2024 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 the principle of jitsugaku (science)—applying learning to the real world.

The diverse experiences gained through this course will enhance students' communication skills, lead them to naturally confront themselves within 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 to feed it back into research as data.

We operate this program with the aim of maximizing KGRI's functions by promoting transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research while closely collaborating with related educational and research fields at the university.

1. Course Offerings and Registration

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 from the course's planned SNS account. There are no prerequisite 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) We are available as needed. Please contact us by email at keioleadershipcenter[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 the governance structures of society, and 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 cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research is necessary, encompassing not only technological perspectives but also philosophy, law, economics, and medicine (well-being). This course is designed to offer world-class instruction based on the knowledge and networks accumulated at the Cyber Civilization Research Center. With Professor Farber, a Guest Professor (Global), as the primary instructor, and with the participation of faculty from multiple graduate schools, students will learn about the multifaceted nature of cyber civilization and engage in the creation of new knowledge.

For Students

The Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI) is a university-wide research organization that transcends faculties and graduate schools, aiming to promote pioneering, interdisciplinary research that integrates the humanities and sciences, disseminate research outcomes both domestically and internationally, and foster international collaboration. Against this backdrop, we offer courses that address cutting-edge issues, with faculty members from KGRI and experts invited from various fields serving as instructors.

1. Offered Courses and Registration

Since evaluation is based on participation in the course, attendance at every class is required.

An overview will be provided in the first lecture.

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

2. Guidance

Guidance for the 2024 academic year will not be held. An overview will be provided in the first lecture.

With the social transformation driven by a declining labor force and an aging population, it is anticipated that by 2040, a variety of 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 the spread of infectious diseases. Consequently, as the goods, services, and values that have traditionally supported society and earned our trust are being re-evaluated, expectations are now placed on the potential of science and technology—such as AI, genomic medicine, implantable devices, and platforms—to improve our lives: the convenience of daily life, productivity in economic life, the sustainability of healthy life expectancy, and the diversity of life courses. On the other hand, our trust in these technologies is not supported solely by the safety and utility of the products. For instance, ethics in the technology development process (e.g., animal testing, labor environments), the elimination of potential for misuse, and consideration for the environment, user human rights, and diversity are no longer just added value but are becoming essential elements for instilling trust in the product itself. So, what specific considerations are required, and how can they be implemented in products? To address this, it will also be necessary to delve deeper and examine why such considerations are required in the first place, while imagining the society of 2040.

In this course, while incorporating not only technical perspectives from the fields of science and technology and medical sciences but also social and humanistic viewpoints, we will explore the potential for technological innovation to address various social issues. We will also examine methods of social implementation, ethical appropriateness, and legal legitimacy to ensure trust in such technologies and maximize their effectiveness, thereby considering a Trust Based Society for 2040. Specifically, the course will consist of lectures and discussions led by experts on each issue where the re-creation of trust is being questioned.

Classes will proceed with lectures by researchers from within and outside Keio and practitioners involved in social implementation, group discussions among participants, and plenary discussions that include the lecturers. We will also learn analytical methods based on system and design thinking and hold multiple workshops where participants propose solutions for imagining trust. Additionally, as globalization progresses and the erosion and re-creation of trust overseas affect Japanese society, we plan to invite lecturers from abroad depending on the theme.

In this course, we aim to cultivate leaders who can address the "2040 Problem" by not only leveraging their own expertise but also adopting a multifaceted perspective, seeking and proposing solutions in real-time through dialogue with experts from other fields and with society at large. To achieve this, we will reflect the progress of research activities conducted at KGRI in the course, develop classes that emphasize discussions among participants and with practitioners, and aim to imagine and create the society we will live in.

For Students

The Keio 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 the humanities and sciences and cross-disciplinary research. Against the backdrop of these research activities, we are establishing a course that addresses cutting-edge issues, with KGRI faculty members and experts invited from various fields serving as lecturers.

1. Offered Courses and Registration Policies

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 via live streaming, but some class sessions may be held in a classroom or offered on-demand depending on circumstances). Details will be provided at the guidance session.

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

While it is not mandatory to take both the spring semester's "MUFG Endowed Course: Re-creating 'Trust' for a Sustainable Society—Beyond '2040' 1" and the fall semester's "MUFG Endowed Course: Re-creating 'Trust' for a Sustainable Society—Beyond '2040' 2" consecutively, doing so is recommended.

2. Guidance

Fall Semester: None

*Online (real-time or on-demand)

*Students from affiliated schools wishing to audit the course should apply using this application form.