"Pass/Fail Judgment by 'Tacit Understanding'" | Tomoyuki Kojima (Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management)
2005.01.27
From January through March is the busiest season for the university. Final exams have already begun, entrance examinations are on February 13 for the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, the 19th for the Faculty of Policy Management, and the 20th for the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies. The graduation ceremony is on March 23, and we must also prepare for the entrance ceremony on April 3.
Although I am now in the position of administering and grading exams, I still sometimes recall my student days of taking exams and being graded. Perhaps it is the shameful regret of having always managed to scrape by with last-minute cramming that brings back these memories. One exam I remember with a cold sweat is the entrance examination for the Doctoral Programs.
In April 1969, I entered the Doctoral Programs at Keio University's graduate school. The entrance examination at that time was not as formalized as it is today, consisting of an English test, a second foreign language test, and an interview. I felt I could manage the written English exam, but the problem was the second foreign language test. I had been teaching myself Chinese for my research on Chinese politics, but it was not one of the subjects for the second foreign language exam. Therefore, I had no choice but to select German, which I had taken in the liberal arts curriculum, but I had completely neglected it since completing the course. The test was to be conducted during the interview, so I resigned myself to winging it. When I entered the interview room, my mentor, Professor Tadao Ishikawa, was waiting for me, along with Professor Kikuo Nakamura, a researcher of Japanese political history, and Professor Masuki Tada, a researcher of German political thought.
Then, a miracle happened. Just as the German test was about to begin, Professor Tada said, "Mr. Kojima has taken my graduate seminar, and I am well aware of his academic abilities, so there is no need for him to take the German test, is there?" My mentor, Professor Ishikawa, naturally insisted, "Please test him like the other students." It's a distant memory now, but there must have been a brief discussion. In the end, my German proficiency was certified without an examination, and I successfully passed into the Doctoral Programs. I still remember the immense relief I felt.
This form of examination may not have been unusual for internal advancements at the time. The idea is that if a student's ability can be judged through long-term guidance and observation, pass/fail decisions can be made with a "tacit understanding." I hope that someday at SFC, we can also make pass/fail judgments based on this kind of "tacit understanding." I can only express my deepest gratitude to Professor Tada.
Now, that connection to Professor Tada is being revived. I have been appointed as a director of the Masuda Education Foundation, where the late Professor Magofuku, who was the first Administrative Director of SFC and a professor at the Faculty of Policy Management, served as chairman. The Masuda Education Foundation has long supported international students, and SFC's international students have also benefited from its assistance. The founder of this foundation is Mr. Masaji Masuda, who now resides in Switzerland. Upon my appointment as a director, I was to meet him at the Imperial Hotel, his regular lodging. Mr. Masuda is a distinguished senior alumnus of Keio University, and during our meal, he mentioned that he had been a student of Professor Tada and had even served as his attendant at his wedding. I had no choice but to accept the directorship. If the foundation could also support things like overseas fieldwork for SFC students, not just international students, then not only I, but also the students of SFC, would indirectly benefit from Professor Tada's "tacit understanding."
(Published: 2005/01/27)