December and January may both be cold months, but for the senior-year GSE students, they are quite different experiences. In December, tensions can build up as the thesis submission deadline approaches. Last-minute changes are being made, spelling mistakes seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and submission rules being carefully scrutinized. For the GSE students, this is the culmination of almost two years of studying research theory and skills, planning, researching, and writing.

12月と1月は寒さの厳しい季節ですが、4年生にとってはとても重要な時期です。12月に、GSEコースの4年生は差し迫る卒業論文の締め切りに緊張しながらも、最後の論文チェックを行い、スペルミスがないかどうか確認し、論文が提出ルールに一致しているかを確認します。卒業論文は2年間のリサーチや学修の集大成だといえます。

In January, senior GSE students meet with their supervisors and second readers to defend their thesis. This can be nerve-wracking, but is also an opportunity to talk about their motivations, research experiences, and the main findings of their work. Another important event is when the GSE students present their thesis to their juniors at a 'mini-conference'. This is real win-win, as it means they can share their work, but also their juniors can get a better idea of the challenges and opportunities that await them. One of the many strengths of the GSE course is that students can really follow their own passions by choosing research topics from across the humanities and social sciences.

1月には指導教員と副査による卒業論文の審査が行われます。4年生にとっては緊張の高まる瞬間ですが、自分の研究の目的やリサーチの経験、発見などを伝える貴重な機会です。また、GSEの4年生は3年生に向けて卒業論文の内容を発表する「ミニ・コンフェレンス」を行います。これは4年生にとってお互いの研究を共有できるだけでなく、3年生も自分たちが来年行う研究のためのよいアイデアを得ることができる機会です。学生が強い情熱を持って人文科学や社会科学の問題に取り組んでいる点がGSE生の強みの一つです。

Because GSE students have so many different kinds of courses, study abroad, and volunteer opportunities, it is not surprising that their thesis topics are so varied. Haruka Kunitake researched and wrote about urban-rural inequality in China, stemming from her study in Economics, and also her experience travelling to China as part of a China-Japan friendship delegation in 2018. Mizuho Sugiyama talked about her work on indigenous land rights issues in Mindanao, Philippines. This connects to many of her courses, and also her volunteer work in Philippines. Melissa Yukari Kuwahara shared her findings on the problem of blood diamonds in Sierra Leone, a topic in which she became interested during Issues in the Modern World.

GSEコースではさまざまな授業や留学、ボランティアなどの機会が多くあるため、卒業論文のテーマも多彩です。國武春花さんは中国の都市と地方での格差について調査し、実際に中国に行った経験を活かし、経済学の観点から卒論を執筆しました。杉山瑞穂さんはフィリピンでのボランティアの経験に基づき、ミンダナオ島における伝統的所有地の権利の問題を扱いました。桑原メリサゆかりさんは "Issues in the Modern World"という授業を通じて興味を持ったシエラレオネの紛争と深く関わるダイヤモンドの問題、いわゆる「ブラッド・ダイヤモンド」について卒論を執筆しました。

Three very different topics, and three very different personal stories. However, one thing that is absolutely similar among these students is the quality of their work. This is entirely down to their hard work and determination. When they leave us, they will be missed, but I am certain that as they all enter their new jobs, they will be a great success.

それぞれ異なるテーマを扱っていますが、いずれもその研究の質の高さでは共通していました。これもまた、3人の努力の結果です。卒業してしまうのはさびしいですが、新しい仕事の中でもきっと素晴らしい結果を残すことができると思います。