| 1. |
Macro Empirical Analysis and Determining Primary Aims in Industrial Policy Formulation |
Speaker: Yamada Tetsuo (Consultant to the UN; Former Head and Chief Statistician for the UN Development Organization)
4/17 Lecture
"Methodology of Macro Empirical Analysis and the Theory of Competitive Advantage"
Globalization and the world citizen; Sustainable macro and industrial policy in the developing world.
4/20 Lecture
"Statistical Methodology for Making Statistical Indices"
Targeting through industrial policy; Comparative national frameworks for industrial policy in different sectors.
4/24 Lecture
"UN Statistical Data:Strengths and Weaknesses"
UN Statistical Data
5/22 Group Presentations
"A Comparative Assessment of Turkey and Malaysia: Macro Empirical Analysis and Primary Aims in Industrial Policy Formulation" and Assessment
Students split up into two groups for Malaysia (Group 1) and Turkey (Group 2). Using a variety of statistical indices for each country, they did macro empirical analysis and determined the primary aims for industrial policy for each country. They then presented their findings, had a discussion, and received evaluations from the lecturer.
| 2. |
English Presentation/Debate Practice |
Each student gave a presentation about his or her master's program and master's dissertation, regarding objectives, significance, societal value, etc. in English (15 minutes each). Students also responded in English to questions and participated in discussions regarding their presentations (30 minutes each).
The presentation schedule is listed below:
5/29 Hashimoto, Yagi
6/5 Hayashi, Aoki
6/26 Azechi, Enoki
7/3 Shima, Shangdi
| 3. |
ICT Government Policy Proposals (4/10) |
Speaker: Terasaki Akira (Former Deputy Director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
Lecture and discussion regarding such topics as: What is government policy?; Challenges and policies relating to the Japanese economy; Contributions by ICT; The globalization of industry; International standards and keys to success; Business operations ("the cloud"); ICT activities in agricultural and education; "Smart city" initiatives; The research for and creation of the next growth industries; The introduction of the "common number system" and the digitization of administration.
| 4. |
"World Future Energy Summit" Reports and the Future of Energy Policy (5/8) |
Speaker: Kobayashi Hiroshi (GLOCOL International University of Japan)
Reports were given by attendees of the summit, which took place Abu Dhabi, and a lecture was given on related national energy trends. Afterward, a discussion of these and other topics was held.
| 5. |
Discussion with Young Professors with International Experience (6/12) |
| Speakers: |
Yamada Isao (Science and Engineering) |
| |
Sugiyama Masashi (Computer Science) |
What is necessary for a researcher's work to have an international scope and for him to exhibit leadership qualities? The two professors led a discussion using examples from their own work and experience.
| 6. |
Game Theory and Its Applications in Economics (7/10) |
Speaker: Muto Shigeo (Applied Science and Engineering)
The lecture covered different applications of game theory in economics. Topics included: The fundamentals of game theory (the mathematical theory of decision making in situations in which there are multiple decision makers); Non-cooperative game theory; The prisoners' dilemma; Axelrod’s Experiment; The Nash Equilibrium; The Cournot-Nash equilibrium; and the Stackelberg Equilibrium.
| 7. |
Relationships and Communication (7/17) |
Speaker: Prof. Go Yoshida (Nagoya University)
The importance of decision making (government policy, decision making); Making cogent decisions as leaders and in relationships; The four aspects of human decision making: physical, mental/intellectual, emotional/social, and spiritual; Strategic thinking; Various restrictions and value systems and their relationship with decision making. The lecture utilized a video in English and attendees participated in a discussion in English.
| 8. |
Group Discussions and Presentations:
"What should be done in order to get university students in Japan to study harder?" (7/24, 8/7) |
Compared to their American and European counterparts, Japanese university students have a reputation for not studying very much. This includes in the reading intensive liberal arts as well. How hard one studies in university has a big influence on his or her future. This is especially true in an increasingly competitive globalized world. Even if Japan attempts to internationalize its universities, top foreign students will not come to universities where education is not taken seriously. Students split up into two groups and came up with ideas on how to improve this situation. They had discussions and made presentations, and based on these, held a discussion with the entire group. The results were collected in the below list.
