Dean's message

On behalf of the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies, first of all, I, as the Dean, would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new students' entrance to our school.
It is a delightful beginning in this semester for the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies or GSAPS to welcome a total of 83 new entrants who bring with them a diverse cultural and national background. Out of this number, we have 71 MA students and 12 doctoral students.

The 71 MA students are from 19 different countries, ranging from those in East Asia, South East Asia, and Central Asia to the United States, seven European countries and the African country, Kenya; all of which add to the richer and more diverse environment of our school. Among these students, there are 39 male students and 32 female students.
Additionally, we also welcome new 12 doctoral students from 7 countries of Asia and Europe, 9 of which are male and 3 are female students.
Thanks to the regional and cultural diversity brought in by students from various parts of the world, GSAPS truly becomes an ideal place for fruitful research activity. And not only is such diversity a big advantage to the students, but also to the faculty.

I, as a specialist in Thai Contemporary History and Politics, can reflect that particular merit from my own direct experience. Last year, while in the middle of research on Communist activism in the 1930s of some Vietnamese residing in Thailand, I was able to write an academic paper utilizing materials in 9 different languages;Thai, Lao, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, French, and English.
I completed the paper without relying on anyone else's assistance but my GSAPS colleagues and students. Just by the rich human resources within GSAPS, I could analyze the research materials in 9 languages!

As for your research, the essential facility is the library. From my point of view, Waseda library network is one of Waseda University's several world-class qualities.
Speaking from my actual experiences with several university libraries, Waseda's is assuredly the biggest and the best of all university libraries in Japan. It is even commendable as one of the best in the world.
With such a blessing setting, I hope that all of you will make the most out of this exceptionally favorable environment at GSAPS to produce excellent research results.

At the same time, I would also like to encourage you to profoundly engage in a particular field that Japan could offer while observing Japanese society in depth. That may include traditional culture such as Japanese tea ceremony and calligraphy, or contemporary issues such as the whereabouts of the aged society with fewer children. Anything that matches your interest will do.

Ladies and Gentlemen, while two thirds of the 83 new students in this semester will take courses in English and plan to write their theses in English, one third will carry out both of them in Japanese.
Among the new students, if classified by nationality, there are only 10 native speakers of English and 8 native speakers of Japanese. In other words, out of the 84 new entrants, 65 of them or 77 percent, who is neither English nor Japanese native speakers, will take courses in a non-native language. Even in that seemingly ordinary undertaking, one must exert himself assiduously over a long period of time.

However, this very "invaluable opportunity" to live outside one's homeland over a long span to conduct research is a hard-earned advantage. "To nurture the ability of deep discernment of different societies and cultures through this opportunity, rather than the superficial contact" is indeed my expectation to you that I previously expressed.

Once again, it is my sincere hope that all of the new students gain enjoyable and meaningful experiences in various ways at GSAPS, as well as excellently completing their degrees in 2 or 3 years from now. Please give it your all!

(Opening Speech by Prof. Eiji Murashima, Dean of Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies Entrance Ceremony on September 21, 2010)

Eiji, MURASHIMA
Dean of GSAPS