IGESSIGESS (Institute for Global Economics and Social Sciences)

Devising SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and integrating them into their strategies have become priorities for companies across Japan. A company's SDG focus can shape its public image and influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. Through fieldwork, problem-solving discussions, and presentations, students will think critically about corporate SDGs and consider their potential long- and short-term impacts on society, the environment, and Japanese capitalism.

(1) To offer a practical, experience-based approach to the study of Japanese business, corporate social responsibility, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
(2) To develop students' analytical skills through group discussion and fieldwork.
(3) To prepare students to enter the workforce by improving their professional skills and providing them with opportunities to consider what kind of company or organization they would like to work for after graduation.

英語 / English

As stated in the course title, students will be presented with a set of questions that they must try to answer themselves through interviews with specialists, fieldwork, lectures, assigned readings, etc. The first half of the course will focus on the impact of corporate SDGs on Japanese society and the environment, while the second will examine the role of SDGs and social entrepreneurs(hip) in a local and regional context.

あり / Yes

あり / Yes

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Introduction

Features of Japanese business and the economy, self-introductions, fieldwork/interview etiquette, etc.

2[対面/face to face]：What are the features of Japanese SDGs?

Field trip to the National Museum Emerging Science and Innovation

3[対面/face to face]：Interview with an automobile industry journalist

SDGs in the automobile industry: strategies, achievements, and challenges

4[対面/face to face]：Interview with a managing director at LIXIL

SDG strategies at LIXIL, achievements, and challenges

5[オンライン/online]：Interview with a French documentary filmmaker

Corporate responsibility: Japan’s SDG challenges after Fukushima

6[対面/face to face]：Is capitalism sustainable?

Problem solving session and small group discussion

7[対面/face to face]：Garbage as a resource

Class field trip to Ishizaka Sangyō in Saitama prefecture

8[オンライン/online]：Interview with founder of Mukai Craft Beer (Kochi prefecture) OR an urban farming consultant

Social entrepreneurship: virtual tour/ interview OR interview on urban farming

9[対面/face to face]：SDGs and social entrepreneurs(hip) in Japan

Problem solving session and final project preparation

10[対面/face to face]：Last class: Final presentations and wrap up

Presentations and/or short videos; class discussion

10.1[オンライン/online]：Final project preparation

Field work and student-led discussions

10.2[オンライン/online]：Final project preparation

Field work and student-led discussions

10.3[オンライン/online]：Final project preparation

Field work and student-led discussions

10.4[オンライン/online]：Final project submission

Field work and student-led discussions

本授業の準備学習・復習時間は、各2時間を標準とします。/According to university guidelines, preparation and review should be approximately two hours a week for a two-credit course.

Reading assignments and other information concerning the course will be posted on Hoppii.

Selected references
Automobile industry interview:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/?sh=3f99c471e073
Lixil interview:
https://www.lixil.com/en/sustainability/sdgs/
Myriam Sidibe (2020), Brands on a mission: how to achieve social impact and business growth, Routledge, 2020; “Introduction” and Chapter 11, “How LIXIL is changing the narrative on sanitation.”
Fukushima documentary interview:
https://en.pikapikafilms.com
Craft beer brewing in Kochi interview
https://mukaicraftbrewing.com
OR
Urban farming interview:
https://japanurbanfarming.wordpress.com/2018/05/22/urban-farmer-jon-walsh-finds-fertile-ground-in-tokyo/
FIELD TRIP 1 (Miraikan):
https://www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/en/
FIELD TRIP 2 (Ishizaka Sangyō):
https://zenbird.media/ishizaka-sangyo-an-industrial-waste-treatment-company-aims-to-circulate-all-resources/
Eiko Maruko Siniawer (2018), Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan, Cornell University Press, Chapter 8, “Green consciousness.”

Participation and reflection papers: 40%
Final paper and presentation: 60%

Asking questions and/or making comments during the interviews and field work is a requirement to do well in this course!

N/A. Students are welcome to make requests or voice complaints and concerns at any time during the semester.

Some of the interviews will not be conducted in person (in the classroom). To participate, students will need access to a high-speed internet connection. Should the pandemic prevent us from meeting in person, students should secure a reliable high-speed internet connection in order to participate via zoom.

This course meets 10 rather than 14 times during the fall semester. On the first day of class, 20 students will be selected to enroll. The selection process will be based on motivation and enthusiasm, academic interests, and career aspirations.
As the course will be taught entirely in English, students should have an excellent command of English and academic writing experience.
*Note that due to the time difference between France and Japan, class 5 may be scheduled later in the day than our regular class.
Except for the field trips, all the classes will be held on Thursdays.