Thesis Summary Due 7/29!

Don’t forget!

Turn it in at the kyojushitsu.

You can download the form here.

–Cozy

Summer Time

I emailed this to all of you, but here it is again, just in case:

Everyone in this zemi has a lot of work left to do on their theses.  It is essential, therefore, that each of you use your summer vacations well.  Please think of writing your thesis as your job.

Some days you may not feel like going to your part-time job.  You may be tired; you may think your job is difficult or boring.  You may want to go to Disneyland with your friends instead.

But . . . it’s your job, so you go to your job anyway and do your best.

During summer you need to think of your thesis the same way.  It may be difficult.  Sometimes you may feel it is boring.  And you may wish you could go out and play with your friends, but you need to be strict with yourself.  Decide, for example, that you will spend three hours a day, every day, working on your thesis.  Decide the exact times at which you will work.  For example, decide that every day, from 10AM until 1PM you will sit at your desk and that you will either write or read during that time.

It is important to decide on the times you will work, because if you don’t you might find yourself saying: “I’ll start later on my thesis.  Now I want to watch a DVD.”  “I’ll start later, now I want to go shopping,” and you keep putting it off until finally it’s late, you’re tired, and you just go to bed.

That’s also why, once vacation begins, you must begin work immediately.  If you say that you’re going to rest the first week, and then start writing, it will be too easy for you, at the end of the first week to put it off for another week, and another week, and another week . . . and then vacation has ended and you haven’t done any work!

So, start working immediately, and work every day!

And I want to see your work during the summer.  You can email me anytime, but I will expect to receive a file containing all of your work (including title page, contents, text (with references), and your bibliography on August 14, August 28, September 12, and September 30.  This is not optional.  You must email me on these dates.  Of course you can email me any time if you have questions.

Also, please remember that all members of the zemi will be presenting on the work they have done at the Aizu gakuryo.  You must be ready to do that.  And please bring any notes, books, or handouts you need with you to Aizu.  And let me know if you want to use PowerPoint.  If you do, I will bring my computer.  (It’s okay if you have not finished your presentation by the time we go to Aizu.  Present about what you have done, and tell about what you plan to do after Aizu.

You may present in Japanese or English.  I suggest that you use mostly Japanese to be sure all the students listening can understand you.  Some possible ways to arrange your presentation are to:

1. Give an English introduction, but most of the presentation in English.
2. Give most of the presentation in Japanese, and then an English summary of what you talked about.
3. Give English introduction and conclusion, but do most of the presentation in Japanese.
4. Do it all in Japanese.

I would like everyone to finish (at least) about two-thirds of their theses by the end of summer.  That means you should have written about 20-25 pages.  If you do so you will be able to easily finish up during fall semester.  Remember: your thesis is due on January 9, and that if you do not turn it in on time you will fail, and you will not be able to graduate!

Ganbatte!

–Cozy

Article for Kaoru About Dead Aid

Dambisa Moyo is a Zambian economist who believes aid harms Africa.  Here is a very good criticism of Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid by another Zambian economist.

I found it at a website called Zambian Economist.  I think Kaoru can find a lot of interesting information there.

On that site a found out about what might be an interesting book, Ending Aid Dependence.  You can order a PDF for £5. 00.  (A PDF is a file that will be sent to your computer.  You can either read the book on your computer or print it out.

Also, if you do a search of YouTube for Dambisa Moyo or Dead Aid you will find lots of clips of her speaking about her ideas.

Cozy

Zemi Picture

Hi everyone:

Don’t forget: we’re talking our zemi picture this Wednesday, July 8. We’re meeting at 12:15 at the pond.  (Right, Kaoru?)

And would someone please remind Rika? I don’t think she reads the blog.

Cozy

Another Article About Microloans / Barbecue

Here’s another article about microloans.  It will probably be most of interest to Kaoru (but everyone should feel free to read it!).

Also, I’m sorry, but after talking with my wife I realized that we are both just too busy to do a barbecue in July.  I hope I can have you all out during Fall term.

–Cozy

The article for June 24

this is Mami, and here is the article for the next class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/13/world/japan-has-little-time-for-its-old-time-religion.html?scp=17&sq=japan%20religion&st=cse

I am sooo sorry for posting it late…

Thank you.

                                                            Mami

Articles on Microfinance (Microcredit)

Here’s a link to several articles about microfinance.  As I mentioned today, microfinance is a system which lends very small amounts of money to women entrepeneurs so they can start businesses.  Maybe this is the solution to some of the problems we have discussed concerning aid?

This is from the wikipedia article on microcredit (another word for microfinance):

Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit. Microcredit is a part of microfinance, which is the provision of a wider range of financial services to the very poor.

Microcredit is a financial innovation that is generally considered to have originated with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.^[1] In that country, it has successfully enabled extremely impoverished people to engage in self-employment projects that allow them to generate an income and, in many cases, begin to build wealth and exit poverty. Due to the success of microcredit, many in the traditional banking industry have begun to realize that these microcredit borrowers should more correctly be categorized as pre-bankable; thus, microcredit is increasingly gaining credibility in the mainstream finance industry, and many traditional large finance organizations are contemplating microcredit projects as a source of future growth, even though almost everyone in larger development organizations discounted the likelihood of success of microcredit when it was begun. The United Nations declared 2005 the International Year of Microcredit.

There’s probably an article at the Japanese wikipedia too.

–Cozy

Zemi Picture, 7/08, At the Pond

This is to remind everyone that we will be taking our zemi picture on July 8.  We will meet at 12:15 at the pond.  The photographer will have lots of other groups to photograph, so please don’t be late.

Kaoru’s Article

Thanks for posting your article, Kaoru. Everyone please remember to print it out, read it, and bring it to zemi.

And here’s another article about aid that Kaoru (and also Noriko) might be interested in.

Cozy

Article for June 17th

I am sorry that it is being late to put an article for next class.

Please read this article…

 

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080523f2.html

 

Kaoru