieldwork at kindergartens and nurseries. By comparing language learning between infants and adults, students explore how infants learn language and how foreign language acquisition differs from native language learning. Throughout the semester, students read previous research, design experiments, collect data, and learn statistical analysis methods.
◇ Influence of Language on Thought: We collaborate with universities both domestically and internationally to conduct comparative studies of languages such as Japanese, English, Chinese, and German. We address issues related to how language characteristics influence language learning and cognition, as well as universal concepts in language.
◇ Analysis of Language using Corpora: We analyze actual language use through corpus analysis. Using this method, we study foreign language pedagogy and compare the characteristics of Japanese and other languages.
◆ Project Activities (Learning) ◆
◇ For more information about the project, please visit [http://cogpsy.sfc.keio.ac.jp/imailab/research/].
Considering “Learning” in Primary and Secondary Education: How do children learn and grow? What kind of education can achieve better learning outcomes? In the learning project, we conduct research based on educational practices and cognitive science to address these questions. We explore ways to achieve “better learning.” As an educational approach for children to learn creatively and learn how to learn, we promote Project-Based Learning. Project-Based Learning is a learning style that nurtures fundamental life skills. Moreover, we engage in activities to bridge the gap between research and practice and establish a community of teachers and international researchers/practitioners. These activities include the following:
◇ [http://cogpsy.sfc.keio.ac.jp/able/] (Agents for Bridging Learning Research and Educational Practice): We lead a community that connects researchers, educational practitioners, and individuals aspiring for social change. We invite speakers from Japan and overseas who conduct the latest research and practices. We discuss how to bridge the gap between learning research and educational practice through these events. For detailed information and past events, please visit the website below.
◇ Assessment Development and Measurement of Language and Thinking Skills: We develop assessments to measure language proficiency, cognitive abilities, and reasoning skills for children who struggle with poor language and academic performance. We collaborate with teachers to conduct large-scale surveys. The research project involves assessment development and data analysis. Furthermore, based on the survey results, we develop teaching materials and curricula to enable children to learn deeply and enjoyably.
◇ Japanese Language Support for Foreign Infants and Children: To support children of foreign roots who do not have Japanese as their native language, we conduct assessments and research teaching methods.
Enrolled students generally participate in both (1) supplementary research on language foundations and (2) workshops to learn what “learning” means for children, as they acquire theoretical and practical knowledge and skills necessary for graduation projects.

In this seminar, students will study a broad range of materials on Cognitive Science. The focus will be, but not limited to, 1) issues related to language use and First and second language acquisition; 2) issues related to conceptual development and learning in preschool and school age children; 3) how people reason and make decisions.

This seminar explores contemporary European politics and international security - particularly trying to "understand international security (and interntional politics) through Europe" and "understand Europe through international security (and international politics)." Everything will be conducted in Japanese.

This seminar explores contemporary European politics and international security - particularly trying to "understand international security (and interntional politics) through Europe" and "understand Europe through international security (and international politics)." Everything will be conducted in Japanese.

This seminar is for the students who are interested in contemporary issues in Southeast Asia, including society, culture, history, politics, economy, the relationship with Japan, etc. The students study these issues through reading important literature in groups and by individuals.

The number of foreigners living in and visiting to Japan has increase rapidly and “Omotenashi” has become a popular word, however, the foreigners still find difficulties to access the proper information about Japan.
This is the project-based seminar by fieldwork and group work. Continuing from previous semesters students will work on several projects to connect Japanese society and Muslim people visiting to or living in Japan.