The Center for On-Site Education and Research (COSER)

 The Center for On-Site Education plays a core role in the Unit’s activities. It offers six educational programs under three “Divisions,” as below. There is a further, fourth division, which is related to career development.

 

•  Division of Output and Communication Training

1. Training program for Asian and African languages: Training designed to improve researchers’ fluency in the language of their area of research and to enhance their understanding of the area, and to help them conduct their fieldwork or internships effectively.

 2. Training on Research Presentation: Training in writing up research proposals and making presentations in English, with researchers in overseas institutions and persons in other relevant bodies and organizations as advisors.

 

• Division of On-Site Education

3. Fieldwork: Students practice methods of on-site education and research based on the experience of fieldwork conducted at field stations in various countries. With its own manual of on-site education methods, the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies has developed a study program that enables students to have experiences abroad while respecting their initiative as much as possible. The Center for On-Site Education and Research then shares the experience and know-how gained with other departments and institutes at Kyoto University.

 4. “Field Schools”: Students give research presentations, and faculty of Kyoto University and overseas partner universities, and people from international organizations, NPOs, etc. who have been active in various parts of the globe, give on-site lectures and lead on-site seminars. Each school deals with themes that are of close relevance to the locality where the school is held.

 

•  Division of International Joint Research

5. Internship: Students are dispatched on internships to international organizations or overseas education and research institutions, where they receive a training in communication skills in English or other languages used in the United States and Europe.

 6. International Research-Group Program for Graduate Students: International joint research conducted by groups of Kyoto University graduate students from a range of years and across departments with other graduate students and young researchers from overseas partner universities. Each group proposes large cross-disciplinary research themes, into which students then fit their own smaller research topics. They then conduct their research from comparative perspectives. The experience of organizing and holding workshops in Japan and abroad allows students to develop high-level communication skills. Research findings are published, with respect being given to students’ initiative, and help is provided by COSER and Kyoto University faculty members who serve as advisors in the publication process.

 

• Division of Career Development

The Division of Career Development provides career development support to the “global talents” produced by the six educational programs outlined above, and ensures that the courses offered attend to the abilities required in global talents, based on opinions given by a wide number of people in industry, government and academia.

 

 

SHIGETA, Masayoshi

Director of the Center for On-Site Education and Research