General Education
in
Osaka University
presented for Thai GE NETWORK, June 24, 2014
1. Introduction of Osaka University, Education Policy,
General Education for First- and Second-Year Students
T. SHIMODA (Vice –President, Director of Center for Education in
Liberal Arts and Sciences)
2. Foreign Language Education in General Education
Y. MORI (Professor, Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences)
3. Japanese Language Education for Foreign Students
K. Namba (Professor, Center for International Education and Exchange)
4. Transdisciplinary Learning in Osaka University
Y. Yamanouchi (Professor, Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences)
1. Introduction of Osaka University
2. Policy of Education
3. General Education for
1st and 2nd Year Students
4. Issues
Presented by T. SHIMODA (Vice –President, Director of Center for
Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences)
1. Introduction of Osaka University
Established in 1931
as the 6th Imperial University
Osaka citizens’ donations helped
significantly the establishment
Highly ranked university in Japan
11 Undergraduate Schools
4 year course:
6 year course: Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Science
Entrance after secondary education (18 years old)
16 Graduate Schools
2 years master course
3 years doctor course
Many students graduated from other universities
Three Campuses
Toyonaka Campus
Mino Campus
Suita Campus
You are here
Number of 1st-year students
in Undergraduate Schools
3448 1st-year students in 11 schools: largest between National Universities
They were successful in entrance exam (11060 applicants).
176
139
448
628
866
Total: 3448
262
85
238
53
276
277
data in 2013
Number of Undergraduate Students
Total: 15563
Ratio of female student
4/6-year course
data in 2013
Av.: 34%
Arts and Humanity
Career Options
after Undergraduate School
data in 2013
Numbers of Undergraduate
and Graduate Students
Total number of students is 23526.
34% of students are in Graduate Schools.
data in 2013
Graduate Schools
7999 students in 16 Graduate Schools.
data in 2013
Graduate Students
Many of the students of science and technology
major leave University after master course.
data in 2013
International Students
* in preparation
to start Graduate
Course
Total: 1985
80% of international
students are from Asia.
Number of international students
are 10.6% of total students.
data in 2013
2-day Bus Tour
They are very active in discussion.
Japanese students are stimulated.
Academic and Non-Academic Stuff
11 Undergraduate Schools, 16 Graduate Schools, 9 Education & Research Support Organizations,
5 Research Institutes, 3 National Joint-Use Facilities, 19 Joint-Use Facilities,
World Premier International Center, Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research
1905
Total: 9736
Profs: 889
Assoc. Profs: 847
3111
1177
1288
273
300
1682
data in 2013
2. Policy of Education
Educational Goals
Cultivate scholars and professionals with highly specialized knowledge,
broader perspectives, comprehensive understanding, and with the capacity
to make sound social judgment
Wedge Type Relation
between General and Major Education
Major Subjects
General Education Subjects
(include Basic Major Subjects)
1st Year
2nd Year
Intellectual Gymnastics Subjects
3rd Year
4th Year
Higher level General Education Subjects are also provided in Graduate
Schools.
3. General Education for
1st- and 2nd-Year Students
General Education Subjects
363 subjects, 1792 classes
Basic Major Subjects
140 subjects, 444 classes
General Education Subjects
Liberal Arts General
Education Course
●Basic Liberal
Arts Subjects
“basic general knowledge
and culture”, “ability to think”
●Issues
in Contemporary
Society
“encourage thinking about
the complex and difficult
situations”
●International
General
Education
“intellectual and
conversational ability”
●Advanced Liberal Arts
“introduction to cuttingedge research in Osaka
University”
Language and
Information
●First
Foreign Language
English
●Second
Foreign
Language
German, French, Russian,
Chinese, Korean
●Selective
Foreign
Language
English, German, French,
Russian, Classical Greek,
Latin
●Special
Foreign
Language
Swahili, Mongolian,
Burmese, Turkish, etc.
●Information
Literacy
and Processing
For first 1.5 years in 4(6)-year
undergraduate course
First-year
Seminar
Health and
Sports
Students work in
small groups on
themes provided by
their instructor. The
students present
and discuss their
own research: this
helps them to
develop their basic
approach to
research activity at
the same time as
enhancing their
creativity and study
motivation.
This group aims to
familiarize students
with the principles
and practice of
taking care of their
own bodies, while
enhancing their
practical sporting
skills, and
deepening their
scientific
understanding of
sport.
