The aim of these lecturers is to offer opportunities for students to consider what they should learn at the university and contemplate their future life so that they can, with a clear sense of purpose, take initiative and learn on their own. These lectures also aim to foster individuals who will be leaders of the next generation, through lectures given by the president and researchers of the university. Speakers will give lectures that will help students think about their college life and their future as researchers.
Lecture Schedule and Outlines
Course: Sogo-kamoku (Organization of Liberal Education)
Facilitator: Associate Professor Kato Katsunori (Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences)
Period: First trimester
Day and Time: Every Wednesday, 6th period (16:45-18:00)
Place: University Hall, University of Tsukuba
Course Evaluation: Report, Attendance
| Date | April 14, 2010 |
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| Topic | University and Society | Lecturer | President Yamada Nobuhiro (University of Tsukuba) | Outline |
| A university is an educational and academic center that respects diverse values while at the same time generating new values and search for truth. Students will pursue truth, make discoveries, and share a sense of achievement through learning and exchanges with faculty members. We are in the midst of a rapidly changing world. Quick response to problems of our rapidly-changing society such as low birthrate and aging population is paramount. Cooperation among education, research, and society will be talked about using clinical medicine, particularly lifestyle-related disease, one of the modern-day illnesses, as an example. | |
| Date | April 28, 2010 |
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| Topic | Science and Technology Strategies | Lecturer | Vice President Tanaka Satoshi (University of Tsukuba) | Outline |
| Can you imagine what the world would be like if science and technolgy were to disappear? Although sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology are "Chi no Taikei" that objectively describes complex phenomenons of nature, that alone does not qualify them scientific technologies. Japanese scientific technologies, including Space Technology, Life Science and Nuclear Science, are expanding into international arenas. What are the characteristics of these fields? Where are these fields heading? What role does the university play? This lecture will provide an overview on these topics and provide students an opportunity to think about the future of scientific technologies. | |
| Date | May 12, 2010 |
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| Topic | From Words to the Mind, and to the Brain |
| Lecturer | Professor Yukio Otsu (Keio Institute of Cultural & Linguistic Studies) | Outline |
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When we consider words as one of the systems which makes up the mind, there are a lot of possibilities for research. What sort of properties does this system have? How do words specialize to become a mother tongue? How are words utilized during the process of understanding and during conversation? How are words related to the brain? In this lecture, some of the above topics will be talked about in an easy-to-understand manner. Taking the whole theme into consideration, the social meaning of studying words will be examined. |
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| Date | May 19, 2010 |
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| Topic | My Olympic Games |
| Lecturer | Professor Sawao Kato (Hakuoh University) | Outline |
| In this lecture, I will relate my personal experience of the Olympic Games from different points of view. The main contents of the lecture will include: 1. Outline of the Olympic Games 2. The Olympic Games and gymnastics 3. Lecture about pursuing sports |
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| Date | May 26, 2010 |
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| Topic | Art museums and Mystery Novels |
| Lecturer | Mr. Tadayasu Sakai (Director, Setagaya Art Museum) | Outline |
| Art museums play many different roles. Art museums can also be seen as places that responds sentivitely to the changing times and society. People from all walks of life have connections with art museums. Forgeries, art thefts are not unheard of. This lecture will talk about art museums from an alternative perspective. |
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| Date | June 2, 2010 |
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| Topic | Enjoy Basic Biology |
| Lecturer | Professor Satoru Kobayashi (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies [Sokendai], National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Science) | Outline |
| I spent more than twenty years at the University of Tsukuba as an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and a fledgling researcher. This was the period when I aspired to become a researcher and fulfilled my aim. I do not know how I managed to survive in this originality-oriented research field as I was not smart nor was my academic record excellent. I would like to talk about what drove me to become a researcher, the tough but wonderful experience I have had as a researcher, and how interesting science is while looking back at my journey. | |
| Date | June 9, 2010 |
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| Topic | Studying History |
| Lecturer | Professor Akira Iriye (Professor Emeritus, Harvard University) | Outline |
| What does studying history mean? What was the history I studied when I went overseas and attended university in the United States of America? What made me decide to become a historian and what were the preparations and attitudes needed in order to come one? These are the topics I will talk about using specific examples. Recommended reading: "Rekishi wo manabu to iukoto" (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho) |
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| Date | June 16, 2010 |
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| Topic | Truth Might Exist in a Minority |
| Lecturer | Professor Naomasa Nakai (Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba) | Outline |
| Many people are against war. While anybody can voice opposition to war after lives have been lost as a result of war, the more important thing is to voice opposition before war starts. The mission of the university is to nurture individuals who can voice opposition to war before one starts. This lecture will discuss this theme using subjects related to astronomy and physics. | |
| Date | June 23, 2010 |
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| Topic | What Society Expects from University Students |
| Lecturer | Mr. Kazumoto Yamamoto (Standing Adviser of Asahi Kasei Corp.) | Outline |
| What society expects from universities are education and research. Society requires students to acquire basic academic ability, expand their knowledge base, and acquire ability in forming hypotheses and verifying them. Today symbiosis and collaboration between countries have become common matters. Students have to not only be well-informed in their specialized fields, they have to be able to conduct free and vigorous discussions with foreigners. | |
| Date | June 30, 2010 |
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| Topic | Cybernics, Frontier to the Future |
| Lecturer | Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai (Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba) |
| Outline | |
| Cybernics, a new domain of interdisciplinary academic field that fuses human, machine and information systems, is becoming perhaps the world's most advanced international educational and research base. This lecture will discuss the frontier of the future through cybernics technology by looking at examples. | |
