Education

The Center for DEI offers and manages university-wide courses such as “Gender Co-creation Society,” “Inclusive Society,” and “Introduction to Gendered Innovations,” as well as a variety of DEI-related workshops and events.

Courses

Tohoku University offers university-wide courses designed to raise awareness of gender equality among students. “Gender and Human Society” was launched in 2003 under the initiative of the then Center for Gender Equality (now the Center for DEI). In 2022, this program was reorganized into two courses: “Gender and Everyday Life” (currently “Gender Co-creation Society”) and “Inclusive Society.”

The university-wide courses were first established in 2003, following the Tohoku University Declaration of Gender Equality announced in 2002, which emphasized the dissemination of gender studies. The program was initiated under the leadership of Professor Miyoko Tsujimura (then Vice-Chair of the Gender Equality Committee and Professor at the Graduate School of Law, now Professor Emerita of Tohoku University).

Until 2013, the course primarily focused on topics in the humanities and social sciences, such as gender and human rights, and the economics of an aging and low-birthrate society. From 2015 onward, the content expanded to include natural science perspectives from the fields of life science, medicine & health, science and engineering.

In 2022, the course title was changed to “Inclusive Society.” The course now addresses contemporary social issues related to diversity, inclusion, and innovation—including gender, sexual minorities, disability, and nationality—through interdisciplinary lectures that transcend the boundaries between the humanities and sciences.

In the same year, an advanced course, “Gender Co-creation Society,” was newly introduced for upper-level students to provide a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of gender studies.

Joint Program with Ochanomizu University and the University of Tokyo

Starting in the second semester of 2024, “Introduction to Gendered Innovations” became an accredited intensive course offered jointly by Ochanomizu University, the University of Tokyo, and Tohoku University.

This course consists of eight lectures and seven online group sessions designed to bridge the humanities and sciences. Students have the opportunity to learn about the latest academic developments in Gendered Innovations and to engage in inter-university discussions with peers from the University of Tokyo and Ochanomizu University.

High Recognition for the Courses

The university-wide course organized by the Center for DEI received the Tohoku University President’s Award for Education in 2017 (Academic Year 2017).

* The Tohoku University President’s Award for Education recognizes faculty and staff members who have demonstrated outstanding educational achievements through their teaching, educational support, extracurricular guidance, or international exchange activities.

Workshops