History of Modern and Contemporary Education

This course has two primary objectives. First, to understand how politics, economics, and society have changed in modern and contemporary times, and how these changes have influenced educational practice, theory, thought, and policy. Second, to understand the origins of current educational challenges and to develop the ability to consider ways to address them. The goal is not merely to memorize historical events, but to grasp their relevance to contemporary educational issues and to cultivate the ability to guide solutions.

This course examines the historical evolution of education, focusing primarily on the modern and contemporary periods. Its distinctive feature is viewing educational history from outside the frameworks of “school” and “family.” In contemporary Japanese society, receiving compulsory education at elementary and junior high schools is taken for granted, and being raised by one’s family is often considered a given. However, examining historical sources such as magazines, newspapers, and various statistics reveals that many children—those who did not attend school, could not attend, or did not want to attend—have existed throughout pre-war and post-war periods, continuing to the present day. Furthermore, childcare arrangements based on foster care or adoption by non-blood relatives were commonplace scenes until the period of high economic growth. The image of a family raising only biological children was not self-evident. This lecture explores how educational philosophies, methods, policies, and challenges—often taken for granted today—came to be established and how they have fluctuated. By unraveling educational issues, we aim to provide an opportunity to consider fundamental questions: What is school, really? What is family?

The course content is divided into two parts. The first half focuses on school attendance. We will examine what interventions were made for children not attending school and how the school system was established. The second half focuses on child rearing, examining the formation of the modern family and its future.

This course emphasizes the sharing and deepening of students’ opinions. Active participation in group activities is expected. Additionally, students will compile handouts and reports from each session into a portfolio to track their learning process.

Notes
Course plans and evaluation methods may vary by instructor. Be sure to confirm details during the orientation session.

1. Understanding the historical changes in Japanese school education in relation to political, economic, and social changes, and be able to explain them in your own words.
2. Understanding the historical changes in Japanese families and child-rearing, and be able to explain them in your own words.
3. Developing the ability to consider solutions for contemporary educational issues in Japan through understanding the origins of them.

1. Handout Assignments (Each Session) 50%: Submit via Scomb after each lecture. Evaluation will be based on handout annotations to assess understanding of lecture content and participation in group and individual work.

2. Report Assignments (2 Sessions) 40%: Two reports will be assigned: Report A to assess understanding of the first half of the course content, and Report B to assess understanding of the second half. Both Report A and Report B must be submitted. Failure to submit either report will result in a score of 0 for both. Evaluation criteria will be explained upon return.

3. Portfolio 10%: Bind printed assignments, reports, the reflection sheet created during the final lecture, and any reference materials used into a file. Submit after the 14th class session. The content of the reflection will be evaluated.

A total score of 60 points or higher is required to pass (60 points: indicates the minimum level of knowledge required for this course has been acquired).

Japanese

Reference books: It is recommended that each student have their own copy for review purposes.
岩下誠他著（2020）『問いからはじめる教育史』有斐閣
※Requirements may vary by instructor, so be sure to confirm during orientation before purchasing.

Organize and review your existing knowledge of modern and contemporary Japanese history (such as junior high school history and high school Japanese history).

• Generally conducted before or after class.
• Please discuss the date and time in advance via email or other means.

Non-regionally-oriented course

• Course that cultivates an ability for utilizing knowledge
• Course that cultivates a basic self-management skills
• Course that cultivates a basic problem-solving skills

Most classes are interactive

• 1.NO POVERTY
• 3.GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
• 4.QUALITY EDUCATION
• 5.GENDER EQUALITY
• 10.REDUCED INEQUALITIES
• 16.PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS