Dear Students of the Graduate School of Policy Science:

You may have been affected in a variety of ways with the spread of the novel coronavirus worldwide. We recognize that some students are currently outside of Japan and will not be able to enter Japan for some time.

At Ritsumeikan University, classes for about one month after the start of the Spring Semester of 2020 will be conducted on the Web instead of face-to-face, allowing students to study anywhere. Please register for the courses online even if you cannot return to Japan as of April. The manner of instruction and supervision in the subsequent period will be announced as soon as it is decided.

You will register for and take courses mainly through a Web-based tool called manaba+R. Please log in manaba+R frequently to check the latest information. Not only course instruction but also important announcements from the graduate school will be communicated through manaba+R.

Research guidance will be provided by various electronic communication means such as e-mail and video conferencing systems in addition to manaba+R, depending on the supervisors. All faculty members of the Graduate School of Policy Science will make every effort to minimize the impacts of this thorny situation on your journey to writing up your dissertation. We hope that you will work closely with your supervisor and manage to steadily advance your research.

The Policy Science Workshop scheduled to be held in April is postponed to May as it is not suitable for electronic communication (detailed procedures will be announced on manaba+R as soon as they are determined).

If you have any difficulties in receiving guidance via electronic communication, please contact the Graduate School Office. We hope that the spread of infection will converge as soon as possible and that we will be able to provide face-to-face guidance as usual. Please take care of yourself and your family. Protect yourself from infection.

April 1, 2020
Prof. Hiroyuki Mori, Dean, Graduate School of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University