Mamoru Fujita Seminar

2020.09.01 / Latin America, Spanish, Ainu, Linguistic Diversity

The core of activities at SFC is the seminar (kenkyukai) . Faculty and students engage in advanced research activities while thinking together, and students develop advanced expertise by tackling real-world problems.

Partly because my own research is interdisciplinary, I offer two seminars: "Thoughts from the South: A Study of Spanish-Speaking Societies and Multilingualism" and "SFC Kotan: Into the World of the Ainu Language Today and its Oral Narratives." Both the Ainu language seminar and the Spanish language seminar have very broad themes. We also welcome students interested in humanistic and social themes beyond these specific languages, so if you look at the students' research topics, they are even broader than the themes set for the seminars. Therefore, we emphasize "cultivating a common axis of intellectual interest" through discussions centered on shared materials, such as readings for our book club and practical Ainu language exercises.

[ Thoughts from the South: A Study of Spanish-Speaking Societies and Multilingualism ]

One area of research is the diversity of language and gender. Spanish has masculine and feminine nouns, which are divided by gender. A debate is spreading that the existence of such a grammatical feature is itself sexist, and a movement is underway in the Spanish-speaking world to change how Spanish is spoken and written. This evolving use of language is called "inclusive language," and a student who just graduated this September undertook a graduation project to create training materials to teach this inclusive Spanish language to undergraduate students. I am very happy that we were able to create materials that could become the foundation for future Spanish language education.

[ SFC Kotan: Into the World of the Ainu Language Today and its Oral Narratives ]

In this seminar, there is a student of Ainu descent who is actively involved in society. This

is not something that could have been taken for granted in Japanese society until now. I believe it is a very new development for a student of Ainu descent to enroll at Keio University. Therefore, since each activity developed here is something that has not existed in Japanese society before, I believe it is important to pursue any ideas that come to mind, and I support them.

There are also other students who go to Nibutani in Hokkaido, where many Ainu people live, to do a semester-long internship at a museum or to conduct repeated interviews. The very reason an Ainu student joined SFC was because of the relationships built with local people through these activities, so I am very grateful to the students.

[ Thoughts from the South: A Study of Spanish-Speaking Societies and Multilingualism ]

The slogan "Multilingual SFC" has existed since its founding, but I want to cultivate individuals who can value the diversity within the Spanish language and the multilingualism within the Spanish-speaking world. In fact, several students are learning Quechua and Basque, and for Basque, a study group has been organized across SFC, Kanagawa University, and Sophia University. A single university has insufficient human resources, but I think it would be interesting if SFC could lead inter-university collaborations.

[ SFC Kotan: Into the World of the Ainu Language Today and its Oral Narratives ]

When the older generation of Ainu and the Wajin (non-Ainu Japanese) living in Hokkaido were children, there must have been people around them who still spoke Ainu. Even if Ainu is no longer used in daily life, memories of the way people spoke, their demeanor, and the landscapes of the era when Ainu was spoken should still remain. I hope to see initiatives emerge where we carefully listen to what young people today think about being Ainu and about the Ainu language. I feel that because we are living in this era, there are things we can do and stories we can hear.

Although we don't have a long history of sending out graduates, it is very interesting to see students emerge who tackle cutting-edge and original themes by combining research areas, and I would say it is one of the great pleasures of teaching at SFC. For example, one student combined the research areas of Spanish and disaster prevention and went on to work for a disaster prevention consulting firm. This student also belonged to Professor Satoko Oki's lab, where they learned about disaster prevention education and how to run workshops, and then went to the Peruvian Andes for a semester of fieldwork. Career paths vary, but every student who has participated in this seminar has left an important mark. I would be happy if the thinking skills they gained in this seminar connect to their future lives.

[ Thoughts from the South: A Study of Spanish-Speaking Societies and Multilingualism ]

Research is mainly conducted individually, but a key feature is the culture of thinking about each person's individual research as a group, stemming from the professor's intention to "not let individual research end with the individual." As a result, discussions are lively, and we often lose track of time while debating.

Furthermore, in our sub-seminar (study time outside the main seminar), we learn academic Spanish, grammar, and more.

