Every year approximately half of the seminars compliment their weekly class meetings with a two-week long period of fieldwork. Most of these trips are conducted in regions outside Japan, and the research centers on the seminars’ themes. These Field Studies give students an opportunity to directly see with their own eyes the issues they have studied in class, and to test the skills and knowledge that they have acquired. Learning activities might include visits to international organizations connected to the seminar’s theme, discussions with students in visited regions, sociological surveys, and ecotourism. Participants gain a range of experiences by engaging people in each locality. Rather than merely having an intellectual understanding of the seminar’s themes, students learn through personal experiences while continually being challenged by language barriers. This is surely one of the most meaningful periods in college life.

France

• Prof. Namioka: “Social Exclusion and Religious Movements in France”

The United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan

• Prof. Okawa: “Studying Variations of Islam”

Israel

• Prof. Sun: “The International Relations Study of Nationalism and Ethnic Groups”

Jordan

• Prof. Hirayama: “Survey of Syrian Refugees”

Indonesia, East Timor

• Prof. Rai: “Issues with Globalization in South-east Asia”

Korea

• Prof. Abe: “Contemplating Human Rights and Peace in South Korea”
• Prof. Lee: “Studying Methods of Thought and Analysis in the Field of Economics”

Thailand

• Prof. Shigetomi: “Agricultural Villages’ Problems with Development”

Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos

• Prof. Takeo: “What Connects Japan to Vietnam and Laos?”

Shimane

• Prof. Rai: “Studying the Nature of Public in Island and Mountain Regions”

Kumamoto, Miyazaki

• Prof. Hayashi: “Encountering the Daily Life of People Who are Involved in Social Activities”

Okinawa

• Prof. Takahara: “Japan’s Postwar International Relations”
• Prof. Mori: “Reading America Culture from the Perspective of Multi-Culturalism”

America

• Prof. Noguchi: “Visiting the Reservations of Native Americans”