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”

Germany

• Prof. Kubota: “How do we face ‘Dark History’?”

America

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

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”

Korea

• Prof. Abe: “Contemplating Human Rights and Peace in South Korea”
• Prof. Bae: “Cultivating an International Perspective by Learning about Korean Society, History, and Culture”

Singapore

• Prof. Aoyagi: “Experiential Learning in Multicultural Coexistence”

Thailand

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

Shizuoka, Mie, Wakayama, Nara, Kumamoto

• Prof. Hirayama: “Localization, particularly Experiential Learning in Eco-Villages”

Shimane

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

Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki

• Prof. Hayashi: “Considering How to Engage with Local Resources”, “Understanding the Enjoyment and Importance of Food”

Okinawa

• Prof. Aoyagi: “From Popular Okinawa to Living Okinawa: A Paradigm Shift”
• Prof. Konya: “Considering the Coexistence of the Sea and Humanity”
• Prof. Mori: “Reading American Culture from the Perspective of Multi-Culturalism”