Special Lecture on Advanced Topics in Social and Human Sciences FA 2

Academic unit or major

Graduate major in Social and Human Sciences

Instructor(s)

Saori Okada

Class Format

Lecture

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

Class

2

Course Code

SHS.L419

Number of credits

100

Course offered

2026

Offered quarter

3Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 5, 2026

Language

Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

（Emerging Trends in Educational Research）
Educational studies are currently in the midst of paradigm shifts in two significant senses. One contributing factor is the profound transformation of the social and institutional environments surrounding education. Changes in perspectives on learning and teaching, rapid population decline in Japan, the advancement of globalization, and the widespread adoption of technologies such as AI have made it necessary to reconsider the assumptions and values that have long been taken for granted in education. In response, the theoretical frameworks and analytical perspectives used to understand educational phenomena are themselves being reexamined.

At the same time, amid growing interest in interdisciplinary research, dialogue and collaboration across academic fields have intensified. As a result, the distinctive characteristics of individual subfields of educational studies, as well as the uniqueness and significance of educational studies as a whole, are being reconsidered.

In this course, we will survey these emerging trends across various areas of educational research and examine how each participant’s intellectual interests may be situated within these developments. By gaining a broad, panoramic understanding of the current state of educational research, students will develop perspectives that enable them to reconstruct their own research topics from both theoretical and methodological standpoints.

Course description and aims

Students will be able to:
（1）Understand how different subfields of educational studies approach contemporary issues in education.
（2）Formulate research questions related to their topics of interest by drawing on concepts and analytical frameworks from multiple academic disciplines.

Keywords

pedagogy, Teaching Methods, Educational Psychology, Educational Administration, Educational Management, Sociology of Education, Educational Technology

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

This course combines lectures and discussion.

In the first session, there will be a course orientation, a sharing of participants’ interests, and a lecture introducing the topic for the following week.
Before each subsequent session, students are required to read the assigned materials and complete the assigned tasks. Class time will be devoted to discussion based on these preparations.
In the latter part of each session, a lecture will be given on the topic to be covered in the following week.

＊The course content may be adjusted depending on the number of participants and their academic interests.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

Please read the assigned readings and complete the assigned tasks in advance, and bring your work to class.

Textbook(s)

下司晶ほか『教育学年報11　教育研究の新章（ニュー・チャプター）』世織書房、2019

Reference books, course materials, etc.

The readings assigned for each class will be distributed during the course.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Evaluation will be based on class participation and submitted assignments.

Related courses

• SHS.L416 ： Trans-disciplinary Exercise in Social and Human Sciences F

Prerequisites

None

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

okada [at] ila.isct.ac.jp

Office hours

Please make an appointment by email.