Abbreviation of Schools
Le Letters
H Human Sciences
F Foreign Studies
La Law / Law and Politics
Ec Economics
S Science
M Medicine (4/6 year)
D Dentistry (6 year)
P Pharmaceutical Sciences (4/6 year)
En Engineering
Es Engineering Science
Basic Liberal Arts Subjects
Basic Subjects 1
Basic Learning Skills I
Basic Learning Skills II
History of Asia (5)
History of Japan (5)
History of Europe (3)
Asian Literature (3)
Japanese Literature (4)
Western Literature (2)
The World of Language (4)
Japanese for Liberal Arts (5)
The Japanese Language and
Culture in the World (3)
Japanese Constitution (11)
data in 2014
(22 subjects, 77 classes)
2 credits / 15 lectures
H,Le,F,La,Ec,M,D,P,Es,En
(classes)
H,Le,F,La,Ec,M,D,P,Es,En
All
All
All
All
Law (7)
All
All
Politics(3)
All
All
Economics (6)
All
All
World of Mind (4)
All
All
World of Thinking (4) All
World of Humans (3) All
All
Ideas in the World
S,Es,En
All
Art of Asia
H,Le,F,La,Ec,M,D,P
Art of Europe (3)
All
Basic Liberal Arts Subjects
Basic Subjects 2
(8 subjects, 17 classes)
2 credits / 15 lectures
For Human and Social Science Students
Basic Ideas of Mathematics (4)
Basic Ideas of Physics (2)
Basic Ideas of Chemistry (2)
Basic Ideas of Earth and Space Science (2)
Basic Ideas of Life Science (3)
Basic Ideas of Health Science (2)
World of Graphics
Science Experiments for Human and
Social Science Oriented Students
(classes)
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,La,Ec
Basic Liberal Arts Subjects
Basic Subjects 3
(8 subjects, 25 classes)
2 credits / 15 lectures
For Engineering and Life Science Students
Basic Modern Mathematics (3)
Basic Modern Life Science (8)
Basic Modern Chemistry (3)
Basic Modern Physics (3)
Basic Modern Earth and Space Science (2)
Basic Environmental Science (2)
Basic Graphics
Basic Modern Health Science (3)
(classes)
En,M,D,P,Es
En,M,D,P,Es
En,M,D,P,Es
En,M,D,P,Es
En,M,D,P,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,M,D,P,Es
Basic Liberal Arts Subjects
Issues in Contemporary Society
(8 subjects, 51 classes)
2 credits / 15 lectures
Interpreting Economic Phenomena (7)
Interpreting Contemporary Society (15)
Interpreting Contemporary Culture (8)
Contemporary Discrimination Issues (4)
Contemporary Environmental Issues (6)
Life and Contemporary Medicine (5)
Law and Politics in Contemporary Society (4)
data in 2014
All
All
All
All
All
All
H,Le,F,La,Ec,M,D,P
(classes)
Basic Liberal Arts Subjects
Advanced Liberal Arts
(23 subjects, 25 classes)
History of Osaka University
All
KANSAI Now
All
Practical Crisis Control
All
Social Design
All
Campus Life and Social Environment
All
Regenerative Medicine
All
Science of the Universe Represented by Ouroboros:
Space, Earth, Atoms and Elementary Particles
All
Front of Science, Technology and Information
All
Essential Substances Supporting Life-Proteins
All
Advanced Beam Science
All
The World of Intellect and Imagination (3)
All
Bioscience and Diseases I
All
Cancer: up to data
All
Introduction to Sustainability Science
All
data in 2014
2 credits / 15 lectures
(classes)
Science and Engineering of Joining and
Welding in Manufacture
Recent Advance in Oral Biology and
Treatments
Medicine in Human
How can the Frontier Biotechnology
Innovate Our Future Society?
