This is the title of the course I am teaching in the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University. Classes started on Friday September 30th. I had 14 students registered but only 11 showed up on the first day. I was concerned about the low number, but then heard that many courses had only 4 or 5 students. I decided 11 would be a great number of students and we would get a lot of work done, everyone would get lots of speaking practice, and I would be able to give them lots of individual attention. Only two of the eleven students are native English speakers. We had a great first class, and I became even more excited about the course.
Today, my second day to teach the course, all 11 students returned, the three students who had not shown up on Friday came, and six more added the course. The class nearly doubled. I was a bit surprised. Still only two students are native English speakers. I believe that one or two of the students who were new today may be Korean. The students are interested in social justice! It feels so good to be teaching students who want to study social justice.
After the initial shock of the increased number of students, we got down to work, and although class didn’t go as smoothly today as last Friday, it was okay. (Many students had not read the assignments or participated in our first day activities to prepare them for today.) I am a bit concerned that I might have many more students on Friday. Friday is the last day to add classes.
Most of my students are first or second year students. That is to be expected because SILS is only in its second year. The two students from the US are both older. One is a junior at a school in the US and is in Japan for one year as part of a program (not Japan Study, the program I am connected with). The other student from the US is intending to earn a second bachelors from Waseda. He is an independent international student—not in Japan on a specific program like, Japan Study.
Students in the course are not only interested in social justice, they are also interested in education and social justice in developing countries and are excited about reading about Tanzania and the opportunity to study other nations. I had been warned (not by anyone from SILS) that the students would probably not be interested in Tanzania, so I would probably not have a large group of students. Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised by their interest in Tanzania.
Sounds as if the students who were in your class the first day liked what they heard/saw and spread the news! Hope the larger size works out.
I agree with Margo — good word of mouth! Congratulations!