Takahashi Seminar

Seminar Outline

• A Seminar
  A seminar consists of 3rd and 4th year students, and its content is mainly preparation for their thesis research. Although the "core" of the Takahashi Seminar is a cultural anthropological perspective, there are a wide variety of thesis research topics that students are working on. Therefore, in the seminar, students actively participate in reading literature and exchanging opinions related to not only their own research themes but also those of other seminar students. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the seminar is the opportunity to broaden one's perspective by exchanging opinions with seminar students who are working on research themes different from one's own.
• B seminar
  Focusing on familiar social issues and cultural activities, students will question what they have taken for granted and discover new mysteries. The purpose of this seminar is to explore these mysteries using the research method of ethnography. Listening to the people being surveyed and observing parts of their daily lives is a research method that seems simple and difficult, yet exciting and interesting. Moreover, an ethnographic perspective (perhaps a bit exaggerated) can enrich our lives by allowing us to find the interesting things in everyday life. It is a discipline that does not have a "right answer" like the natural sciences, but let's enjoy the moyamoya and together explore knowledge using our minds and bodies.

What is cultural anthropology? What is ethnography?

• Cultural anthropology is a field of study that explores various cultural aspects of human affairs through field research . Research may be conducted on different cultures or on familiar cultures. Research topics include religion, ritual, gender, family, development, fashion, food culture, media, environmental conservation, tourism, disasters, relationships with plants and animals, and a host of other interests. Based on these various themes, it is an enjoyable study to rethink the meaning of things that are often taken for granted and find new or different perspectives through actual observation of people's activities. In the Takahashi Seminar, both ABs are free to choose their own research themes.
  
• Ethnography is a qualitative research method used in cultural anthropology. The main flow is to actually talk to people at the research site, observe their behavior and space, and consider, analyze, and describe their social and cultural background. Ethnography is a research method that was originally developed by cultural anthropologists, but is now often used in fields such as sociology, and is sometimes used by companies for product development and marketing ( examples include Shiseido, Airbnb, Meta, etc.). Although it is not easy to actually conduct research in the field, it is a fun and educational experience. In Takahashi Seminar, students learn the basics of ethnography in Seminar B and deepen their practice of ethnography in Seminar A.

Are there any course requirements?

• A seminar (Exploring culture from the perspective of cultural anthropology)
  3rd and 4th year students who are interested in cultural anthropology. However, students must have already taken Takahashi B Seminar (or 3rd year students who can take Takahashi A and B Seminar at the same time can also join).
  
• B Seminar (Fundamentals of Cultural Anthropological Ethnography and Exploring Cultures)
  Any 2nd or 3rd year student interested in cultural anthropology or ethnography may join.
  Even if you wish to join Takahashi A seminar in the future, you should first learn the basics of ethnography in B seminar. All students who have completed B seminar can join A seminar in the following year if they wish.
  Those who wish to take only B seminar (without joining A seminar in the future) are also welcome to . About half of the students in each year take only B seminar.

Thesis Theme

Reconstructing Hospitality: "Hospitality" and Hospitality in Contemporary Society
The "fragility" and "beauty" of Koshien baseball players through media production - from the perspective of "sharing" in visual anthropology
The Resourcefulness of Memory - People who speak of the memory of the Great East Japan Earthquake
Entertainment in the Corona Disaster
What is the process by which "girls" become "women" in "girls' groups"?
Why are young people attracted to retro?
Unraveling the culture of guesswork
The "real" and "imaginary" -Subjective communication
The Practice of Support and Melting Relationships in the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple "Daenji" -Multicultural Conviviality and Support Reconsidered from Their Own Ways
The Rise of Twitter Cynicism
Factors Shaping Generation Z's View of Marriage Today
What is youth culture as seen through Instagram?
What do people want at the drinking table?
What "WE LOVE TOYOTA" brings to the community -A study of fostering attachment to the community in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture
Why people continue to demand live entertainment based on the changes in live entertainment at the Corona Disaster
The Ambivalent Japanese: Unearthing Japan's Discomfort through "Cultural Appropriation" - A Study of "Lifestyle" in Shin-Okubo
What multicultural conviviality can be learned from "Living Together" in Shin-Okubo
The Role of Religion in Today's World as Seen through the "Power Spots" in Shin-Okubo