FAQ
Q & A to familiarize yourself with the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences

About the Takatsuki Muse Campus

Q. Where is the Takatsuki Muse Campus? What is the environment around the campus?  
A.  The Takatsuki Muse Campus is situated in a very convenient location. It is about 7-minutes’ walk from “Takatsuki” station on the JR Kyoto Line or about 10-minutes’ walk from “Takatsuki-shi” station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line.
 It is also possible to go to the city center of Osaka and Kyoto in about 30 minutes, and it is a convenient campus not only for attending classes but also for visiting various places for a more fruitful student life. Furthermore, the area around JR Takatsuki station is being developed as part of city planning, thus, in addition to the park and commercial facilities, movie theaters and other amusement facilities have also been improved.
Q. It seems to be called a “social contribution type urban campus”, but how do you specifically contribute to society?  
A.  The Takatsuki Muse Campus has various functions for “becoming a disaster prevention base” in the region to contribute to the “safe and secure city plan” proposed by Takatsuki City. In fact, the campus is projected to play a role as an emergency evacuation area at the time of disaster.
 In addition, we have set up the Lifelong Learning Center in the campus as a base for lifelong learning to promote the return of knowledge from the university to citizens by holding various open lectures in the center. Furthermore, in addition to the “Safety Museum” exhibiting materials for different academic disciplines such as “disaster prevention, disaster reduction, and crisis management” as a theme, service facilities such as libraries and restaurants are also open to the public to the extent that they do not interrupt the operation of the university.
Q. What does it mean when you say that the Muse campus “becomes a disaster prevention base"?  
A.  It is possible to still use the air conditioning and shower facilities even when an earthquake occurs, by installing a private electric generator system for power outages and by laying city gas pipes with excellent earthquake resistance.
 Furthermore, as a countermeasure for water cutoff, there are cold/hot water storage tanks from which 400 people can obtain drinking water for three consecutive days. We have also introduced a purification system of swimming pool water to secure water for the daily needs for the same number of people for 30 days. In addition, we have secured an underground reservoir to store drainage water from toilets and other sources for 7 days use of about 400 people in the campus as preparations for a crash of the public sewage system at the time of a disaster. Likewise, eight manhole toilets have been prepared as emergency response facilities, and we have installed sprinklers, which are said to be the most effective fire-fighting means at the early stages, throughout the buildings. By installing such facilities, the Muse Campus can fulfill the function of an evacuation place and disaster countermeasure headquarters at the time of disaster.

About the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences

Q. What sort of faculty is the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences if you were to describe it with a few words? Also, what kind of studying do they do?  
A.  Based on the keywords “safety and security”, we are to broadly and practically study, as well as discuss about issues such as disaster prevention (to prevent disasters), disaster reduction (to minimize the damage of disasters), accident prevention, and crisis management, from both the perspectives of liberal arts and science. Faculties centered on the issue of “safety” have already been established in many universities and graduate schools overseas, however, the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences, Kansai University is the first in Japan, and it is now attracting a great deal of attention from businesses and local governments within Japan. We believe that what you are going to study will be very useful in various situations of your everyday life and world, especially in this modern society where numerous disasters and accidents occur frequently in a global scale, including the typical example of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Curriculum
Q. What kind of teachers make up the faculty?  
A.  Societal Safety Sciences is a new academic field that covers a variety of existing research fields such as law, politics, economics, business administration, psychology, sociology, engineering, informatics, physics, and social medicine. For this reason, faculty members selected from various fields are available, and there are many cases where those members are, as experts in their respective fields, requested to investigate and provide opinions by public institutions, etc.
 By having a variety of professors with diverse fields of expertise, we have prepared a system that can offer a wide range of learning not found in other faculties.

