IGWS Newsletter Vol. 27

  • Report on the 20th IGWS Seminar at Aichi Shukutoku University
  • Students’ feedback on the 20th IGWS Seminar
  • My Career Planning ― Working for an accounting firm to become a licensed tax accountant
  • Tongue and Bodies in Translation: What a title can tell us
  • The 2nd Discussion Meeting: Graduation Theses Written from a Gender Perspective
  • Student’s’ feedback on the 2nd Discussion Meeting of Graduation Theses
  • Gender &Women’s Studies: Open lectures in the first semester (2009)

Report on the 20th IGWS Seminar

Lecture Series: “Love and Violence ― the relationship between power and control in date DV”
(Ms. Yuri Gu.-Feminist counselor for the Prevention of date DV Educational Program)

 In this seminar, we held a lecture on the theme“date DV,”a kind of DV encountered when lovers or friends of the opposite sex are dating.

 Ms.Gu showed some questionnaire results, and explained that“date DV”comes from the male partner's strong belief that "my dating partner belongs to me." Ms.Gu pointed out that“control”is far from love, only“a desire of exclusive possession,”and this kind of desire is even though he loves her. Furthermore, she noted that date DV is an outcome of power and control, and is inherent characteristic of power relations between a man and a woman. This“date DV”not only refers to physical and sexual violence, but also verbal mental violence, as well as the social violence in which a victim is constantly monitored. This inherent characteristic of power relations between a man and a woman from gender issues in society: the value system of masculinity and femininity. Ms. Gu questioned the participating students about whether they themselves have gender biases as she introduced the Japanese hit song of “Amaenbou (Clinging Vine)” sung by Ai Ohtsuka and another hit song of “Omaeyanaito akannen (I can't live without you)” sung by Tomoya Nagase.

 At the end of the lecture, Ms.Gu emphasized that it is important for you to make your own choices and decisions,, and to highly value “being yourself.” She emphasized the necessity to choose the gender-bias-free way of living. Ms.Gu let the participating students participate in a role-playing game and explained the right way of communication when men and women establish an appropriate relationship. She also emphasized the importance in “refusinig",“leaving",“escaping”as well as“talking”in order to protect one’s precious“ body and soul”, important for the female students who occupied most of the audience of this lecture.

 There is gender bias deriving from the social and cultural value systems of gender roles. This lecture was not only as introduction to anti- date DV strategie, but also created an opportunity to think about gender issues, including men’s problems.

The 2nd discussion meeting held on January 28th 2009 Graduation theses written from a gender perspective

 IGWS held a meeting to discuss the graduation theses which were conscious of gender biases. The six senior students presented the summary of their theses; one student from the Department of Studies on Contemporary Society, two students from the Department of Business, one student from the Department of Japanese Language and Literature, and two students from the Department of English Language and Literature. After their presentations, comments were given and questions were asked on the papers by both teachers and students attending the meeting. They enjoyed sharing various view points regarding gender issues. The names of the reporting students and their theses are as follows:

  • TANAKA, Haruna. “I Search for the Depths of Eyes Staring at the Mirror ― A Study of the Appearance-conscious Boys of Nowadays”
  • INOUE, Haruka. “Transformation of the Labor Circumstances and the Society of Declining Birthrate ― Relevance of the Tendency to Marry Late in Life”
  • NIWA, Natsuki. “The Actual Situation and the Problems of the Part-time Employees ―Based on an International Comparison”
  • YOKOUCHI, Sayuri. “A Heroine Who Belongs to Nobody ―The Pure Personality of the Traveler Kino”
  • TAKESHIMA, Natsuki. “A Love Triangle in ‘Phantom of the Opera’”
  • MURAI, Maho. “The Children’s Island in Peter Pan”

News from the research institute

 Book publication: A Crossing of Gender ― A Trial of the Cross-sectional Study, Institute of Gender and Women's Studies.
This research institute was given the special research grants from Aichi Shukutoku University in the year 2007 and 2008, and this book was published as a result of the achievement. The essays in this book were written by seven full-time teachers, including a former- employee. The book deals with social politics, political science, media studies, communication science, English literature and anthropology, from the viewpoint of gender issues.

 The following are the writers involved: Yoshie Ishida, Akiko Ogawa, Yu Nagata, Mitoko Hirabayashi, Mako Fujii, Akiko Fukumoto, and Koji Wakamatsu.

The renewal of the research institute brochure

 We have renewed our research institute brochure. We hope this new brochure will provide you with more information for easier access to our institute.


To read the Japanese original newsletter, click here and download a PDF file.

"Adobe Reader" is needed to read a PDF file. "Adobe Reader" of the following click a download button, and the person who doesn't have download and install software, please.