If your nation were contemplating the construction of a new
university, what kind of institution should it envision to best address the
evolving demands of our times?
☆Let’s think
1.
What are
two main functions of a university?
Note: A university is for
research and education.
2.
What
are the main issues of our time?
Note: Climate crisis, nuclear crisis,
pandemics, pollutions, wealth gap, white-supremacy and other discriminations, capitalism
and neoliberalism, lack of diversity, lack of ethics of technology are some of
the main issues of our time.
3.
Which
issue you named as answers to Question 2 is the most serious to you? Why?
☆Hints
for points
1. War: Similarities to the prewar period of
Imperial Japan of the current government and society in Japan has been pointed
out. It is clear that Japan learned nothing from its past mistakes and sins and
is to repeat them in the near future.
2. Climate Change: Global warming impacts not only
ecosystem but also politics. It is the urgent issue that could threaten the
survival of humanity and the effect is already evident in our country.
3. Food and Water Security: Pursuing the
short-time profits and bound by unfair treaties like Japan-US FTA, Japan has
been punishing the domestic agriculture. Now the self-sufficiency is said to be
40% while a professor of Tokyo University calculates that it is actually 10% if
the import of fertilizer, 99% of which is from China, is taken into account.
4. Political Reform: The ruling party, Liberal
Democratic Party, has been in power technically continuously since the end of
WWII except for a couple of years around 2011 under the Democratic party. This
is rare worldwide and problematic as a static political situation leads to
corruption. Now the government is in its terminal condition with cronyism and
plutocracy, rewarding only the billionaires while exploiting the rest.
5. Aging Society: Tax increase on the working
class and increase of non-regular employment is the root cause of low birthrate
because they discourage people from marrying and having children.
6. Industry Revival: Bid-rigging and monopolization
have killed the vitality and enterprise of the Japanese industry. Immediate
reform in this structural problem is needed for our industry sector to start
all over again.
☆Sample Responses
I
would like my country to build a new institution for peace studies. We are in
dire need of a university devoted to peaceful coexistence of all kinds of
people. As of 2023, we have yet to overcome as humankind our bigotry and discrimination.
Hate suffers minorities and dehumanize all involved. Today’s world is full of
crimes, conflicts, and wars, torturing and killing countless number of people,
while nobles oblige is lost among those who are less unfortunate. This
deterioration of human species is threatening its continuation as we can see in
the recent pandemic and threat of nuclear war. Not only do the perverted
activities of haters help cause these problems but also they hamper their
solutions. Therefore, the events related to hate must be studied in an
interdisciplinary approach for the whole picture of this issue to stop the predicament
of the disadvantaged and prevent another distress of any human in the future. (142 words)
Your Sample
Response
Introduction
(Outline)
Supporting
Details
Conclusion
(Wrap-up)
Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses.
Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.
DRAFT
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