Hiroshima University makes peace studies course compulsory from FY 2011
Aug. 12, 2010
by Eriko Shintani, Staff Writer
Hiroshima University is planning to make a peace studies course compulsory for all incoming freshmen from fiscal year 2011. As an institution established after World War II in Hiroshima, the first city in the world to be attacked by a nuclear weapon, the university aims to convey to the students a spirit of respect for peace.
From a dozen new courses on peace-related topics, such as current conditions involving the nuclear weapons states, the shortage of food resulting from population growth, and war literature, students will choose one. As part of their coursework, a tour of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and an exchange with A-bomb survivors are also planned. The compulsory course will consist of 15 lectures of 90 minutes each for two credits.
Almost every year, roughly 70% of the nearly 2,500 freshmen entering the university are from outside the Hiroshima area. Some faculty members and students voiced the need to offer students the opportunity to learn about the atomic bombing and peace.
Since fiscal year 2008, the university has required the students to visit five war-related institutions, including Ohkunoshima Poison Gas Museum and the Holocaust Education Center, and submit a report.
Yukimasa Oho, deputy director of the liberal arts division, where such educational policies are set, explained the aim of the compulsory course, saying, "We want to nurture individuals who can perceive the war and the atomic bombing from many perspectives and can contribute to peace building in the world."
Hiroshima University has offered elective courses in the past involving peace issues, such as Hiroshima Studies. This will be the first time for the university to require the completion of a peace studies course for graduation.
Meanwhile, among universities in Hiroshima Prefecture, from this fiscal year Hiroshima City University is requiring its freshmen and sophomores to take the Hiroshima Peace Course in order to graduate.
(Originally published on August 12, 2010)
Hiroshima University is planning to make a peace studies course compulsory for all incoming freshmen from fiscal year 2011. As an institution established after World War II in Hiroshima, the first city in the world to be attacked by a nuclear weapon, the university aims to convey to the students a spirit of respect for peace.
From a dozen new courses on peace-related topics, such as current conditions involving the nuclear weapons states, the shortage of food resulting from population growth, and war literature, students will choose one. As part of their coursework, a tour of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and an exchange with A-bomb survivors are also planned. The compulsory course will consist of 15 lectures of 90 minutes each for two credits.
Almost every year, roughly 70% of the nearly 2,500 freshmen entering the university are from outside the Hiroshima area. Some faculty members and students voiced the need to offer students the opportunity to learn about the atomic bombing and peace.
Since fiscal year 2008, the university has required the students to visit five war-related institutions, including Ohkunoshima Poison Gas Museum and the Holocaust Education Center, and submit a report.
Yukimasa Oho, deputy director of the liberal arts division, where such educational policies are set, explained the aim of the compulsory course, saying, "We want to nurture individuals who can perceive the war and the atomic bombing from many perspectives and can contribute to peace building in the world."
Hiroshima University has offered elective courses in the past involving peace issues, such as Hiroshima Studies. This will be the first time for the university to require the completion of a peace studies course for graduation.
Meanwhile, among universities in Hiroshima Prefecture, from this fiscal year Hiroshima City University is requiring its freshmen and sophomores to take the Hiroshima Peace Course in order to graduate.
(Originally published on August 12, 2010)
