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2026.04.13
【4/14初回授業】地域文化研究特殊研究II「The Social Value of Prevention: Reimagining the Foundations of Future Society」※WEB講義
Start Date: April 14, 2026
Course codes: 31M220-1340S / 31D220-1340S
This year marks the 16th offering of the interdisciplinary course "Special Research in Regional Culture Studies V." The theme for this term is The Social Value of Prevention: Reimagining the Foundations of Future Society. The course centers on the question: How should prevention be understood and institutionalized as a constitutive social good in rapidly aging Asian societies? Rather than reducing prevention to individual effort, behavioral discipline, or a technocratic tool for containing medical costs, we will examine it as a matter of institutional design, distributive justice, and public legitimacy. No prior medical background is required. Using cancer as a key lens, we will explore how states, markets, corporations, communities, and transnational institutions allocate risk, care, and responsibility, and how policy can advance equity, productivity, fiscal sustainability, social trust, and long-term resilience through UHC, PHC, and evidence-based policymaking in Asia.
Course Features
Experience Social Implementation: Gain a tangible sense of how your research findings and expertise can contribute to solving real-world social issues. By understanding how to apply your work to societal challenges, you will broaden the significance of your research. If you feel you have developed the ability to implement research in society through this course, it could open up future career paths in industry-government-academia projects or startup ventures.
1.Develop Policy Collaboration Skills: Learn how to bridge science and policy by writing policy recommendation reports and engaging in discussions with policymakers. This experience will enhance your ability to connect scientific research with policy-making, a valuable skill for obtaining research funding and making policy proposals in your field. By the end of the course, you will gain confidence that you too can influence policy through your expertise.
2.Build a Transdisciplinary Network: Through intensive dialogue and collaboration with students and instructors from diverse fields, you will form a personal network that transcends departmental boundaries. Interactions with peers from other graduate schools and universities will become assets for future joint research and information exchange. The very experience of connecting knowledge across boundaries can inspire creative research ideas.
3.Gain New Perspectives: Embrace viewpoints from other fields--such as analyzing medical issues from an engineering standpoint or examining social systems from a medical perspective--to dramatically broaden your horizon as a researcher. By encountering ideas and problem awareness that you would not have discovered within your own specialization, you can spark new directions for your doctoral thesis or projects.
4.Boost Academic Communication in English: Overcome the high hurdle of writing and presenting policy proposals in English. By accomplishing these challenging tasks, you will greatly reduce any hesitation toward participating in international conferences or submitting papers in English. After completing the course, you will emerge with a sense of confidence and pride as a global researcher. This experience will serve as a positive step toward disseminating your research findings to the world.
5.Network with Experts: At the end of the course, participate in a networking session with leading experts from industry, government, and academia. This is a valuable opportunity to receive direct feedback and advice from professionals at the forefront of their fields while expanding your connections. There will also be company visits and networking events with fellow participants, and for those interested, short-term training opportunities with organizations like the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) or partnering companies will be available. With the right engagement, this course can become a learning platform directly tied to advancing your research career.
Under the theme of "connecting through healthcare beyond borders," this course encourages you to step beyond your own boundaries and grow. It is expected to be an inspiring and enriching arena of learning and development for graduate students.
