Course Description
Course format: Each class is centered on presentations by groups of about 5–10 students designated in advance, followed by questions and answers with the other students.
Learning overview: In one of his books, historian Tadami Chizuka writes, "The study of history is not a system of knowledge that has already been established, but a living organism that is constantly changing its face, exploring new fields, reviewing objects from different perspectives, and inventing new methods and borrowing from adjacent sciences. However, as long as it remains an academic discipline, there will exist a basic framework that does not change.” In this course, we discuss the basic properties that form the framework of history, as pointed out by Tadami Chizuka.
Course plan: In this course, students are divided into three groups: presenters, designated discussants, and other students. At the beginning of each class, the group in charge of the presentation that day will be asked to present using slides prepared in advance. After the presentation, the 90-minute class proceeds with a Q&A session with the designated discussants, a Q&A session with the other students, and supplementary explanations from the instructor.
All students will be required to be presenters and designated discussants at least once; accordingly, all students will be required to prepare presentation slides in advance, practice their presentation, and come up with questions.
We are looking for students with a clear intention to study history and a proactive attitude toward learning.