KYUSHU UNIV GUIDE BOOK 2014_15_02 page 12/44

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KYUSHU UNIV GUIDE BOOK 2014_15_02

The 21st Century Program is an interdisciplinary curriculum geared to shaping capable people who will lead through this century.The aim is to foster “highly specialized generalists” capable of identifying problems, defining issues and generating solutions at an advancedlevel and from a broad frame of reference for the various challenges facing society and humankind in general in the 21st century.The 21st Century Program?An Interdisciplinary UndergraduateProgram That Transcends Conventional Demarcations■ Four Educational Principles of the 21st Century ProgramDevelop Human Resources for the 21st CenturyWhat society needs is a new form of knowledge?one capable ofadapting to various changes and that can transcend existing knowledgedemarcations toward quickly identifying and solving problems.The goal of the 21st Century Program is for students to acquire andapply such new knowledge and in doing so serve as this century’sleaders in contemporary arenas?from politics and economics toscience, technology, society and culture.Creative Knowledge and Foundational KnowledgeToward promoting the type of knowledge that can spark creativity,the 21st Century Program encourages students to learn independently.To be able to identify and solve problems themselves, students needto devote their efforts toward independent learning that creativelyutilizes the whole of the university’s course offerings. Taking properadvantage of this independence demands that students acquirefoundational knowledge, which is necessary to understand, interpretand solve the problems facing contemporary society, and that theyacquire the communication and language skills to express it.Highly Specialized GeneralistsThe 21st Century Program conceives of individuals that acquire this newform of knowledge as highly specialized generalists. Such generalistspossess specialized knowledge in a particular field, but they are alsocapable of crossing over into related disciplines and integrating the varioussubject areas from a broad standpoint. Highly specialized generalists aretherefore the people who can act as a bridge between the specializationthat is typical of academic knowledge and society at large.Open to the Outside WorldThe outside world here refers to society. Even within courses, our mindsetis to build up thorough-going students who positively interact in society,tackle social problems, and are capable of applying university knowledgeto those conundrums facing communities. But being open to the outsideworld also means going beyond the framework of one’s own country.As globalization continues, it will be necessary to think and act from aninternational perspective and people that are able to do so effectivelyare likely to play an increasingly important social role. The 21st CenturyProgram aims to nurture such individuals.With the 21st Century Program, students may in principle take courses offered in anydepartment at Kyushu University. In effect, the students themselves decide what they study.Students adopt a broad perspective and take classes according to a study plan they createbased on their interests and aims. Some set requirements do exist, but other than those,students may tailor their curriculum to meet their own needs. With this approach,it is expected students that demonstrate the self-initiative and independence they willneed in their future careers.■ Tailor-Made Educational ProgramEnter 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year GraduateTutorialSeminar for Developing Independent Study Skills(underclassmen)Seminar for Developing Independent Study Skills(upperclassmen)KIKAN EducationCourse for Current Issues21st Century Program,English Graduation ResearchCourses related to each student’s major graduateKIKAN Education subjects for studentsin the second year and aboveResearch onSelected ThemesCurriculum construction of the 21st Century Program12 ｜ KYUSHU UNIVERSITY : DISCOVERY