Most members of the seminar have taken Intensive Spanish II, but we also have students who have studied sociolinguistics and diversity. It's a gathering of students interested in Spain and Latin America.

[ SFC Kotan: Into the World of the Ainu Language Today and its Oral Narratives ]

Activities are student-led, with students teaching each other and giving presentations.

You can research topics of your own interest rather than a set theme. The condition for joining the seminar is "to entertain Professor Fujita." In reality, research themes are diverse, covering topics such as intergenerational transmission within Ainu families, multi-ethnicity, Okinawan ethnic groups, novels, and Studio Ghibli.

In addition, a major feature is that the professor and students learn from each other interactively. Professor Fujita himself has an attitude of actively learning from students and explores various fields together with them.

During the Ainu language learning sessions, I (Ms. Sekine) serve as the instructor. Drawing on my experience of being born and raised in an Ainu village, when we hold a training camp in my hometown, I make it a point to convey Ainu culture and have the seminar students experience it firsthand.

Maya Sekine Short Documentary (Yahoo! JAPAN Creators Program)

[ Thoughts from the South: A Study of Spanish-Speaking Societies and Multilingualism ]

Through our reading sessions, I've developed the ability to deeply analyze literature. We often read Spanish texts, so my Spanish language skills have improved. Also, after the readings, we receive feedback from the professor and have discussions based on the questions raised, which I believe has helped us develop the ability to deepen our thoughts together.

The seminar is small, but I think a great aspect is that this allows us to form deep connections with various people, including Professor Fujita. Furthermore, since our research is in a niche genre, encountering new discoveries that no one has noticed before is a great motivator.

Based on my experience studying abroad in Panama, I am researching Latin America. When I search for literature and can't find anything, it shows me that my research is on something no one has noticed, which motivates me.

[ SFC Kotan: Into the World of the Ainu Language Today and its Oral Narratives ]

First, you can study and acquire the Ainu language.

Also, there are many opportunities to exchange opinions, and you have to somehow put what you want to convey into words, so you develop an attitude of trying to communicate and the ability to persuade others of your way of thinking. For this reason, many of our senior students, driven by a desire to "convey something" or "send a message to society," go on to jobs where they can continue to express their own thoughts and messages after graduation.

In our reading sessions, one of the seminar's activities, we all read a book, exchange opinions, and think things through together. Since it's a small seminar, everyone has to think with their full effort. The moments when we gain insights or make new discoveries in that process are particularly rewarding and enjoyable.

Mamoru Fujita, Senior Assistant Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Researcher Information Database

Mamoru Fujita Laboratory

Multilingualism is a precious principle that SFC has cultivated since its founding. I believe it is a unique feature of SFC that, despite not being a "university of foreign studies" or having a "faculty of foreign languages," there is a place where one can seriously, deeply, and practically learn and research languages. In SFC's language communication education, we try to avoid the term "foreign language." I want to take this multilingualism a step further and support research that moves toward a world where all languages can coexist as equals and where expression in each language can flourish. Engaging with language in this way inevitably changes one's perspective on society and on humanity. I hope that more peers with this kind of "sensibility" will join us and connect with us. (Professor Mamoru Fujita)

For many, Latin America and the Spanish language may be unfamiliar. I believe the culture, history, and ways of thinking of this unknown world will surely be exciting for you. At SFC, with its nature-rich campus, practical lectures, and unique professors and students, why not join us in conducting research with a critical awareness of the issues? (Mizure Azuma, 3rd year, Faculty of Policy Management, "Thoughts from the South: A Study of Spanish-Speaking Societies and Multilingualism" Seminar)

I applied to SFC for the simple reason that "it seemed interesting." Although my reason for applying was vague, I now know that SFC is a unique place where individual will is respected and where it's possible to balance academics with personal activities. In such an environment, I have been able to explore my own role alongside my peers and lead a fulfilling university life. I am happy that I was able to enroll at SFC. (Maya Sekine, 3rd year, Faculty of Policy Management, and Yuhei Tahara, 3rd year, Faculty of Policy Management, "SFC Kotan: Into the World of the Ainu Language Today and its Oral Narratives" Seminar)

Interview and Production Cooperation: Takeo Kuwabara Seminar PR Team