2023 Endowed Courses

This course will feature lectures incorporating cutting-edge leadership research and education from around the world, as well as participatory classes (active learning) that focus on "dialogue" among students. By systematically studying global leadership from both theoretical and practical perspectives, we aim to cultivate individuals who can lead the times and possess the skills for collaboration, dialogue, and decision-making. Furthermore, we will run parallel workshops where groups explore social issues and formulate proposals, putting into practice "jitsugaku (science)" by applying learning to the real world.

The diverse experiences gained through this course will enhance students' communication skills, naturally lead them to confront themselves in their relationships with others, and guide them toward deep reflection on the true purpose of their university life.

For Students

The Keio Global Research Institute (KGRI) offers courses that address cutting-edge issues, with its affiliated faculty members and experts invited from various fields as instructors. One of these, "Fundamentals of Leadership," is a truly living discipline: it involves collaborating with overseas researchers to study the latest leadership theories, feeding the results back into the course as educational content, and further measuring student learning and feeding it back into research as data.

We operate this program with the aim of maximizing KGRI's functions by promoting interdisciplinary research between the humanities and sciences and cross-disciplinary research within the three clusters of "Longevity," "Security," and "Creativity," all while working in close collaboration with related educational and research fields at the university.

1. Offered Courses and Registration Procedures

The course is open to students from all undergraduate faculties and graduate schools and will be held at the Hiyoshi Campus during the fall semester. Please also check for updates on the course's planned social media account. There are no pre-assignments, but a lottery may be held if the number of applicants exceeds capacity.

Additionally, to develop fundamental leadership skills, this course is centered on active learning, and attendance at every class is required in principle. For more details about the course, please watch the video below.

Please note that the order of the sessions may be changed depending on learning effectiveness and progress.

Questions and consultations) are accepted as needed. Please contact us by email at tamuraclass2023[at]gmail.com. When sending, please replace [at] with @.

2. Guidance

Guidance will be provided on-demand.

Digital technology is having a wide-ranging impact on everything from people's lifestyles to economic systems and social governance structures. The magnitude of this impact has a breadth and depth that could be described as the rise of a new civilization. To cultivate human resources who can guide society correctly amidst this major transformation, advanced education based on interdisciplinary and cutting-edge research is necessary. This includes not only technical perspectives but also philosophy, law, economics, and medicine (well-being). This course, based on the knowledge and networks accumulated at the Cyber Civilization Research Center, aims to provide world-class, high-level instruction. With Guest Professor (Global) David Farber as the main supervising professor, and with the participation of faculty members from multiple graduate schools, students will learn about the nature of cyber civilization from multiple perspectives and create new knowledge.

For Students

The Keio Global Research Institute (KGRI), in close collaboration with the university's related educational and research fields, promotes transdisciplinary research integrating humanities and sciences and cross-disciplinary research within its three clusters: 'Longevity,' 'Security,' and 'Creativity.' Against the backdrop of these research activities, KGRI will offer courses that address cutting-edge issues, with KGRI faculty members and experts invited from various fields serving as instructors.

1. Offered Courses and Registration

Attendance at each class is required, as evaluation is based on participation in the lectures.

An overview will be provided during the first lecture.

The order of the scheduled lectures may change due to the availability of guest lecturers. The classes will be held online primarily, but a classroom is scheduled to be available at the Mita campus.

2. Guidance

No guidance session will be held for the 2023 academic year. An overview will be provided during the first lecture.

In recent years, the role and influence of platforms have grown in various areas, including economic transactions, media, social interaction, and public health. This trend is likely to be further accelerated by COVID-19. By appropriately utilizing the data and algorithms they possess, platforms have the potential to solve many of modern society's challenges, such as issues of an aging population, work-style issues (like remote work), and the realization of a sharing economy. While expectations for these capabilities are growing daily, so are concerns about the spread of fake news and defamation through platforms, privacy violations due to profiling, and their dominance in economic markets. In this course, faculty members within Keio and experts well-versed in various interdisciplinary fields across the humanities and sciences will examine the potential, possibilities, functions, and social responsibilities of platforms, incorporating not only technical but also social and humanistic perspectives. Through these lectures and discussions, we will also delve deeply into the future that platforms are pioneering and what a new civilization (cyber civilization) entails.

Furthermore, as platforms transcend national borders, a global perspective is also necessary. Therefore, in the fall semester classes ("Platform Economy and Sustainable Society 2"), we will invite (online) researchers and others from overseas research institutions who are experts in the platform economy to consider the possibilities and challenges brought about by the globalization of platforms. (While it is not mandatory to take "Platform Economy and Sustainable Society 1" in the spring semester and "Platform Economy and Sustainable Society 2" in the fall semester consecutively, it is recommended that you do so.)

