Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

From their second year, School of Law students at Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) must take “English Theme” courses on specialized topics (e.g., art, science, politics), taught through the medium of English. One topic offered is philosophy, specifically, the history of western philosophy. As with all English Theme courses, student enrollment each semester is limited and therefore very competitive. Although each English Theme course is uniquely different, the shared main objectives are to have students conduct research and write a required 1,000-word report in English. In the case of the philosophy theme course, each student selects a philosopher discussed that semester, conducts library research, and then writes their report in English with references and citations. Reports must include three major elements: discussions of their philosopher’s life background, one element of that philosopher’s thinking, and the impact of that thinking on subsequent philosophers or on the world in general. Because of the course’s demanding nature (e.g., all classes are conducted in English, students are wholly unfamiliar with basic western philosophy concepts and their underlying connections with Christianity), students across several semesters were given a questionnaire meant to explore their reasoning behind enrolling in this particularly challenging theme course and their opinions about the ways in which they are taught and consequently learn about western philosophy. The proposed paper will present preliminary questionnaire findings, with the aim being to understand better how non-English-major Japanese university students view learning philosophy in this way and how this theme course contributes to their becoming world citizens.