Course Information

In the Lifelong Learning Infrastructure Management course, we re-examine the various activities people engage in after finishing, or outside the framework of, formal education from the point of view of learning and education, and conduct research into the various learning activities that people take part in throughout their lives and the organizations, systems, environment and technologies that support these activities.
The main organizations supporting lifelong learning include community centers, libraries and museums. This course has two components: the Social Education Laboratory, which focuses on research into the activities of community centers and museums, and the Library and Information Science Laboratory, which focuses on research into the activities of libraries.
However, our work addresses much more than just the organization of community centers, libraries and museums and the systems and services they provide. Both laboratories cooperate in carrying out research at various levels, from practical research emphasizing links with society to theoretical and basic research. This practical and theoretical research focuses on educational and learning practices and service activities in a broad sense, encompassing: the work of NPOs (non-profit organizations) and NGOs (non-governmental organizations); regional activities; the infrastructure of information media and its organization, including environments such as the Web and mass media as well as libraries; and technologies such as information search and language information processing. For information on the areas each faculty member specializes in, please refer to their personal Web pages or the Introduction to Faculty Members Web page

Features of the course

• The course places importance on links with society and actual practice. As part of seminars and classes oriented toward particular research themes, students carry out observations of actual educational settings, practical exercises, and surveys, and are also given opportunities to participate in other practical activities such as the activities of NGOs and NPOs, and the construction and operation of information services.
• Attention is also paid to developing fundamental skills such as formal and logical thinking and knowledge of methodology. In addition to seminars and classes oriented toward research themes, various seminars on basic skills including survey methodologies, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, data analysis, and thesis writing are also conducted.
• Diversity and interdisciplinarity are emphasized, and the course has links with organizations and administrations within and without Tokyo University, including other research laboratories, other universities, other faculties, and NPOs and NGOs.
• International interactions are actively encouraged. Researchers, educational practitioners, and students from around the world visit the course and stay for different periods. We actively endeavor to provide opportunities for students to interact with researchers and graduate students from around the world by setting up lectures and special classes.