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Report on the guest lecture (Dr. Ian Kaushigarira, GRIPS)
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.
At first, both sides seemed a little nervous.
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.