TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Course description and aims

What kind of "liberal arts" should Ph.D. students of Tokyo Tech (Tokyo Institute of Technology) learn? Scientific research at the top level of the world requires several key competences: (1) extensive knowledge beyond his/her own discipline, (2) transferring skills and creativity to use other fields’ research, (3) interdisciplinary ability and spirit to build his/her own network with diverse fields of specialists.
In order to learn "liberal arts", students will receive lectures by specialists of diverse fields, work in small-groups, and give presentations. The aim of this course is to create the forum which facilitates knowledge exchange among Ph.D.students. Students will learn the trends of advanced and interdisciplinary research and how to collaborate with diverse fields of scholars.
All Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses are managed in the same way independent of the Language indication(Japanese / English).
Foreign students can register this class (ability to speak Japanese is not required).
Communication with students working in different academic fields as well as communication with foreign students in English will be required.

Student learning outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) have their own ideas and visions of "liberal arts."
2) understand lectures given by specialists who conduct advanced and interdisciplinary studies.
3) Communicate in English with students from different fields/countries in groups.
4) present the results of their group work in the postal presentation style.
5) develop leadership, abilities to conduct interdisciplinary research, and communication skills.

Keywords

Liberal arts, Interdisciplinary collaboration

Competencies that will be developed

Class flow

Up to 280 students can register for Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses 3 and 6 in total in 4Q. In case over 280 students apply for the courses, registration will be restricted (See "Prerequisites" and "Note" below).
Two successive sessions will take place on every other Saturday basically.

Course schedule/Required learning

Textbook(s)

None required.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None required.

Assessment criteria and methods

Students will be assessed by participation and reports.

Related courses

• LAH.C601 ： Independent Studies Courses1
• LAH.C602 ： Independent Studies Courses2
• LAH.C603 ： Independent Studies Courses3
• LAH.C604 ： Independent Studies Courses4
• LAH.C611 ： Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses1
• LAH.C612 ： Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses2
• LAH.C614 ： Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses4
• LAH.C615 ： Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses5
• LAH.C616 ： Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses6

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

In case over 280 students apply to register, students who can/cannot take the course will be decided by lot and you will be notified the result by OCWi system.
Please check information on the temporary WEB site of Institution for Liberal Arts. [http://bunkei.ila.titech.ac.jp/600PG_guide.html]
Students are expected to commit themselves to the course, and to do the group work inside as well as outside the classroom.
Path-breaking Liberal Arts Courses are offered on Saturday mornings. They consist of four classes, each of which includes two 90-minute sessions. After creating groups in the first and the second classes, students will engage in group work in the second and the third classes. Students will give poster presentations and participate in a mini symposium in the fourth class. Since presentation and group work are focused in this course, please take a course all four classes of which you will be able to attend. See below for a class schedule and conditions on absence.

Other

PhD. course students must take any two courses from Independent Studies Courses (from 1 to 8) or Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses (from 1 to 6) for two credits. Classes are scheduled on December 7, 21, 2019, January 11 and 25, 2020 in 4Q.
NOTICE: We strongly recommend that you take two courses from Independent Studies Courses and/or Path Breaking Liberal Arts Course in your first year. If registration must be restricted due to the number of students, it will be decided by lot regardless of the student's' year at Tokyo Tech.

Independent Studies Courses 5,6,7,8 and Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses 4,5,6 are listed so that the students who have already taken an Independent Studies Course or a Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Course can take another course in the same Q the next year. (This may be a rare case.) Independent Studies Courses held in the same Q (1&5, 2&6, 3&7, 4&8) are the same programs, and are not independently open. (The same holds true with Path-Breaking Liberal Arts Courses 1&4, 2&5 and 3&6.)

Please attend all four classes. You may miss (a part of) one class out of the four classes due to unforeseen circumstances that took place after the relevant quarter began. If you miss two or more classes, you will not get credit for the course.

If you have to miss one of the first three classes, contact your instructor in advance (if not, do so as soon as possible after the class), and explain the reason of your absence. Then contact your group members and contribute to the group work outside the classroom. Study the material covered by the lecture for yourself, and submit a report to the instructor, following his/her instructions; for the contents and the form of the report, see below. The report must be written in English, and must be submitted within two weeks from the class you have missed. If you fail to do so, you will not get credit for the course.
If you have to miss the fourth class, contact your instructor in advance (if not, do so as soon as possible after the class), and explain the reason for your absence. Then submit a report to him/her, following his/her instructions; for the contents and the form of the report, see below. The report must be written in English, and must be submitted within two weeks from the fourth class. If you fail to do so, you will not get credit for the course.

The content of the report assigned to those who have missed the first, second or the third class:

The first class
Submit both ① and ② below. The submitted report will be handed to the other members of your group.
① Introduction of yourself in about 150 words on an A4 sheet.
② Find an article on a social issue that discusses the theme of this quarter’s course. It should be about 2-pages long on A4 sheets. Then summarize the article in about 150 words on an A4 sheet. Be sure to indicate the source of the article. Attach a copy of the article, when you submit your report.

The second class
Read the “Code of Conduct for Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.” Choose two clauses from the seventeen clauses of the Code that are most relevant to the research on the theme of this quarter’s course, and explain their relevance. The report must be one page long on an A4 sheet. The submitted report will be handed to the other members of your group.

The third class
Submit both ① and ② below. The submitted report will be handed to the other members of your group.
① Check the poster of your group, using a checklist, and submit a filled-out form of the “Checklist on researcher’s ethics, academic responsibility, and intellectual property rights.” If there are some points that need to be modified on the poster concerning research ethics, write them down on a separate sheet of paper, and submit it with the checklist.
② Write a report, explaining two tips on poster presentation. The report must be one page long on an A4 sheet.

The content of the report assigned to those who have missed the fourth class:
Submit both ① and ② below.
① Write a two-page report on A4 sheets that addresses questions raised by your instructor on the poster of your group. If more than one absentees are in your group, write a report together. Only ONE report must be written for each group, and each absentee must submit the report (of the same content) to the instructor. If all members of a group missed the fourth class, they must work together and write ONE report, and each member must submit the report (of the same content) to the instructor. The submitted report will be handed to the other members of your group who attended the fourth class.
② Write reviews on the three posters created by other groups, which will be chosen by your instructor. Each review must be one page long on an A4 sheet, and must include a summary of the poster, three questions about the poster, and suggestions for improvement for the poster. The three reviews must be three pages long on A4 sheets in total. The submitted reviews will be handed to the group who created the poster.