The topic of the Module “Institutions and Organizations in Japan” in the Sommer Semester 2022 is formulating research on international migration and migration institutional changes in contemporary Japan.

In this module, students will develop practical, hand-on approaches and theoretical perspectives to design an academic research project, using the case study of different issues surrounding migration in Japan. This module consists of two parts: Research and Theory.

In the first half of the course (covered by Huy Tran), students will practice how to develop a research theme, research question(s) and research design, with a focus on the study of migration institutional changes in Japan. In this practice-oriented course, students will not only read resources but also learn and practice how to step-by-step develop a research project including: developing research theme and design, doing literature review, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up. 

The second half of the course (mainly covered by Aimi Muranaka) focuses on the theoretical approaches to international migration issues in Japan. It sheds light on how migration is framed, conditioned and structured in the country where is regarded now as “immigration country” (e.g. Liu-Farrer 2020) despite the reluctance to implement official migration policies. Students will work with academic literature on migration study (in Asia) from sociological perspectives and different topics related to contemporary international migrations in Japan.