List: Why University Students in Japan Do Not Study: Causes and Solutions
| |
Reasons/Causes |
Solutions |
| Students |
| ● |
Do not understand the significance of university study (don't make the effort to understand). |
| ● |
Do not understand what connection their studies will have for their futures. |
| ● |
It is easy to earn credits and graduate without studying. |
| ● |
Do not think that studying helps with finding a job. |
| ● |
Are not interested in their studies. |
| ● |
Hard work is not appreciated. |
| ● |
Students that study hard are labelled "nerds". |
| ● |
Do not feel a financial burden. |
| ● |
Long school commutes. |
| ● |
Busy with part-time jobs. |
|
| ○ |
Increase homework and workload; increase time for independent study. |
| ○ |
Remove upper limit on the number of courses that students can take. |
| ○ |
Expand system of long-term internships. |
| ○ |
Build dorms. |
| ○ |
Expand financial aid programs. |
|
Teaching
Staff |
| ● |
Do not give classes that motivate students to study. |
| ● |
Do not teach about the significance between scholarship and society. |
| ● |
Students do not feel the teacher's enthusiasm for the subject matter. |
| ● |
Do not take into account students' opinions and evaluations. |
|
| ○ |
Increase teaching incentives through faculty development, etc. |
| ○ |
Increase the number of TAs. |
| ○ |
Stop giving unnecessary tests and evaluations. |
| ○ |
Have separate administrations for research and teaching. |
| ○ |
Increase the number of teachers and staff with real world experience. |
|
| Society |
| ● |
When hired, what students learned in university is not valued. |
| ● |
The entrance exams do not reflect of the true nature of scholarship. |
|
| ○ |
For businesses, to take into account what students learn and their grades when hiring. |
| ○ |
Process for applying to universities and content should be changed. |
| ○ |
The petrified concept that university education is only for those who have just graduated from high school needs to change; students with real world experience should be more highly esteemed. Society should change so that only students with a motivation to study go to university. |
|
| Students |
| Reasons/Causes |
| ● |
Do not understand the significance of university study (don't make the effort to understand). |
| ● |
Do not understand what connection their studies will have for their futures. |
| ● |
It is easy to earn credits and graduate without studying. |
| ● |
Do not think that studying helps with finding a job. |
| ● |
Are not interested in their studies. |
| ● |
Hard work is not appreciated. |
| ● |
Students that study hard are labelled "nerds". |
| ● |
Do not feel a financial burden. |
| ● |
Long school commutes. |
| ● |
Busy with part-time jobs. |
|
| Solutions |
| ○ |
Increase homework and workload; increase time for independent study. |
| ○ |
Remove upper limit on the number of courses that students can take. |
| ○ |
Expand system of long-term internships. |
| ○ |
Build dorms. |
| ○ |
Expand financial aid programs. |
|
| Teaching Staff |
| Reasons/Causes |
| ● |
Do not give classes that motivate students to study. |
| ● |
Do not teach about the significance between scholarship and society. |
| ● |
Students do not feel the teacher's enthusiasm for the subject matter. |
| ● |
Do not take into account students' opinions and evaluations. |
|
| Solutions |
| ○ |
Increase teaching incentives through faculty development, etc. |
| ○ |
Increase the number of TAs. |
| ○ |
Stop giving unnecessary tests and evaluations. |
| ○ |
Have separate administrations for research and teaching. |
| ○ |
Increase the number of teachers and staff with real world experience. |
|
| Society |
| Reasons/Causes |
| ● |
When hired, what students learned in university is not valued. |
| ● |
The entrance exams do not reflect of the true nature of scholarship. |
|
| Solutions |
| ○ |
For businesses, to take into account what students learn and their grades when hiring. |
| ○ |
Process for applying to universities and content should be changed. |
| ○ |
The petrified concept that university education is only for those who have just graduated from high school needs to change; students with real world experience should be more highly esteemed. Society should change so that only students with a motivation to study go to university. |
|
