This article describes the possibilities of art workshops which have been conducted in Fukushima Prefecture that were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant accident on March 11, 2011. In coastal areas, many people experienced unexpected domestic migrations/relocations and unwelcome changes in their lives due to the disaster,…

As research has shown, the kind and degree of environmental ethics and eco-philosophy (or the lack thereof) may determine the effectiveness of pre-service teacher training in education for sustainable development. This is especially the case where in the ethical substratum of the conservationist Aldo Leopold and his Japanese precursor, the human…

The old myth about the ability and variability of potential in children is a comforting myth, for those who are uneasy with the degree of inequality they see and would rather seek to justify it than confront it. The myth of inherent potential helps some explain to themselves why they are privileged. Extend the myth to believe in inherited ability…

In this article, the author examines Makiguchi Tsunesaburo's philosophy and practice of human geography ("jinsei chirigaku"), community studies ("kyodoka"), and composition instruction based on "value-creating pedagogy" ("soka kyoikugaku") for thinking through and responding to two competing trends…

The purpose of this dialogue was to begin grappling with notions of neutrality and academic development in three non-western contexts: (1) Jamaica; (2) Ethiopia; and (3) Japan. The authors were asked to describe the political geography of academic development in their countries and to explore questions of neutrality. This dialogue therefore tries…

This article focuses on two of the earlier works in the Makiguchi corpus, "Kyoju no togo chushin toshiteno kyodoka kenkyu" ("Research into Community Studies as the Integrating Focus of Instruction," 1912/1987; hereafter "Community Studies"), and "Chiri kyoju no hoho oyobi naiyo no kenkyu" ("Research…

This article examines the applicability of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi's (1871-1944) educational ideas in what Denzin and Lincoln (2005) call the "fractured future," a time marked by human, environmental, and climatic destabilization, and a time in which the social sciences "are normative disciplines always already embedded in issues of…

This article introduces the life and work of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944), a Japanese teacher, school principal, educational philosopher, author, activist, and Buddhist war resister. Quite likely, readers are unfamiliar with Tsunesaburo Makiguchi or his ideas. His writings on education covered three main areas, human geography, community…

Describes three trends that are thought to be important in shaping the Pacific Rim and discusses the significance of each. The first is the continuing economic and military influence of the United States in the region; the second is the increasingly dynamic Japanese expansion; and the third trend is the diffusion of Chinese people throughout the…

Ten years after the groundbreaking "From Barbie to Mortal Kombat" highlighted the ways gender stereotyping and related social and economic issues permeate digital game play, the number of women and girl gamers has risen considerably. Despite this, gender disparities remain in gaming. Women may be warriors in "World of…

Since 1989, large numbers of "ethnic returnees" have settled in Germany and Japan. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, 2.8 million "Aussiedler," or ethnic German returnees, came to Germany from the former Soviet Union. In Japan, immigration reform driven by low-skill labor shortages induced nearly 300,000…

The United Nations (UN) Population Division monitors fertility, mortality, and migration trends for all countries as a basis for producing the official UN population estimates and projections. Among recent demographic trends, two are prominent: (1) population decline and (2) population aging. Focusing on these two critical trends, a study…

The Japanese capacity for long-range planning, efficient product design, and the development of loyal and productive workers should be pursued by American recreationists in their attempt to influence urban recreation in the coming decade. Methods to achieve this include: (1) adopting corporate strategies, (2) using volunteers in leadership roles,…

This discussion of comparative international geographical education describes a three-phase educational typology based on political, economic, and cultural characteristics; man-land relationships; and geography as an academic discipline. A country's choice of educational emphasis reflects its prevailing political and social values. (AM)

Distance learning using two-way audio and visual interaction offers opportunities for personal interaction with and among students. Describes the experiences of a faculty member of the California State University (Chico, CA) who taught a human geography course to students in California and Japan. Provides examples of student-centered assignments.…