The New Normal | Hajime Miyamaki, Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School of Media and Governance
2020.04.28
The spring semester is finally beginning. The quiet, nearly empty campus remains just as empty, but a great deal of communication is starting all at once online.
As for me, while wondering about the masks that are supposed to be distributed in our mailboxes, I'm pondering what to do with my own classes. This is probably a daily reality for any instructor right now.
One of my classes, a three-hour course on research methods, can no longer be conducted as it was until last year, with its research exercises (requiring long periods of face-to-face contact) and analysis work (involving intense group work). On second thought, the essence of research methods isn't limited to just that, so this should be an opportunity to shift my perspective. I know this, but old habits die hard, so I must first confront them. Amidst this, I've had new realizations and feel grateful for this unexpected opportunity to relearn.
My mind also wanders to slightly irrelevant things. For example, I wonder if instructors who always wear a tie will change into a suit even when teaching from home for online classes. And do people clean their rooms to make sure nothing strange appears in the background? It must be very difficult for those raising children to work from home. In my house, Hana-chan (my eight-year-old cat) would surely interrupt by meowing and jumping in front of the screen, as if to say, "What's this interesting thing you're doing?" And what about the students? Aren't they probably munching on snacks while attending class? (Oh, wait, that happens in regular classes too...). As I imagine all these things, I realize that online classes are connected to the stories unfolding outside the screen's frame, and the tension I had built up on my own has started to ease.
In this way, my essential preparations are not progressing at all, but since our leader has firmly issued the declaration that "SFC will deliver the best classes!" , I can't afford to be so leisurely. Given the high diversity at SFC, the nature of our classes must also be diverse, and the faculty and staff of SFC, including many part-time instructors, are all experimenting to figure out how to achieve their own "best."
In particular, my colleagues have been working with literally sleepless devotion to build the system, and we are already reaping the benefits. A campus has many functions, and these days I am reminded of just how many things could only be done face-to-face. However, even if there are shortcomings, I strongly believe that the true spirit of SFC lies not in clinging to the current framework and thinking of reasons not to do something, but in pooling our wisdom across fields and positions to figure out how to make things possible, and then putting it into practice. In fact, I'm sure this is true for all universities, and I want to believe that this is what a university is all about. This is one area where there is no need for restraint.
It's not just universities. People all over the world are pooling their wisdom and working hard to "keep society functioning without direct face-to-face contact." It's no exaggeration to call this the construction of a new social system, but it can also be described as days of re-examining our small habits. Of course, even at this moment, there are people working desperately on the front lines, and others who are supporting them. Amidst all this, our classes are starting. Our research also continues. To be honest, there is uncertainty and there are various constraints, but the preciousness and value of being able to do these things is irreplaceable. There is no need to bring up that famous anecdote about Wayland's economics textbook at Shiba Shinsenza .
It's a little later than usual, but to all new undergraduate and graduate students, welcome to SFC. And to our current students, welcome back. Although the format is different from usual, we welcome you all with the same heartfelt spirit. For a while, our meetings and reunions will be on small, two-dimensional screens, but let's use our imagination for each other's daily lives and for the society to come, and engage in the rich communication that is possible now.