To All Students Entering the Faculty of International Japanese Studies at Kanagawa University
Congratulations on your enrollment.
My name is Shoko Egawa, and as of April 1st, I have become a specially appointed professor in the Faculty of International Japanese Studies. I will be teaching courses such as "Society and Humanity," "Media Literacy," and "Language and Journalism."
I was looking forward to meeting you all in April, so it is truly regrettable that the start of classes has been pushed back to May due to the novel coronavirus. With the entrance ceremony also canceled, I am sure you must be very disappointed.
Even with university closed, you cannot travel abroad, domestic travel is discouraged, and you must refrain from non-essential outings, so I imagine you are feeling quite stressed.
It was initially said that this virus only causes severe illness in the elderly, but in reality, young people are also becoming victims. In the United States, a 17-year-old boy died in Lancaster, California. A 17-year-old high school student in South Korea and a 21-year-old woman in the UK have also passed away. In Japan, too, university students have been infected, and there have been cases where several have been hospitalized.
Furthermore, the problem of asymptomatic carriers unknowingly coming into contact with various people and spreading the virus is serious. You certainly want to avoid a situation where you become a vector and infect your family or friends, causing them to become severely ill.
Please, for the time being, talk to your friends via the internet or phone, and spend as much time at home as possible.
How to spend this time
However, it is boring, isn't it?
Even though you have finally entered university, some of you may be feeling restless, wondering how you should spend this time.
For those of you in that situation, the professors of the Department of International Cultural Exchange have createdan introduction to study methods for new studentsand uploaded it to the university website. Please be sure to refer to it.
Various books are introduced there as well, but now that you have plenty of time, it is neither too hot nor too cold, and you should refrain from going out, it is the perfect time for reading. Considering your long life, there may not be many times when you can read books without any worries like this (recommended books selected by professors are also introduced for theDepartment of Japanese Cultureand theDepartment of Historical Folklore).
My recommendation
I recommended Natsume Soseki's"My Individualism"and had it added to the list. Paperback versions are available, but since the copyright has already expired, you canread it for free on your smartphone or similar device. Please try searching for "My Individualism Aozora Bunko".
This work is a compilation of the transcript of a lecture Soseki gave to students at Gakushuin in November 1914 (Taisho 3). Since he is speaking to young people, there are few difficult words, and it is very easy to read. It is not that long, so I think you will be able to read it smoothly.
Yet, the content is profound. I reread it while preparing to recommend it to you, and I felt that it is packed with things that are important across eras—or rather, things that we need to think about precisely in this current era. I rediscovered things upon rereading it. I think you, too, will find important clues for thinking about how to live in these difficult times.
Even "heckle" the literary master
That said, since it is a talk from over 100 years ago, it is natural to feel a sense of discomfort from the perspective of our modern values. If you find such parts, please do not hesitate to"Soseki-sensei, isn't that wrong?"and heckle him.
It isimportant to have doubts and try heckling even what authoritative people and institutions say. In your university studies from now on, that kind of questioning ability and heckling ability will become important, so please consider this a warm-up exercise.
Homework for those who want to prepare
I intend to cover this work in the classes I teach as well.
You might wonder, "What?! Why, even though it's not a Japanese literature lecture?!" The answer is something to look forward to once classes begin.
I imagine some of you want to prepare, so I will give you some homework for those people.
(1) Please summarize the gist of what Soseki states in the "Part 1" of his lecture inyour own words (no character limit).
(2) What is theantonymof the "individualism" that Soseki talks about in this lecture? Please write 100–200 characters explaining why you chose that word.
(3) If there were any places where you felt like heckling Soseki while reading, please tell me along with the reason (no character limit).
Once classes begin, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Wash your hands thoroughly, and let's meet in May
To repeat, regarding the virus, do not think "I am fine," avoid travel and contact with people as much as possible, wash your hands thoroughly, and take it one day at a time.
Hand washingis truly effective. Every year, I catch a cold in February (sometimes I get the flu) and suffer from a terrible cough until late March, but this year, because I was diligently washing my hands, I have made it to today without catching a cold even once. How many decades has it been since something like this happened? At first, I mocked it, thinking "Hand washing, really?", but now I am convinced of its effectiveness.
Let each and every one of us do our best tonot get infected and not infect others, and let's meet in the classroom in May in good health.