Choosing a minor to supplement your study focus at Waseda
Many students think about what major to pursue at university, but what about a minor? Waseda has what’s called a “University-wide minor system” where any undergraduate student can systematically learn a minor subject/field that is different than that of their major. The University’s Global Education Center (GEC) currently offers 23 different minor courses, split into two categories: academic and interdisciplinary. The former would be minors that allow a deeper study of a department different from one’s own; the latter includes minors on important topics of the now, such as gender studies and carbon neutrality. GEC staff member Maki Norikyo explains that the merits of pursuing a minor under this system include gaining a broader perspective and being able to learn a secondary subject/field through a systematically organized curriculum.
The Waseda Weekly team interviewed two students who are scheduled to complete/completed their minor courses. Tomoki Yagishita, a 4th year undergraduate student of the School of Political Science and Economics, pursued an interdisciplinary minor in Urban and Regional Studies, and Takanobu Aoyagi, a 3rd year undergraduate student of the School of Education, is pursuing an academic minor in Political Science. When asked how they chose their majors, Tomoki mentioned he always had an interest in how cities were formed, and had participated in clubs and workshops related to the promotion of local development. Takanobu admitted he has a very curious nature, and even as a high school student, knew that he wanted to study a variety of fields at university to further deepen his major study of education. He chose Political Science after becoming intrigued by Harvard University’s publicly televised and online course “Justice with Michael Sandel.”
Japanese article:https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/feature/2023/01/16/104764/
An unforgettable study abroad experience in France
Though Covid-19 unfortunately derailed her attempts to study abroad twice, Chiho Katsube remained determined. Now a 4th year undergraduate student at the School of Social Sciences, Chiho finally got her chance and was able to study abroad at Sciences Po Bordeaux in France. During her time at the institution, Chiho studied international relations taught in English, and took French language classes twice a week among other classes. One class that stood out to her was EU-Russian Relations, where students formed groups to come up with a decade-long scenario centered on relations between the forementioned entities, including discussing the possibility of actually solving the conflict in Ukraine.
For extracurricular activities, Chiho learned the depths of wine through a winemaking club, which routinely put on winetasting events and vineyard visits. On weekends, she hopped on the TGV, a high-speed rail service, to go on trips to various areas with her friends. Chiho explained that Paris, southern France, and Spain are all relatively easily accessible from Bordeaux, and that she was able to experience the unique cultures of each area. Though her one semester study abroad experience sped by, Chiho felt that the experience allowed her to realize the fun of trying new challenges and leaving her comfort zone.
Japanese article:https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/news/2023/01/19/104828/
