Soka Education: a Dialogue Between
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The Soka Education Student Research Project (SESRP) holds the rights of the title “Education for Social Justice: Theory and Practice.” For permission to copy a part of or the entire volume with the use of the title, SESRP must have given approval. The Soka Education Student Research Project is an autonomous organization at Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo, California. Soka University of America Soka Education Student Research Project 1 University Drive Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 Office: Student Affairs #316 www.sesrp.org [email protected] SOKA EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2010: EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: THEORY AND PRACTICE SOKA UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA ALISO VIEJO, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 13TH & 14TH, 2009 PAULING 216 Soka Education Conference 2010 Program Pauling 216 Saturday, February 13th, 2010 Time Event Person 12:30 – 12:45 Welcome Words Phat Vu (SUA professor) Introduction of Conference and SESRP Conference 12:45 – 12:50 Theme Committee Members Music Education: Social Justice Elaine Chang Sandoval 12:50 – 13:25 through Creativity and Inclusion (c/o 2011) 13:25 – 14:25 Special Topic Session Alumni, AD, ResLife, etc. 14:25 – 14:35 Break Please enjoy refreshments outside Advancing the Educational Experience of the Learner: SUA’s Ruby Nagashima 14:35 – 15:10 Residential Life Co-Curricular (c/o 2006) Approach Menelik Tafari, Gail Thomas, 15:10 – 16:10 Workshops Orin Kirshner, Jim Garrison 16:10 – 16:20 Break Please enjoy refreshments outside 16:20 – 17:20 Keynote Speaker Jim Garrison 17:20 – 17:30 Closing Words Ryan Caldwell (SUA professor) Open Reception 18:00 – 19:30 at Founders Hall 1st Floor Sunday, February 14th, 2010 Time Event Person SESRP Conference 12:30 – 12:35 Welcome Back Committee Members Daisaku Ikeda’s Conception of Gonzalo Obelleiro 12:35 – 13:10 Cosmopolitan (c/o 2005) Education Establishing Social Justice through Kajal Gulati 13:10 – 13:45 Education for Women: Evidence (c/o 2006) from self-help groups in India 13:45 – 14:00 Break Please enjoy refreshments outside Soka Education for Laws: Choosing Process over Frame: A Ode to Jean Marcus 14:00 – 14:35 Abandon Fear and Accept the (c/o 2011) Universe Menelik Tafari, Orin Kirshner, 14:35 – 15:35 Workshops Gail Thomas, Jim Garrison 15:35 – 15:50 Break Please enjoy refreshments outside Social Justice Begins in Kindergarten Rekha Gokhale and 15:50 – 16::35 – Fostering Respect Lisa McMillan (c/o 2007) SESRP Conference 16:35 – 17:05 Debriefing Committee Members Jay Heffron (SUA Dean of 17:05 – 17:15 Closing Words Students) Table of Contents Letter SESRP Conference 1 Committee Biographies Conference Writers 2-3 Humanitarian Competition: Eric Kunimoto 4-18 Re-Writing the Tragedies of the Commons and Anti-Commons Music Education: Elaine Chang Sandoval 19-30 Social Justice through Creativity and Inclusion Advancing the Educational Experience of the Ruby Nagashima 31-41 Learner: SUA’s Residential Life Co-Curricular Approach Soka Education for Social Justice Dr. Jim Garrison, 42-48 Keynote Daisaku Ikeda’s Conception of Cosmopolitan Gonzalo Obelleiro 49-56 Education Establishing Social Justice through Education for Kajal Gulati 57-63 Women: Evidence from Self-Help Groups in India Soka Education for Laws: Jean Marcus 64-68 Choosing Process over Frame: An Ode to Abandon Fear and Accept the Universe Social Justice Begins in Kindergarten – Rekha Gokhale and 68-87 Fostering Respect Lisa McMillan Dear Guests, Faculty, Staff, and Students of Soka University of America (SUA), Our sixth annual Soka Education Conference takes place on February 13th and 14th, 2010. This year’s conference, themed “Education for Social Justice: Theory and Practice,” will be a venue for people to take a candid stance toward both the theoretical and pragmatic aspects of social justice in education and society. In the hope of having a holistic dialogue on social justice, paper presentations and workshops held by students and alumni will address a wide range of topics. In this volume are the works of students and alumni, each with their own interpretation of the relationship between education and democracy. Mr. Gonzalo Obelleiro takes a closer look at the writings of Daisaku Ikeda in order to understand his philosophy of cosmopolitan education, while Ms. Ruby Nagashima investigates how education can work for social justice through the Residential Life programs at SUA. Ms. Elaine Sandoval considers the role of music education in society, particularly looking at the Venezuelan example, while Ms. Kajal Gulati writes about the effects of Self-Help Groups in education and social justice in India. Ms Lisa McMillan and Ms. Rekha Gokhale use their