We aim to make this cutting-edge 'knowledge,' born from bridging practice and theory, widely available to the students of this Juku, and to cultivate leaders who will guide cyber civilization.

For Students

The Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI), in close collaboration with the university's related education and research fields, promotes transdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research in the three clusters of 'Longevity,' 'Security,' and 'Creativity.' Against the backdrop of these research activities, KGRI offers courses on cutting-edge issues, with its faculty members and invited experts from various fields serving as lecturers.

1. Offered Courses and Registration

As evaluation is based on participation in the course, attendance at each class is required (planned as a hybrid of in-person and online classes). Details will be provided during the guidance session. The order of the scheduled lectures may change depending on the availability of guest lecturers. Additionally, classes may be held entirely online depending on the situation. Please note that while it is not mandatory to take "Platform Economy and Sustainable Society 1" in the spring semester and "Platform Economy and Sustainable Society 2" in the fall semester consecutively, it is recommended that you do so.

Class Format

Spring Semester: Online classes (primarily real-time)

Fall Semester: Online classes (primarily on-demand)

2. Guidance Session

Spring Semester: April 4, 2023 (Tue) 6th period, 18:10 - 19:40

*Online (real-time or on-demand)

*The fall semester will be online (on-demand).

With societal changes due to a declining workforce and an aging population, it is believed that by 2040, various social issues on an unprecedented scale—the “2040 Problem”—will become even more severe. These include slowing economic growth, inequality in access to medical care, an increase in foreign workers, and the magnified impact of disasters and infectious diseases. In line with this, as the goods, services, and values that have traditionally supported society and earned our trust are being forced to be reconsidered, expectations are currently placed on the potential of scientific technologies such as AI, genomic medicine, implantable devices, and platforms to improve our lives—the convenience of daily life, productivity in economic life, sustainability of healthy life expectancy, and diversity of life courses. On the other hand, our trust in these scientific technologies is not supported solely by the safety and usefulness of the products. For example, ethics in the technology development process (animal testing, working environments, etc.), elimination of the potential for misuse of technology, and consideration for the environment, user human rights, and diversity are no longer just added value but are becoming essential elements for embedding trust in the product itself. So, what specific considerations are required, and how can they be implemented in the product? To consider this, it will also be necessary to conduct an in-depth examination of why such considerations are required in the first place, while imagining the society of 2040.

In this course, we will examine the potential for technological innovation to address various social issues, as well as methods of social implementation and the ethical appropriateness and legal legitimacy required to ensure trust in such technologies and maximize their effectiveness, thereby considering a Trust Based Society in 2040. This will be done by incorporating not only technical perspectives from the fields of science and technology and medical sciences but also social and humanistic viewpoints. Specifically, we will conduct classes featuring lectures and discussions by experts for each issue where the re-creation of trust is in question.

The class will proceed with lectures by researchers from within Keio and outside and practitioners involved in social implementation, group discussions among class participants, and plenary discussions including the lecturers. In addition, students will learn analytical methods based on systems and design thinking, and multiple workshops will be held where participants propose solutions for imagining trust. Furthermore, as globalization progresses, efforts to address the erosion and re-creation of trust overseas are influencing Japanese society. Therefore, depending on the theme, we plan to invite lecturers from abroad.

In this course, in response to the “2040 Problem,” we aim to cultivate leaders who can search for and propose solutions in real time while leveraging their own expertise, having a multifaceted perspective, and engaging in dialogue with experts from other fields and the real world. To this end, we will not only reflect the progress of research activities at KGRI in the class but also develop classes that emphasize discussions among participants and with practitioners. We hope to imagine and create the society we will live in from now on.

For Students

The Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI), in close collaboration with the university's related educational and research fields, has launched the “2040 Independence and Self-Respect Project” to promote interdisciplinary research integrating humanities and sciences and cross-disciplinary research. Against the backdrop of these research activities, courses that address cutting-edge issues will be offered, with KGRI faculty members and experts invited from various fields serving as lecturers.

1. Offered Courses and Registration Information

As evaluation is based on participation in the course, attendance at every class is required. As a general rule, the course will be taken online (live streaming), but depending on circumstances, some class sessions may be held in a classroom or offered on-demand. Details will be explained during the guidance session.

The order of the scheduled lectures may change depending on the availability of guest lecturers.

Please note that while it is not mandatory to take the Spring Semester course “MUFG Endowed Course: Re-creating ‘Trust’ for a Sustainable Society—Beyond ‘2040’ 1” and the Fall Semester course “MUFG Endowed Course: Re-creating ‘Trust’ for a Sustainable Society—Beyond ‘2040’ 2” consecutively, it is recommended to do so.

2. Guidance Session Spring Semester: April 4, 2023 (Tue) 13:00–14:30

*Online (real-time or on-demand)

*Students of affiliated schools should use this form to apply for course auditing.