Special Research Projects | Tomohiro Ichinose, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
September 6, 2022
The Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies offer courses called Special Research Projects. These are completely different from other courses and have several unique features: they are held during the summer and spring breaks, their content is based on themes set by the respective instructors, and the credits earned are applied to the following semester (i.e., summer projects count for the fall semester, and spring projects for the spring semester). Furthermore, they do not count toward the semester credit limit, making them recommended for students who want to earn as many credits as possible in a short period. The syllabi are released before the long breaks.
I have offered Special Research Projects every summer and spring, typically as overnight field trips to places rich in nature. I teach courses related to ecology and environmental science, and I believe that seeing things firsthand is extremely important. When I was studying abroad at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, there was a course where we spent one day each week during the spring semester visiting the diverse ecosystems of Bavaria to study its biota. At the end of the semester, there was a field camp in the Alpine region, which was too far for a day trip. This course was designed to help us understand the diverse ecosystems within the state in just six months. It is difficult to offer a similar course at SFC due to curricular constraints. Therefore, I hope to at least introduce students to Japan's unique ecosystems during the long breaks. We have traveled to various parts of Japan, from Shiretoko and Rishiri Island in the north to the Ogasawara Islands and Iriomote Island in the south. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought restrictions on activities involving overnight stays for undergraduate students, making this impossible.
For the first time in three years, it became possible to conduct a Special Research Project with an overnight stay! Although there were various restrictions and conditions, overnight stays for undergraduate students were permitted starting this summer break. So, in late August, I visited eastern Hokkaido with my students. To avoid crowding, enrollment was limited to just four students. With two volunteer students from the Doctoral Programs accompanying us, our fieldwork group totaled seven people. Our destinations included Kushiro Wetland, Lake Akan, Notsuke Peninsula, Lake Furen, Cape Nosappu, Kiritappu Wetland, and Bekanbeushi Wetland. Although it was a rather rushed tour, we were able to encounter the unique ecosystems and biota of each location. We enjoyed seeing animals like the red-crowned crane, white-tailed eagle, Ezo sika deer, and sea otter, as well as plants such as the Ezo daylily, Ezo geranium, beach rose, and Ezo fringed pink. We walked constantly every day, and there were even days with cold, pouring rain, but being out in the field together is truly enjoyable. The accompanying students each had different areas of expertise, so it was also a valuable learning opportunity for me. I hope that the restrictions will be lifted by the next spring break, allowing us to accept more students into the course.
This has turned into an introduction to just my own Special Research Project, but many faculty members offer fascinating courses, and I encourage all undergraduate students to actively take advantage of these opportunities.