experiences as teachers at a Microcosmos kindergarten in Japan to describe ways of teaching social justice in the classroom. Mr. Eric Kunimoto writes about humanitarian competition and how the Tragedies of the Commons and Anti-Commons may be re-written. And Mr. Jean Marcus Silva elucidates our current system of law and how Soka Education may better contribute to our future. Workshops and special topics sessions will also be facilitated by various SUA students, faculty, and alumni, with the goal of increasing audience dialogue and interaction at the conference, and providing the venue to discuss particular facets of Soka Education. We sincerely hope that this conference will help impart the ways in which Soka Education can be applied to all fields, and especially the role it plays in bringing about social justice in our societies. Our anticipation is that this conference can stimulate thought and dialogue on Soka Education, and that it will help people internalize its values in daily life and practice. This year, we are honored to welcome keynote speaker Dr. Jim Garrison from Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, where he specializes in the Philosophy of Education, pragmatism, and especially the philosophy of John Dewey. Dr. Garrison was a past president of the John Dewey Society, and at this conference, he will reflect on his studies of Dewey and his thoughts on Soka Education, also sharing with us his dialogue with SUA Founder Daisaku Ikeda. Finally, we would like to acknowledge all of the presenters and facilitators, our keynote speaker Jim Garrison, SUA President Danny Habuki, Jay Heffron and the Pacific Basin Research Center (PBRC), our alumni advisors, SUA’s dependable IT workers, and student volunteers, amongst others, for their behind the scenes work and continuous efforts in making this conference possible. Their support and commitment are truly appreciated. We would also like to express our utmost gratitude to Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and his successors, Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda, who have lived their lives dedicated to actualizing Soka Education. And thank you, for your attendance of the conference and your continued interest and support in Soka Education. Sincerely, Soka Education Student Research Project Soka Education Conference Committee - 1 - Eric Kunimoto: Hello Soka! My name is Eric Kunimoto and I am a proud graduate of the SUA, class of 2008. I traveled to SUA from my home state of Maryland, and after graduating, I returned home to attend Law School at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. It’s been a grueling but fulfilling experience! I’ve interned at a number of places since attending UM Law, the most recently being the International Rescue Committee, an international NGO serving refugees, asylees, and displaced persons around the world. This March, I will be heading to Beijing to assist organizations implement micro-finance projects and broader development plans. While attending Law School, I became deeply interested in the concept of Property and America’s fascination with and desire for it. Today, some of world’s greatest challenges have to do with property: Economic recession, global warming, the lack of gas and water. My paper touches on the property dilemma that underlies these issues and discuss how Soka Education may play a role in surmounting that obstacle. Elaine Chang Sandoval is currently a Junior at Soka University of America. Originally from San Jose, California, she is recently returned from her study abroad experience in Taipei, Taiwan and Nanjing, China. She began the studies of music at a young age with the flute and piano, and began to also study conducting due to her responsibilities in various music ensembles at SUA. Her passions include is music education and Soka Education, and she in fact first heard about El Sistema in Venezuela from an alumna that presented at the 2008 Soka Education Conference. After SUA she hopes to pursue graduate studies in music and/or music education Ruby Nagashima joined Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo as Residence Hall Coordinator in July 2007. In that role, she oversees the residence halls, assists in developing and implementing the Residential Life Co-Curricular Model, supervises paraprofessional staff and coordinates student staff training. Nagashima graduated from Soka University of America in 2006 with a BA in Liberal Arts. She received her M.S.Ed. in Education, Culture and Society from the Foundations and Practices in Education Division at the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education in 2007. Nagashima received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama for her dedication to building a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility in America through work with US Fund for UNICEF in 2009.