Numbering Code	U-ECON00 20020 SJ43	Year/Term	2022 ・ First semester
Number of Credits	2	Course Type	Seminar
Target Year	2nd year students	Target Student
Language	Japanese	Day/Period	Fri.4・5
Instructor name	HISANO SHUJI (Graduate School of Economics Professor)
Outline and Purpose of the Course	Theme: Policy issues surrounding agriculture and food The overarching topic of this seminar throughout the years is: "Be sensitive to the problems affecting (and caused by) food and agriculture, from the local to global levels." In the first semester of this year, we will pick up whatever topics preferred by participating students out of the past special issues of the Quarterly Journal of Food, Agriculture and Social Studies. This quarterly (monthly in the past years) journal has been widely read (and should be read) not only by researchers and learners of agricultural economics and policy studies, but also by those from the central and local governments, agricultural extension institutions, agricultural cooperatives, and consumers interested in food and agriculture. Students will carefully select themes that interest them and read relevant articles in a group. While adding supplementary explanations as appropriate, all participants will discuss and deepen their awareness.
Course Goals	Policy issues relating to agriculture and food are wide-ranging in nature. Some of the special topics covered in the journal in the past years (when it was published monthly) include: the impact of TPP agreement on agriculture, rural communities, and food; Japanese food culture; depopulation problems; renewable energy in rural communities; care farming and rural social welfare; food safety and labelling schemes; smart agriculture; agriculture and rural development in China; regional revitalization; agricultural product marketing; reform of the agricultural cooperative system; community farming entities and incorporation; coexisting with biodiversity; the potential of small farms; food loss; regional agriculture and forestry administration; school lunch and local agriculture, Japanese agriculture in the post-corona era, etc... The quarterly journal continues aiming to focus on how to rebuild the world of food and agriculture by integrating policy, practice and knowledge. Over the course of the first semester, students in this seminar will be learning how problems related to agriculture and food need to be viewed and approached from a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary perspective, ranging from the local to global, from upstream (production) to downstream (consumption), and from economy and management to administration, environment, welfare, education and culture.
Schedule and Contents	This seminar consists of the activities listed below. Please note that the seminar is jointly held for 3rd and 4th year students. (1) The student in charge of each session will introduce the articles for the week from the "Japan Agricultural News" and grasp the latest situation. We will examine the role played by the mass media in food and agriculture by comparing it with articles such as in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun as appropriate. (2) Through the joint reading of journal articles, students will be able to deepen their understanding of various issues relating to food and agriculture. The special issues we will be looking at will be decided after the seminar starts, following consultation with attending students. However, for reference, I have included a list of special issues that are and will be published in the Quarterly Journal of Food, Agriculture and Social Studies: Summer 2021: Rebuilding the World of Life (Food and Agriculture): Integrating Policy, Practice and Knowledge Autumn 2021: Regional Food Systems: Reconstructing Urban Food by taking cues from France Winter 2022: Rice, Wheat and Soybeans, the Backbone of Japanese Food: Expanding the Values of Domestic Production Spring 2022: Supporting Food and Communities: New Forms of Agribusiness Summer 2022: Rural Innovation Created with Young People: Looking forward Post-Corona (3) We will be organizing field trips to the site of agricultural production and rural communities, learning about the actual state of affairs with respect to issues surrounding food and agriculture. These will be jointly conducted with the international graduate program EA Course's "On-site Research Training." By being exposed to how Japanese agriculture and farming communities appear from the perspective of international students, we expect that Japanese students can also have new realizations. Week 1: Guidance Weeks 2-5: Text A round-reading Weeks 6-9 Text B round-reading Weeks 10-3: Text C round-reading Week 14: Summary Week 15: Preparation for late group work
Evaluation Methods and Policy	Grading will be carried out on a basis of active class participation (30%) and assignment presentations (70%).
Course Requirements	Students must have an interest in issues concerning agriculture, food, and rural communities.
Study outside of Class (preparation and review)	Reading assigned texts each week before class is expected of everybody attending the class, and not only those who are in charge of that week’s newspaper readings or the group reading. Instructions on other required work will be given as necessary.
Textbooks	Textbooks/References	Instructed during class. Once the special editions covered have been decided, each student is required to secure their own copy.
References, etc.	Other texts will be listed when and if required.