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spent the afternoon recording people’s stories. The students then had to process and analyze what they had learned through their experiences and observations. The results can be seen here: tohokukaranokoe.org. There are more than 500 hours of video and recordings, with all the interviews conducted by undergraduates. After some training in interviewing methods, students were able to let people tell their stories from their hearts. Not only is this the single largest video archive of 3.11 voices anywhere in the world, but it also reflects Sophia University’s educational motto, “Men and Women for Others with Others,” based on Christian humanism. By visiting places and listening to peo-ple, students can discover the overarching issues confront-ing affected areas and better understand the various forces at work. Book learning is still important but is incomplete without this firsthand exposure, which instills responsibility, respect, and compassion in young people. Professor Slater’s students have also become actively in-volved in raising their voices politically. Some are active in SEALDs — Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democ-racy. Made up mostly of young people in their late teens and early twenties, the group organizes political demonstrations and promotes the political education of youth. One of the most highly debated topics in Japan recently has been Prime Minister Abe’s policy of reinterpreting Japan’s constitution to allow the exercise of the right of collective self-defense.“My students are collecting the narratives of SEALDs and other youth activists, regardless of their political standpoint, pro-Abe or anti-Abe. We are watching them give themselves the political education that we as professors have not given them.” Professor Slater believes it is important that the students be able to critique authority and not be afraid to speak out di-rectly and honestly to those in power. “If they graduate and do not know how to confront authority or society, the fault lies with the teachers,” he said. “Many people say Japanese col-lege students are passive, lazy, or not involved; if that is the case, then it is the fault of us, their teachers. We should set examples for them and help them to express their opinions boldly and responsibly.” Sophia University’s background, culture, and academic mission all have their roots in Christian humanism, and em-phasize morality and diversity, bringing together students from different backgrounds so that they can learn from one another as well as from their professors. Professor Slater be-lieves that Sophia should therefore take a leading role in re-sisting the political pressures to stifle free speech, and should always strive to remain a sanctuary for open inquiry and hon-est discourse. “I think the liberal arts are about being critical and creative,” he says. “It is not just about learning literature or anthropology. It should require students to examine their prejudices, question themselves, and ultimately envision and work toward a world of social justice to which they can con-tribute.” Professor Slater believes deeply in his students—in their abilities, their dedication, their compassion, and their poten-tial to change the world. As he continues studying and analyz-ing the labor market, youth culture, and activism in Japan, he is also enthusiastically anticipating the transformation his students will bring to Japanese society in the near future.feels he also has a great responsibility to guide his students to better outcomes. The Great East Japan Earthquake marked a major turn-ing point in Professor Slater’s academic career and led him to develop the “service learning” method he now practices. Many students went to Tohoku, the region most devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, and volunteered in efforts to help the local communities. “The students were so active—far more than in my lectures! When you dig in the mud, you learn different, and maybe more important, things than what you learn in a classroom: the suffering of others, how to help strangers, and how to contribute to society.” It was then that Professor Slater realized the true importance of getting stu-dents out into the community where they could make a direct contribution. Rather than just reading books and listening to lectures on social problems, students really needed to go out into the world, see those problems, engage with them, and discover what they could do to help solve them. One project Professor Slater and his students started is called “Voices from Tohoku” It was conceived based on the re-alization that people have needs beyond the purely physical. People in Tohoku wanted to tell their stories, and to talk about their lives, even though they were suffering physical hardship. Many of them felt that the mass media were not accurately portraying their lives, or believed that the media had essen-tially “stolen their life stories” and disappeared. Survivors became very engaged with the project upon discovering how their voices could really be heard. With financial support from Sophia University, Professor Slater brought many students to Tohoku. They did volunteer work in the morning, and then Transforming Students Means Shaping a Better Future 12Research