Minamata Field Work

Academic unit or major

Entrepreneurship courses

Instructor(s)

Rie Murakami / Takeo Suzuki / Jun Nakabayashi / Jun Nakabayashi / Yuri Matsuzaki

Class Format

Lecture/Experiment (Face-to-face)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

Intensive

Class

-

Course Code

ENT.V111

Number of credits

0.500.5

Course offered

2026

Offered quarter

4Q

Syllabus updated

Oct 5, 2026

Language

Japanese

※ Courses with parentheses in the course number have different subject codes depending on the student's year of admission.

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

This course is an interdisciplinary co-learning course offered to students in both science and engineering and medical and dental fields.
Students will study Minamata disease, one of Japan’s best-known major pollution-related diseases, through documentary research, lectures, and group work with students from different academic fields. By listening directly to people involved and to those affected by Minamata disease during the field study, students will develop a multifaceted understanding of the issue from both scientific and human perspectives. They will then consider what they should take into account when, as future scientists, engineers, or healthcare professionals, they create new value.

The course consists of a three-day, two-night field study (March 3 [Wed]–5 [Fri]) together with pre- and post-field-study sessions. Participation in the field study is mandatory. Transportation and accommodation expenses for the field study will be covered by the university. A presentation session will be planned in the first quarter of the following academic year.

Students wishing to take this course must complete the application form in addition to registering for the course.　(Please check "Prerequisites" )

Course description and aims

- Understand the technical aspects, social background, and significance of Minamata disease, and explain and discuss them in relation to one’s own field of specialization (e.g., science and engineering, medicine, or dentistry).
- Understand the leadership of the stakeholders involved and their impact on society.
- Understand the perspectives of different parties, the ethical responsibilities associated with those perspectives, and the rights of people affected, and articulate how one should make judgments and act on the basis of concrete cases.
- Develop the ability to learn collaboratively across disciplines by working with students from different schools and fields to formulate questions and jointly conduct research and analysis. Students should also be able to communicate the outcomes clearly in their own words.
- Discuss critically and constructively the interaction between science, technology, medicine, and society, drawing on insights gained through the field study and literature research, from the standpoint of future scientists and healthcare professionals.

Keywords

Engineering ethics; healthcare professional ethics; Minamata disease; Chisso; interdisciplinary co-learning

Competencies

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

Class flow

Before the field study, students will attend three preparatory sessions to acquire basic knowledge, conduct their own research, share findings with group members, and clarify their own questions and concerns. They will then visit the field site and listen to people there while keeping their own questions in mind. In two post-field-study sessions, students will organize what they have learned and what they encountered in the field, reflect on their learning, and prepare for a presentation session to be held around the time the Risshi Project begins in the following academic year.
As a rule, students are expected to participate in person. In unavoidable circumstances, online participation is permitted for up to one preparatory session and one post-field-study session.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

Textbook(s)

原田正純著『水俣病』岩波書店,1972。　ISBN 9784004111139
熊本学園大学水俣学研究センター『水俣学ブックレット19　水俣病 これまで・今・これから　－公式確認70年－』熊日出版,2026年。　ISBN 9784877556846

Reference books, course materials, etc.

To be specified separately in class.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Assessment will be based on discussions and comments in the preparatory and post-field-study sessions (25%), active participation in field activities (35%), and the submission status and quality of assignments and reports, as well as preparation for the presentation session (40%).

Related courses

• LAH.C101 ： Visionary Project
• LAH.T422 ： Transdisciplinary studies 22:Thinking from Minamata disease

Prerequisites

Students wishing to take this course must complete the application form in addition to registering for the course.　Deadline : 10/25 Sun.)
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/yBqPxa8X0U
If the number of applicants exceeds the course capacity, students will be selected based on the application.

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

Murakami, Talent Ecosystem Office, Center for Entrepreneurship Educationon
ecosystem [at] cee.isct.ac.jp
Please make an appointment by email in advance.

Office hours

Contact by e-mail in advance to schedule an appointment.

Other

Enrollment is limited to 12 students. If there are more applicants than places available, participants will be selected based on their stated motivation and other information provided in the application form.