Japan-U.S.Educational Commission

Fulbright Seminar

The "Fulbright Seminars" are held every two months. The seminars feature talks by American or Japanese Fulbrighters in areas of their professional expertise. The seminars are open to the general public and we invite everyone to these stimulating gatherings to hear about the eye-opening accomplishments of our grantees.

Date	Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:00pm to 3:30pm 2:00 - 3:00 pm : Introduction and presentation 3:00 - 3:30 pm : Q&A 3:30 pm: Adjournment
Speaker:	Dr. Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak Associate Professor Departments of Asian Studies and Political Science St. Olaf College 2009-10 Fulbright Researcher at University of Tokyo, Institute of Social Science
Topic	"Higher education and citizenship in Japan"
Place	Conference room, Japan-U.S. Educational Commission 207 Sanno Grand Building, 2-14-2 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0014
Fee	Free (up to the first 50 registered persons)
Language	English (no Japanese interpretation service available)

"Higher education and citizenship in Japan"

Many different institutions craft ideals of good citizenship. After a decade of rigorous research on Japanese civil society, we know what ideals non-profit and non-governmental organizations want Japanese people to embrace: activism, environmentalism, and peaceful internationalism feature prominently among them. Research on schools relates the continued importance teachers give to promoting group orientation and community service. Research on government policies reveals growing interest within the bureaucracy in encouraging volunteerism. We do not, however, know much the ideals of citizenship crafted within Japanese universities. In this research seminar, I will present evidence that Japanese universities have returned to the task of raising good citizens, after several decades’ resignation to the role of matching young people with appropriate jobs. I will describe the ideals of responsible, good citizenship presented by universities that have received support through the Ministry of Education’s “Good Practices” programs. My preliminary findings show a widespread commitment to encouraging local engagement, productive use of one’s special skills and knowledge, and an ability to bridge different groups and interests.


Fulbright Grant Program
The Japan-United States Educational Commission
207 Sanno Grand Building, 14-2 Nagata-cho 2cho-me, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0014
TEL: 03-3580-3233 (M-F 9:00am - 5:30pm)
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