Numbering Code	U-ECON00 20020 SJ43	Year/Term	2022 ・ Second 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 second semester of this year, depending on the preferences of the participants and the topics selected during the first semester, we shall be engaging in the same kind of group work that were carried out in the previous years.
Course Goals	Over the course of the first semester, students in this seminar will be able to learn how problems relating to agriculture and food need to be viewed from a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary perspective and approach, ranging from the local to the global, from the upstream (production) and to the downstream (consumption), from economics and management to administration, environment, welfare, education and culture. Using such newly gained insights, students will be selecting topics, which interest them, and deepening their understanding through activities such as further research of relevant literature, statistical surveys, and field works. Students will then share their findings in presentations and reports, thereby developing their conceptual abilities, analytical skills, and powers of expression.
Schedule and Contents	This seminar consists of the items 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 be introducing that week’s article from The Japan Agricultural News (Nihon Nogyo Shimbun), so that we can gain insight into the most recent social, economic and political situations of agriculture and food. As and when necessary, we may make comparisons with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, or similar newspapers, and examine the role played by the mass media with respect to food and agriculture. (2) For group works, each group will be submitting a number of progress reports and discussing their ideas with other members of the seminar, with this process contributing to the final presentation (and written paper... not decided yet). The following are some of the topics covered in previous years: 2015) Looking at policy issues and situations relating to agriculture and food from the lens of different commodities 2016) Shifts in the sub-sectors of industries related to agriculture and food 2017) Examples of the so-called "6th industrialization" (Osaka Prefecture, Izumi city, Wakayama city) 2018) Traditional crops/vegetables and regional agricultural development (Nara Prefecture Yamato Yasai, Kyoto Prefecture Shuzo Kotekimai) 2019) "Small agriculture" under the Kyoto prefectural government (Kyotango city, Fukuchiyama city, Yosano town, Miyazu city) 2020) The possibility of school lunch programs through public procurement (Kyotango city, Shima city, Hirakata city, Sugiyama ward, Kobe city, Osaka city) 2021) Urban agriculture and community development; Kyoto University students' awareness of food and food procurement by local restaurants; Children cafeteria/social kitchens and food multifunctionality; Food bank activities in Kyoto and the challenges of ensuring nutritional security From 2017 onward, students have broken into groups and conducted field surveys. However, in 2020, this activity was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternatively, we analyzed local assembly documents and conducted interviews via phone, email, etc. (3) We will be organizing field trips to agricultural industries and farming communities to learn about the actual state of affairs in terms of the issues surrounding food and agriculture. These are jointly conducted with the graduate school Asia Course Unit's "On-site Research Training." By being exposed to how Japanese agriculture and farming communities appear from the perspective of foreign students, we expect that Japanese students can also have new realizations. Week 1: Guidance Week 2-4: Preparations for group works Week 5-9: Implementation of group works Week 10: Midterm report presentations Week 11-13: Preparation for the final presentations Week 14-15: Final presentations of the group works
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 problems relating to agriculture, food, and rural communities.
Study outside of Class (preparation and review)	With regard to the introduction of newspaper articles, we will be deciding whose turn it will be each week, and then have them report. Mandatory group exercises are to be conducted outside of class hours. Instruction on other tasks will be given as required.
Textbooks	Textbooks/References	Not used
References, etc.	Introduced during class, instructed as required