Think carefully about what issues are important to you.
Research Themes
Even if a problem seems like a personal one, it actually involves a social issue. So instead of trying to deal with it on your own, or just blaming the individual, try to look at society! This is the basis of the Arakawa Seminar.
The research theme of this seminar is to identify "issues that are important to you" and consider their social significance. Therefore, the biggest challenge (challenge) is for each student to put their hand on their heart and think about their own issues (and their relationship to social issues).
It's your own research topic, so you can choose it freely. This is important, as you should be free to choose your topic. However, most people find that they don't know much about themselves, and they end up struggling to choose a topic. What exactly have you been interested in (what have you placed importance on) up until now, and why?
Although each topic is different, I believe that the experience of working hard(?) on a graduation thesis together with fellow seminar members from the second year until graduation is a valuable one that can only be had during one's student years.
Activities
The seminar consists of three parts: (1) the main seminar, (2) the sub-seminar, and (3) the seminar camp.
- (1) In this seminar, you will learn basic perspectives for thinking about social issues from multiple angles.
- (2) In the sub-seminar, after the main seminar, students will watch documentaries about modern society.
- (3) Seminar camps are held during summer and spring vacations for all students (2nd, 3rd, and 4th year students). The location and accommodations for the camp are decided by the students themselves. It is customary for students to study intensively on the first day (sometimes until late at night!) and then relax in the local area from the second day onwards.
- (4) Occasionally, joint seminars with other faculties or universities, and visits to various places (destinations vary) are planned.
Student Voices
Department of Economics Nohara Yoshiaki
A distinctive feature of the Arakawa seminar is that students are free to choose their graduation thesis. At first, I was troubled when I was told that the topic was free. Freedom can be like a cold that can surprisingly trouble people. However, by joining the seminar and diligently completing the assignments, I was able to face my own topic, and the topic of my graduation thesis naturally came to me. For my graduation thesis, I am examining the path of Fukuzawa Yukichi's thought leading up to "Encouragement of Learning."
In seminars, several students usually write a resume on a given topic, which is then examined and critiqued by other students. This requires both students to have the ability to identify and solve problems. I feel that I have naturally developed these skills. I plan to use them to write my graduation thesis.
Yuta Honma, Department Department of Business Administration
In Arakawa's seminar, we study the various issues, historical phenomena, and thinkers facing our modern consumer/information society. Sociology is an extremely broad field, allowing students to freely pursue their own interests. We begin by reading "Theory of Modern Society" (by Mita Sosuke) and examine the fundamentals of the various marginal issues facing our modern consumer/information society. During the sub-seminar, we watch NHK's "Century of Images" to learn about and discuss modern history. Additionally, we hold fulfilling summer seminar camps in Kamakura, Atami, Izu, and other locations. Building on this foundation, I am currently working on my graduation thesis on the theme of "Modern Fashion and Ethics."