[Global/Local On-site Seminar] Sophomores Carried Out On-Site Research in Italy

In a course “Global/Local On-site Seminar” in College of Policy Science, a group of sophomore students made a field research in Italy for 12 days from September 13 to 24. Fifteen students from this class (thirteen from Policy Science major, two from Community and Regional Policy Studies major) accompanied by two professors (Professor Tabayashi and Professor Kamiko) and a junior student as an educational supporter joined the research field work.

“Italy project” is a newly opened program this year. It is divided into two teams, foreign language education team and theatre/culture team. The aim of the foreign language team is to find out the problems of foreign language education in Japan through the comparative studies on language education in Italy and Japan. On the other hand, the theatre/culture team has interests in stakeholders of culture, and why/whether culture is indispensable. As one of the sample embodiments of culture, the team focuses on theaters and is conducting comparative researches on theatre cultures in Japan and Italy.

In order to work on the research of foreign language education, the team visited the education department in municipal government in Milan, and had an interview on the topic of schooling system in Italy. Located on the northeast of Milan, Falcone high school for foreign languages in Bergamo and Bergamo University offered us Japanese students a chance to sit in Japanese lessons taught by Italian teachers. The students of foreign language education team also joined some interactive activities in a class taught by Japanese teacher in Bergamo University. What’s more, based on the result of questionnaire, which has already been collected, the team organized several interviewes with students from high school, university, and graduate school, as well as faculty members.

 The theater/culture team, on the other hand, visited 3 theaters, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro Sociale at Como, and Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo. Concerning Teatro alla Scala, we students went on tailored tours in theater, backstage, museum, and the stage workshop and attended a lecture by the management director. In the Teatro Sociale at Como, we students also conducted a short interview with the art director after watching a part of a rehearsal of ‘Così fan tutte’ by Mozart while at Teatro Dnizetti we listened to a short lecture by the official from Comune di Bergamo and interviewed her.

 At the end of the fieldwork, students from both teams delivered presentations on their research to the students and professors in Bergamo University. The most of the students are studying Italian language since last April, so, during the fieldwork, students communicated with the local students in not only English and Japanese but also with Italian.

Besides investigating the research topics, students got to know deeply about history and cultures of Italy during the fieldwork as well. After returning to Japan, students are keenly working on the research report as the final product of the course.

To have a successful and meaningful fieldtrip in Italy, all of us students truly appreciate generous cooperation from Teatro alla Scala and its affiliated Academia, Teatro Donizetti, Education Department in Milan, Falcone High School, and Bergamo University, and also thank Policy Science Office for their supports and Professor Carolina Capasso in College of Policy Science for teaching us Italian language.

英語翻訳：立命館大学政策科学部Community and Regional Policy Studies専攻2年生
LIN Yu-Chun, RAYANI Tresnahendarni, XU Shunfei