Materials in Human History
Bioscience and Diseases II
Innovation
Technology and Society
Post-Disaster Reconstruction
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
Basic Liberal Arts Subjects
International General Education 1
(13 subjects, 33 classes)
2 credits / 15 lectures
Introducing African Culture and Society
Introducing Eurasian Culture and Society (2)
Eastern Culture and Society
Western Culture and Society (8)
Asian Culture and Society (8)
The Middle Eastern Culture and Society (3)
Current World Affairs (3)
Introduction to International Politics
Introduction to International Law
Peace Studies (2)
Global Studies in English
Global World and Academics:
Insights from American Universities
data in 2014
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
H,Le,F,La,Ec,M,D,P
All
All
S,Es,En
(classes)
H,La,Ec,M,D,P,S,Es,En
Basic Major Subjects
2 credits / 15 lectures
for Humanity-Couse Students (59 subjects, 75 classes)
Introduction to Japanese Language
Teaching B (2)
H,F,La
Introduction to Asian Language and
Cultures (2)
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Introduction to European and
American Languages and Cultures (4) H,Le,F,La,Ec
Introduction to Middle Eastern and
African Languages and Cultures (2)
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Japanese Literature
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Preliminary Seminar in Chinese
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Chinese Literature
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Basic Modern Japanese Linguistics (2) H,Le,F,La,Ec
Linguistics
H,Le,F,La,Ec
An Introduction to English Linguistics H,Le,F,La,Ec
Introduction to English and American
Literature
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Introduction to French Literature
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Introduction to German Literature
H,Le,F,La,Ec
data in 2014
(classes)
Elementary Philosophy A
Elementary Philosophy B
The Foundations of Chinese Philosophy
Introduction to International Relations (3)
Economics A (5)
Economics B (3)
Jurisprudence
Politics
Japan in the World
Politics in the Post-War Japan
Intellectual Property Law & Moral (3)
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,Ec
H,Le,F,Ec
Ec
H,Le,F,Ec
H,Le,F,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
H,Le,F,La,Ec
Statistics A-I (2)
Statistics A-II (2)
Mathematics A (5)
Mathematics B (5)
Graphic Science A
Graphic Science B-I
Graphic Science B-II
H,Le,La
H,Le,La
H,Ec
H,Ec
Le
Le
Le
Basic Major Subjects
2 credits / 15 lectures
for Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Science Students
(23 subjects, 44 classes)
Statistics B-I (4)
Statistics B-II
Mathematics A
Accelerated First-Year Mathematics A (4)
Accelerated First-Year Mathematics B (4)
Introductory Physics I
Introductory Physics II
Physics I (3)
Physics II (3)
Introductory Chemistry (4)
Elementary Chemistry
Chemical Thermodynamics
Chemical Thermodynamics I
Chemical Thermodynamics II
Chemistry Experiments
Molecular Chemistry B (2)
data in 2014
M,D,P
M,D,P
M
M,D.P
M,D.P
M,D,P
M,D,P
M
M
M,D,P
M
M,D
P
P
M
M,D
(classes)
Introduction to Biology
Basic Biology
Cell Biology A (4)
Cell Biology B (2)
Experiments in Biology
Introduction to Psychology and Behavior Science
Psychological Experiments
M
M,D,P
M,D,P
M
M,D,P
M
M
Basic Major Subjects
2 credits / 15 lectures
for Science students
(classes)
(23 subjects, 61 classes)
Science Laboratory I (Mathematics) (4)
Science Laboratory I (Physics) (4)
Science Laboratory I (Chemistry) (4)
Science Laboratory I (Biology/Geology) (4)
Calculus 1 (4)
Calculus 2 (4)
Linear Algebra 1 (4)
Linear Algebra 2 (4)
Introductory Modern Physics
Physics 1A (2)
Physics 1B
Introduction to Physics 1
Physics 2A (2)
Physics 2B
Introduction to Physics 2
Basic Chemistry 1 (4)
Basic Chemistry 2 (4)
data in 2014
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
Earth and Space Science 1
Earth and Space Science 2
Cell Biology Core A (4)
Cell Biology Core B (4)
Introduction to Biology
Experiments in Biology
S
S
S
S
S
S
Basic Major Subjects
2 credits / 15 lectures
for Engineering and Engineering Science students
(23 subjects, 61 classes)
Statistics C-I (2)
Statistics C-II (2)
Calculus A (21)
Calculus B (21)
Linear Algebra A (21)
Problem Session A (Mathematics) (21)
Linear Algebra B (21)
Problem Session B (Mathematics) (21)
Mechanics I (16)
Mechanics II (12)
Electromagnetism I (9)
Electro-Physics A (2)
Electro-Physics B (2)
Physics Experiments (4)
data in 2014
En
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En,Es
En
En
En,Es
(classes)
Introductory Chemistry (14)
En,Es
Elementary Chemistry (2)
Es
Molecular Chemistry A (4)
En,Es
Basic Inorganic Chemistry (3)
En
Basic Organic Chemistry (2)
Es
Chemistry Experiments (5)
En,Es
Earth Science A (3)
En,Es
Earth Science B
Es
Laboratory and Field Work in Geoscience Es
Cell Biology A (4)
En,Es
Cell Biology B (7)
En,Es
Graphic Science A (3)
En
Graphic Science B-I (2)
En
Graphic Science B-II (2)
En
Drawing B-I (2)
En
Drawing B-II (2)
En
Drawing A (2)
En
Drawing C (2)
En
Required Credits
in Undergraduate Schools
Variety of requirements depending on Schools and Courses
Extracurricular Activities
Language Café: foreign students participate in discussion.
Students’ Forum
4. Issues to be overcome
Passive Learning
Active Learning
Please take a look at some class rooms and students’ discussion
area after this session, escorted by Pro. TAKEMURA.
Study Hours at Home in a Week
9.7 %
57.1 %
18.4 %
14.8 %
Many Japanese students do not study so much at home.
Many are just listening to professors and taking notes, as
they have been doing for 12 years in the primary and
secondary education.
data in 2007
We will improve many things
step by step.
Yes, we can!