Let's think together about ways to improve society.
Research Themes
Today's society is facing a mountain of social issues that cannot be dealt with by traditional government and markets alone, such as environmental problems, disparity and poverty, a declining birthrate and aging population, and the decline of local communities. A variety of actors are working to solve these issues through volunteer and business activities.
In this seminar, we place importance on learning about the current state of various social issues, investigating what efforts are being made to resolve them, thinking about how we can tackle them, and taking concrete action.
Activities
Through learning activities such as reading literature, summarizing it in a resume, and discussing a single question together to arrive at an answer, students will acquire the skills to "read," "write," "think," and "discuss." In addition, students will be able to see and experience actual efforts aimed at solving social issues, and work on projects with people from companies, NPOs, government, and local communities, allowing them to consider and implement their own approach to solving these issues.
- example) USR Research Project
We have asked questions such as what is University Social Responsibility (USR) and what evaluation indicators can be used to improve our university's USR activities, and in collaboration with seminars from other faculties, we have conducted comparative research and presentations on the integrated report published by our university and integrated reports published by companies.
- Example: Blueberry Project (a social business aimed at revitalizing the local community)
In order to create a lively atmosphere in the areas along the JR Kururi Line, students have been working on product development, sales channel development, and PR activities in collaboration with many organizations, including the blueberry tourist farm "Ezawa Fruit Land" and the Kisarazu City Industry and Startup Support Center. We will continue to consider and implement measures to convey the appeal of sweet blueberries grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Student Voices
Seina Shinozaki
In Saito's seminar, I was able to have the experience of holding my own opinions and thinking about solutions to social issues together. In the blueberry project, I was very impressed by our collaboration with The University Dining to raise awareness of blueberry vinegar. Seminar students came up with many menu ideas, made presentations to the cafeteria administrators, and created posters and questionnaires, which was a valuable experience both as a seminar activity and as a learning experience. In the USR project, we compared integrated reports and proposed areas for improvement. It was interesting to be involved with seminars from other faculties and be able to look for areas for improvement from various perspectives.
In Saito's seminar, I was able to learn about the issues facing the region and companies through these two projects. It was a good practice for my thesis because I learned about the current situation, read papers, formulated hypotheses, and conducted research. In addition, I was able to experience speaking my opinion in front of others by discussing in groups and making presentations one by one and asking questions.
Katsumasa Nagai
In Saito Seminar, I was able to gain problem-finding skills, marketing skills, and collaboration skills. This seminar is a practical activity that aims to solve the actual social issue of revitalizing Kisarazu City's blueberry farms using business methods. I was the overall producer of the booth sales of drinks made with blueberry vinegar. During the discussion, we thought that the current issue of farms is low awareness. To solve this, all the seminar students came up with label designs, sales booth presentations, and SNS appearances, and came up with and realized an unprecedented "memorable sales method". I feel that I was able to dramatically improve my business skills from this experience. Saito Seminar has an environment that draws out the strengths of students and outputs them. There are also events such as farm visits, so you can have fun while learning!