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Ms. Naito is a graduate of Ritsumeikan University's College of International Relations, and when she talked about how she started internships in the Philippines and Palestine in her junior year, students started enjoying the opportunity to interact with her, asking many questions such as how she got the internship opportunity and whether they can apply for it even though they are not yet in final year.

We are offering the Writing Tutorial Program to support students write their academic papers in both Japanese and English for their class assignments. Experienced senior and graduate students of IR will answer questions and give useful advice on writing assignments as a tutor during the one-on-one sessions.
Students can take the tutorial sessions an unlimited number of times for free.



 【What is the role of the Writing Tutorial Program?】
-to help students clarify and structure the ideas for their papers
-to help students notice what needs improving and offer advice and clues for how they can rewrite their papers
-to help students understand the rules of citation and plagiarism
-to answer students’ questions related to Academic Writing

Period: English tutorial: May 16-July 21
Japanese tutorial: May 15-July 21
Time: Varies depending on the date. One session is for 40-50min.
Eligibility: IR students who seek support and advice on writing assignments for their school courses
Session Format: Face-to-face session (Koshinkan Building on the fourth floor), or online session via Zoom.

Go to the link below to apply for the session and for more details (available only for currently enrolled IR students).
https://ct.ritsumei.ac.jp/ct/page_1743909c1728150_1075285913

「Working as a tutor for the writing tutorial program has allowed me to actively learn about academic writing, which is a good experience for my future papers.」

https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/ir/students/eng/interview/vol12.html/

Dr. Ian, a guest speaker from Uganda who teaches at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan met Ritsumeikan University students for the first time. (English class: led by Pr. Mayumi Yamada).
At first, both sides seemed a little nervous.
In this workshop, there were only three students who had met a professor from the African continent in their student life. Also, most of the students didn’t have an accurate understanding of Uganda's geography and surrounding countries.
Dr. Ian's lecture began with a talk from his student days at Makerere University in the capital of Uganda. Dr. Ian began by explaining that lectures at Ugandan universities are always crowded with more than 1,000 students, and it is not uncommon for professors to be too far away to hear or see professors. Still, he says he believed that by passing the exams and graduating from college, he would be able to take the next step.

In addition, Dr. Ian had a total of 10 brothers and sisters, and since he was the youngest child, it was assumed that he would pay for his own tuition. First of all, the students listened attentively to his background as a police officer, where he received training while working, and obtained master's and doctoral degrees in Japan. Also, while there is a belief in Uganda that it is better to study natural sciences and economics than social sciences, Dr. Ian said, "I chose what I wanted to do because I cherished it". It conveyed to students the interdisciplinary appeal and flexibility of the social sciences.

Currently, Dr. Ian was also conducting research analyzing the careers of friends who studied at the same university as him, and each person is not necessarily tied to the degree they have earned to their current profession. He told students that a career doesn't necessarily end with a single goal, and it doesn't have to be set that way, as well as examples of successful sociological experts running clinics. Dr. Ian himself said, "I'm a university professor now, but my original goal is to be president of Uganda."

The dialogue continued with many questions from the students, such as whether they were confused about Japan or if they had any problems due to cultural differences. Through these workshops, the students and Dr. Ian seemed to be able to get to know each other. After the lecture, the students and Dr. Ian continued to have a pleasant dialogue at Tully's Coffee. As for the second workshop, I was very happy to see the students voluntarily interacting with the guest speakers after the workshop.

During the coffee break, students finally realized that Dr. Sopaj didn’t drink anything until the time came, as it was during Ramadan, which was a great learning opportunity. After the talk session, the students received a business card from her. They were very happy as it was the first time for them to experience this. She commented, "It's rare to find a class with this much diversity, and the students are excellent, so I'm looking forward to the future."　As a teacher, I was a little worried about how the students would react, but it turned out to be a fun workshop filled with laughter.

Congratulations on your enrollment!

Classes will begin on April 6.