Special Lectures of the University of Tsukuba 2009

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, be 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 (Promotion Office of Liberal Education, Facilitator: Professor Ishikawa Motoo)
Period: The 1st trimester
Time/date: 6th period (16:45-18:00), Wednesday
Place: University Hall, University of Tsukuba
Course Evaluation: Report, Attendance

Date	April 15, 2009
Title	University and Society
Lecturer	Professor Yoshitake Hiromichi (Graduate School of Business Sciences)
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 22, 2009
Topic	The Frontier to the Future, Cross-disciplinary Research on Cybernics
Lecturer	Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai (Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering)
Outline
Cybernics, a new horizon that explores the relationship among humans, machines, and information, 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.

Date	May 8, 2009
Topic	From Words to Mind, and to Brain
Lecturer	Professor Yukio Otsu (Keio Institute of Cultural & Linguistic Studies)
Outline
When we consider words as one of the systems which control the mind, there are a lot of possibilities. What sort of characters 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.

Date	May 13, 2009
May 8, 2008	Truth Might Exist in a Minority
Lecturer	Professor Naomasa Nakai (Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences)
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	May 20, 2009
Topic	Learning and University
Lecturer	President Nobuhiro Yamada
Outline
Japan's economic and social issues in an increasingly globalized world will be outlined through his business experience in the management and reorganization of the company. What is needed from universities for future human society and how human resource should be nurtured in university will be talked about from the perspective of university reform. Based on these themes, personal views on the meaning of learning in university will be talked about and the issue will be raised to students.

Date	May 27, 2009
Topic	Why Study History? - To Understand Political Diplomacy -
Lecturer	Professor Masayuki Yamauchi (Department of Area Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo)
Outline
Using historical events in political diplomacy in Japanese history and world history as subject material, the objective is to think about the meaning of learning history. The following topics will be reviewed through political diplomacy during the Anglo-Satsuma War and World War II: -What sort of profession is that of politicians and diplomats? -Tensions between political diplomacy and academic science -Differences in the interpretation of history between the winner and loser -Meaning of historians and readers living during such "interesting times"

Date	June 3, 2009
May 29, 2008	Enjoy the 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, graduate student, and 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 10, 2009
Topic	My Olympic Games
Lecturer	Professor Sawao Kato (Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences)
Outline
In this lecture, I will relate my Olympic Games from a different point 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

Date	June 17, 2009
Topic	Art and Society
Lecturer	Professor Masanori Aoyagi (Director of the National Museum of Western Art)
Outline
During the Classical Greek period, which was a time when the arts combined with religion, or during European Middle Ages, when Christianity ruled society, although the expression of the arts was not vast the arts played a significant role. For the general population who were illiterate, the arts were the medium through which the gospels of Christianity were taught. In the modern world, while the expression field of art has become wider, the role of arts in society has become less and less significant. In this course, the focus is on the historical transition of the arts and the changing relationship between the arts and society.

Date	June 24, 2009
Topic	What Society Expects from University Students
Lecturer	Mr. Yamamoto Kazumoto (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.

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