Conference announcement

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its foundation, Sophia University will hold a conference to discuss the university's role in the internationalization of Japanese academia.

Commemorative Symposium
on the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of Sophia University

Date and time: 9 December 2013, 9.30 - 17.30
Venue: Sophia University, Yotsuya Campus, Building 2, Room 2-1702
Languages: English and Japanese (simultaneous translation)
Flyer: http://japanesehistory.de/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Symposium_B-1_1115.pdf
Registration: Please send a mail with your name and affiliation to symposium@japanesehistory.de

Connecting Japan and the World. Sophia University in the International Context

This symposium is a platform to discuss Sophia University’s contribution to the internationalization of Japan during the twentieth century. Presenters will look at the international context in which the university was founded, the part played by the Society of Jesus in creating a highly international educational institution in prewar Japan, how the university has functioned as a bridge between Japanese and Euro-American academia, and its role in the accelerating internationalization of Japan’s higher education system in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Presentations will look at notable aspects of Sophia’s development and introduce projects that have shaped the university’s distinctive character as an educational and research institution with a strong international outlook. Some presentations also will give insights into Sophia University’s impact on the local development of Kioi-chô and Kôji-machi.

 
Program

9.30 – 10.00: Greetings
Kôso Toshiaki, S.J. (Chancellor of Sophia School Corporation) Takizawa Tadashi (President, Sophia University) Stefan Herzberg (Minister, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan)

10.00 – 12.15 Panel 1: Origins of Sophia University: International and Local Sven Saaler: Introduction Rolf-Harald Wippich: The International Context of the Founding of Sophia University Tokumitsu Shukuji: The History of the Site of Sophia University: The Evolution of Modern Japan Encapsulated Shimada Masayuki: From the Austro-Hungarian Embassy to Sophia University Bettina Gramlich-Oka: An Evolving Campus, 1913-1938: Visual Impressions

12.15 – 13.30 Lunch Break
Sophia Then and Now: Images from photo collections in the Sophia University Archive (slide show)

13.30 – 15.00 Panel 2: Building and Expanding Intellectual Activities and Networks Kate Wildman Nakai: The Founding of Sophia University: Challenges and Connections Yajima Motomi: Sophia's Postwar Expansion: The Case of the Faculty of Law M. Antoni J. Ucerler, S.J.: Making Sophia’s Resources Available to the World: Kirishitan Bunko and the Laures Database

15.00 – 15.30 Coffee Break

15.30 – 17.15 Panel 3: Accelerating Internationalization and Diversification Harald Fuess: Sophia University and the two World Wars Christian Hess: Sophia University and SCAP David Wessels, S.J.: International Sophia: Jesuits, Asia, and the World Linda Grove: Women in Sophia University

17.15 – 17:30 Closing Remarks
Yamaoka Sanji, S.J. (Vice President of Sophia University)

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Sven Saaler
Associate Professor (Modern Japanese History) Sophia University Faculty of Liberal Arts Kioi-cho 7-1 Chiyoda-ku
102-8554 Tokyo, Japan
TEL/FAX +81-3-3238-4046
svensaaler@web.de
www.japanesehistory.de
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