2021 | Multicultural Understanding Through Art

Undergraduate
Graduate

2021　Multicultural Understanding Through Art

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Academic unit or major: Breadth courses

Instructor(s): Saito Hirofumi

Class Format: Exercise

Media-enhanced courses

Day/Period(Room No.): -

Group: -

Course number: LAW.X121

Credits: 1

Academic year: 2021

Offered quarter: 4Q

Syllabus updated: 2021/12/14

Lecture notes updated: -

Language used: English

Access Index

Syllabus

Course description and aims

As the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Game 2020 was held under the theme of coexistence with diversity, the concept of "diversity" can be found everywhere in the modern society. On the other hand, the first step to build a society that accepts diversity is to exchange others who are different from himself / herself and to cultivate a proactive attitude for developing relationships with them, while enjoying coexistence with multiple cultures.
The characteristic aim of this class is to introduce art's perspective so that students of different nationalities, regions of origin, languages and cultural backgrounds can start exchanges in the classroom, while minimizing language barriers. Under the instruction of Masayuki Kawai (Video artist) and Reiko Setsuda (Heremes Japon, curator) who have a deep knowledge of art, the goal is to finish the production of team contents that contribute to the expression of diversity and the multicultural understanding, and to present them.
* This course is now accepting the additional registration. The classes will be held in the classroom (West Building1, W111).

Student learning outcomes

By participating this course, students will be able
1. To have a positive attitude toward building relationships with people with diversity, including international students of Tokyo Tech.
2. To have an opportunity to deepen the idea of cultural understanding through art, and to have awareness of the commonalities and differences between the approaches of art and engineering.
3. To experience collaborative team work (workshop) in a multicultural environment.

Keywords

Multicultural understanding, Art, International students, International Co-learning, Workshop, Team production activity

Competencies that will be developed

Specialist skills

Intercultural skills

✔ Communication skills

Critical thinking skills

✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

The seven classes include self-introduction, introduction of activity of instructors, workshop (team discussions, field works and production activities) and the final presentation of the productions in public. Communication among local students, international students and instructors in team works will be supported by the main instructor throughout the classes.

Course schedule/Required learning

	Course schedule	Required learning
Class 1	January 7, Fri. 2022, 12:35-14:15. Introduction of the activities of the instructors and self-introduction by students.	What is art? Responding to this question from the instructors, students will talk about their interests and experiences in art.
Class 2	January 12, Wed. 2022, 12:35-14:15. Workshop 1. Based on the communication in the previous class, the instructors will pose further questions and discuss them with students.	After deciding an overall theme of the workshop, students will be divided into small groups and discuss a policy of the workshop conducted from the next class.
Class 3	January 19, Wed. 12:35-14:15. Workshop 2. Based on the discussion in the previous class, each group will make a simple production that can be done in time.	Students (teams) will show each other what they made and exchange comments each other.
Class 4	January 21, Fri. 14:20-16:00. Workshop 3. Based on the activity in previous class, the instructors will raise a question in order to deepen the approach to the problem of art.	The overall theme and teams will be newly set, and students will build a concept for more elaborated production/contents than the previous time and present this concept in the class.
Class 5	January 26, Wed. 12:35-14:15. Workshop 4. Continue the team works.	Students will develop the production based on the concept presented in the previous class.
Class 6	January 28, Fri. 12:35-14:15. Workshop 5. Preparation for the final presentation.	Students will work on further production and build a presentation method for the final presentation.
Class 7	January 28, Fri. 14:20-16:00. Final presentation, comments, review of the questions posed in the classes (what is art? How do you accept the diversity?).	Students will present in public the achievements of the workshop. Their productions will receive comments in the discussion session.

Textbook(s)

Instructor will distribute teaching materials as needed.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Instructor will distribute teaching materials as needed.

Assessment criteria and methods

Assessment will be done from the comprehensive viewpoint by evaluating the student's effort in and contribution to the team work and the final presentation. Therefore, be sure to clarify the individual roles and contributions in the team in the final presentation.

Related courses

LAW.X358 ： Bringing Ideas in Remote Discussion
LAW.X364 ： Tohoku Co-learning Camp

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

* This course is now accepting the additional registration. The classes will be held in the classroom (West Building1, W111).
Since the capacity of students taking this course is about 20 (10 domestic students and 10 international students), there is a possibility that the participants will be decided through a lottery if we have exceeded number of registration. The instructors welcome the active participation of students who want to take a step toward international exchange regardless of their language proficiency.

TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY