Sophia Magazine vol.8 / WINTER 2018

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Vol. 8WINTER2018contentsLook Back30Sophia People20Making a DifferenceMiwa Kato, Director for Operations, United Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeA Closer Look atPeacebuilding inTheory and PracticeDaisaku Higashi, Professor, Center for Global Education and DiscoverySeeing Japan through aCentury-Old Modern ClassicJohn Williams, Professor, Department of English StudiesResearch10Perspectives and Initiatives ofThree Research InstitutesTadashi Anno, Associate Professor, Faculty of Liberal ArtsNanako Inaba, Professor, Faculty of Global StudiesKen Aoki, Professor, Faculty of EconomicsApproach6Campus News3Seiichi Kondo, Former Japanese Government Commissioner of Cultural AffairsFr. Toshiaki Koso, S.J., Former Chancellor of Sophia School CorporationHidden Christian Artifacts Designated as World Heritage SiteSpecial Talk16Network33Learning28Expanding Horizons forJoint Research – Research Exchangewith Fordham UniversityOpening Up Pathways for Cambodian Children Leads to Unlocking Student Volunteers’ FutureKohei Fukushima & Kanade Shibata, Department of English StudiesStudent23Students Connecting withthe WorldVoice26A diversity of students cross paths in Sophia Tower’s atriumOn the coverI am a graduate of Sophia. When I matricu-lated, I knew little about Christianity and the So-ciety of Jesus. However, by the time I finished my first year, I began to understand the significance of Sophia’s founding mission.This mission, in line with the spirit of the Soci-ety of Jesus, is initially deeply imbued by a com-pulsory introductory class for first year students, “Studies in Christian Humanism.” I recall the teaching priest and students intensely discuss-ing topics such as life and death, human nature, love, freedom, and justice. Still today, this class provides an opportunity for our students to think about what it means to be human, to deepen one’s understanding of faith and the spiritual world, and ultimately to explore the “core” of one’s ex-istence. Modern global society is overflowing with information, making it difficult to make “right” choices. It is the “core” within each of us that helps us to set our priorities when making all kinds of decisions. In the tradition of the Society of Jesus, So-phia has always valued a global perspective and been open to the world. As a Jesuit institution of higher learning, in order to fulfill its goal of cul-tivating people who work “for Others, with Oth-ers,” we aim to offer a wide range of experiences to our students. With all faculties housed on a single campus, populated by people of diverse backgrounds from around the world speaking multiple languages, students may at times feel lost or encounter unexpected conflicts. Such experiences are invaluable, as they contribute to forming a “core” within each student that re-spects different values and perspectives. Our de-sire is to instill in our students an appreciation for the meaning of “Sophia—Bringing the World Together.” Juro OtsukaVice President for Academic AffairsProfessor, Department of English LiteratureSophia&I2