Keio University Syllabus and Timetable

The theme of this study group is "listening" or "hearing". Have you ever felt that the textual data and numerical data that have been used as materials for research up to now are somehow stiff, dry, and unsatisfactory? Especially in research involving people, it is quite natural to want something that feels the temperature of people.
Therefore, we have started a research group to consider and practice "talking" and "listening," which are very simple but realistic tasks based on communication, in order to open up research and the unknown.

Various kinds of 'listening', including oral history
The method is very simple and clear: you ask people who understand what you don't understand. The target audience is anyone who can 'talk', from politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other celebrities to ordinary people, from life veterans to children. Listening is a method that anyone can engage in and that contains within itself the fun of communication.
When we set up this study group in 2009, we were committed to the 'oral history' method. As we have continued to work with the members of the study group, this has expanded to include listening and writing, semi-structured interviews, active interviews and interactive interviews.
The method has expanded to include listening comprehension, semi-structured interviews, active interviews and interactive interviews. Each of us now uses a variety of methods according to our own objectives.

And what is the purpose of this research group?
When I talk like this, you might think, what, material-gathering interviews? Yes, that's right. But it is not only that. Oral history gives the listener a hypothesis, opens up previously unseen problem structures and provides new logic.
It gives them a new logic. And sometimes, the 'telling' and 'listening' itself becomes a major means of problem-solving.
Another thing: you cannot do oral history without the ability to listen. Developing listening skills leads to the development of imaginative and writing skills. Above all, weaving a narrative is fun and exciting beyond imagination. By developing the power of listening, enjoying storytelling and drawing out the structures of memory and perception, you will be able to broaden your own perspective and deepen the clues of your research. That is the purpose of this workshop.

Intended members of the study group
People who are interested in 'talking', 'listening' and 'hearing'.
People who like to listen to other people's stories and want to make use of them in some way.
People who are somewhat tired of research that deals only with letters and numbers.

Three axes for promoting the study group
In order to achieve the above aims, the study group will work on three approaches.
1. To acquire an oral history
First and foremost, it is necessary to acquire and refine oral history methods. Simply listening is indeed not research. For this reason, you need to read some good oral histories, compare the methodologies you have developed and refined with your own experience, and then apply these to your own research.
We then compare these to our own experiences and use these as the basis for discussion. Through this process, you will develop a method of listening that is suited to your own research project.
2. Doing oral history as your own project
However, oral history is a 'moving' method. It is not something you can just sit and study. It is therefore necessary to practise oral history as your own research project. This preparation, practice and review is discussed and refined with other members of the team. However, the person in charge of the project considers it both fun and dangerous to construct a research project based solely on information obtained orally. It is only when there is as much textual information and numerical evidence as possible that the orals come into their own.
This individual research project is the main focus of this seminar. The members of the seminar have worked on a wide range of topics, from 'listening' itself to policy, community, entrepreneurship, work, memory, organisation, culture, family, psychology and faith, with a focus on orality. I think it is interesting to see the liaisons that are created when members with completely different themes come together. That may be the meaning of conducting such a research group based on 'method' at the SFC.
3. Developing oral history into further projects
In addition, I would like to talk about something more expansive. It would be boring and wasteful if members who are working on research using the same methods were to work only on their own individual research. Therefore, we have asked for applicants from the research group to participate in a project in which children ask elderly people about their memories of the local area and school.
The project was a trial of a participatory, intergenerational exchange project in which children asked elderly people about their memories of the local area and their memories of the school. There are also projects such as the Obuse Youth Conference, which spun out from the internships carried out by this study group.
More recently, we have collaborated with the NPO Youth Base to develop interview workshops for high school students.

Research themes
Because we are a research group that shares research methods, we are open to any research or project theme. Rather, we find the liaison that is created by sharing methods and engaging in diverse research interesting. In fact, oral history is not only about policy, but also about culture, the traditions, organisations, companies, livelihoods, medicine, families, technological development, etc.
If you have any doubts about the topic, please consult your teacher in advance. For past research themes, please refer to 'Research results' on the seminar web.

Open seminar (implemented from 2018 academic year)
Since the 2018 academic year, we have introduced single-session participation for external guest members. Last year, we welcomed participants from various fields, including media professionals, interviewers, entrepreneurs, consultants, editors, early-career researchers, students from other universities (including the U.S.), and high school students. On days when external guest members joined, we held networking sessions after the seminar to hear about their on-the-ground experiences.
Additionally, in the 2023 academic year, we were honored to host Masahiko Kishi (sociologist and author), Ran Domon (author and interviewer), and Nanase Shikata (cultural anthropologist). In the 2024 academic year, we welcomed Masayuki Uchikoshi (sociologist) and Kyoko Tominaga (sociologist).

Oral History

The spring semester focuses on deepening basic understanding and listening skills through literature readings and discussions, leading to research and projects on topics of interest to each member from the summer camp and autumn semester.

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In the fall semester, the focus will be on individual research, so no specific textbook will be assigned.

General Readings on Oral History and Listening
T Mikuriya (Ed.) (2019) What Can Oral History Achieve?, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten.
K Washida (1999) The Power of "Listening" , Tokyo: TBS Britannica.
S Blackmore (2009) Conversations on "Consciousness", Tokyo: NTT Publishing.
Y Shimizu (2009) "Possibilities of Oral History", Ritsumeikan University.
A Portelli (2016) What is Oral History?, Tokyo: Suiseisha.
M Daimon (2017) Speaking History, Listening History, Tokyo: Iwanami Shinsho.
M Hokari (2018) Radical Oral History, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten.
S Park (2023) Telling Memories, Writing History, Tokyo: Yuhikaku.
Y Shimizu (2023) "Practice and Methods of 'Open Oral History', in T Kuwahara and Y Shimizu (Eds.), Methodological Developments in Comprehensive Policy Studies, Tokyo: Keio University Press.
Y Shimizu and Masaki Suwa (2014) "Revisiting Oral History Methods", KEIO SFC JOURNAL, Vol. 14, No. 1.
E T. Stringer (2012) Action Research, Tokyo: Filia.
Learning Oral History Methods
V Yow (2011) The Theory and Practice of Oral History, Tokyo: InterBooks.
P Thompson (2002) From Memory to History. Tokyo: Aoki Shoten.
J Holstein and others (2004) Active Interviewing, Tokyo: Serika Shobo.

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