- Discussion Week 9 -

 

- Friday the 2nd AND Tuesday the 6th of June -

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                                     NEW NEW NEW

- Stress Relief - 

 

This week we have a student suggested topic, so let's see what we know about this topic.

 

How can we reduce stress? What is the most effective method, and is it maybe better to prevent stress in the first place?

Is there an issue with stress in Japan?

What causes it?

Is there anything being done about stress for Japanese people?

 

Let's talk about that.

 

 

 - Discussion Week 8 -

 

- Friday the 26th of May -

 

- Music that glorifies criminal activity - 

 

In some music, the lyrics will talk about how doing drugs is good, or how shooting people is ok, or being a gang member is cool or how they want to rob someone or something like this.

 

The people who sing these lyrics are often seen as role models for young people.

 

Do you think music like this is ok to distribute?

Should it be regulated or in extreme cases even banned?

Why do you think these kinds of messages appear in music?

 

I apologise in advance, the following link contains course language.

This link is an example of lyrics that glorify crime.

https://genius.com/Kool-g-rap-and-dj-polo-crime-pays-lyrics

 

Let's talk about that.

 

 - Discussion Week 7 -

 

- Friday the 19th of May -

 

- Kumamoto Baby Door - 

 

In Kumamoto, there's a building with a little door.

The little door can be opened, and a baby can be placed inside anonymously.

 

This was done to provide a place for children that would have somehow been abandoned/neglected by the parents.

The parents may not have had the finances or means to care for or raise a child, but may be against the idea of having an abortion, or even, of course, no money for an abortion (it's expensive!)

 

Do you think institutions like this are a good idea?

What should be done if the parents have regrets and want the child back later?

 should more places like this exist in Japan?

 

Let's talk about that.

 

 - Discussion Week 6 -

 

- Friday the 12th of May -

- The Bell Curve - 

 

This week we'll talk about intelligence, race, and social morals.

 

The book "The Bell Curve"(1994) is about the measurement of I.Q. of people from different races, social backgrounds and walks of life.

The authors of this book have been harshly criticised as racists and that they didn't submit their work for peer review before publishing.

 

There were possible measurement errors, group biases etc. but the authors haven't said their research was conclusive.

 

Rather than criticise the book or the authors or the methods they used, I want to talk about the social morals, whether or not its really a good idea to try to see if there is a difference in intelligence across races, social backgrounds etc.

 

Do you think it's a bad idea to try to see if certain people are smarter than others?

The book also mentions that those who have high I.Q. (cognitive elite) were becoming further and further separate from people with lower intelligence in society by using their smarts to get richer, do you think that is a fair statement?

 

Here are some links about this topic:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_intelligence

 

 

Let's talk about that.