Introduction of Faculty Members
Societal Safety Sciences Research Record (Results List)
Q. Tell me about practical classes, which are said to be a characteristical study in the faculty.  
A.  The practical classes provided as compulsory subjects are:In the first year, "Practicum in Information Technology" class which offers computer-based lessons, as a subject to acquire skills related to "survey / analysis / forecasting" indispensable for research activities.The practical classes provided as elective compulsory subjects are:In the second year, "Practicum in Social Safety" class which is composed of intensive lectures at external facilities. In the "Practicum in Social Safety" class, we conduct a two-day and one-night training camp, where you are to confirm the blind spots during driving of a car, as well as risk avoidance methods and dangerous factors during night driving by experiencing it firsthand. In addition to these, "Practicum in Artificial Intelligence", "Practicum in Disaster Simulation", "Practicum in Behavioral Sciences", "Practicum in Social Research", "Practicum in Product Design", "Practicum in Geographic Information System", etc., have been established as elective subjects, and an environment where each student can deepen research contents in his/her fields of interest has been prepared from the first year. By developing these experience-based practical subjects, we aim to make it possible for students to acquire practical knowledge that is useful in the real world.

Curriculum

Q. Tell me about the difference between “Social Disaster Management Course” and “Natural Disaster Management Course”.  
A.  The “Social Disaster Management Course” mainly focuses on various accidents and incidents occurring in the modern industrial society and students learn about accident prevention, disaster reduction, human error, risk management, crisis management, etc. On the other hand, in the “Natural Disaster Management Course”, we analyze the mechanism of natural disasters, and study about methods of disaster prevention/disaster reduction, the ideal ways for supporting victims, recovery / reconstruction plans, and self-help / mutual cooperation / public aid.
 Everyone will be advancing with their own specialized learning with their own research group from the third year; even in such a case, rather than pursuing knowledge biased toward either “Social Disaster” or “Natural Disaster”, students are required to make full use of their extensive knowledge in both fields. For this reason, whichever course students choose, the compulsory subjects will always be required for students to learn.
Q. I am afraid that I will not be able to master/acquire deep knowledge regarding a specific field because the learning field is too wide. Is specialized learning possible?  
A.  In pursuing “Societal Safety Sciences”, it is necessary to learn different existing disciplines in an integrated manner. Although it appears to be study that covers wide-ranging fields, learning is always focused on “safety and security”. There are various methods and views to approach or think about “safety and security” depending on each academic field, so in a special arrangement (so-called “seminar“) from the third year, you will pursue learning focused on your area of specialty where you are most interested in while considering “safety and security”. In order to deepen learning in the selected fields, knowledge necessary for thinking from various angles that was accumulated and developed in the basic subjects during broad learning in the 1st and 2nd years. As such, you must acquire the ability to think about things from various angles. Therefore, although initially, learning will cover a broad range of fields, if you look at the learning from the 3rd year onwards (i.e., after finding out the discipline that you are interested in), you can professionally and deeply learn about the subjects you want to master.
Q. There seems to be mathematics classes in the selective compulsory subjects, but is it understandable for a liberal arts student?  
A.  It is all right. We have set up three subjects which you can choose from, i.e., “Mathematics I for Societal Safety”, “Mathematics II for Societal Safety”, and “Statistics for Societal Safety”. You are required to choose one from these three subjects in order to graduate. These subjects were designed for students to acquire the mathematical thinking ability necessary for surveys and analysis, and their position differs from mathematics classes in high school, which were taught on the premise of so-called preparation for university entrance examinations.
 Also, at Takatsuki Muse Campus, the classrooms and laboratories are located in one building, so there is a unique characteristic that the distance between students and teachers is close. An environment where you can be at ease to consult with the faculty has been prepared, e.g., if there is something you did not understand in a lecture.

Campus Life

Q. Do you also have club/circle type activities in the Takatsuki Muse campus? And is it possible to participate in organizations located at other campuses?  
A.  In Kansai University, there are many clubs/circles, including Sports Clubs, Cultural Associations, Academic Conferences, etc. , When you participate in these organizations, there are no restrictions due to differences in the campus, etc. In fact, some active Societal Safety Sciences students have started their own clubs/circles at the Takatsuki Muse Campus, whereas others belong to the clubs/circles of the Senriyama Campus, or to the Faculty of Informatics at the Takatsuki Campus. They enjoy exchanges and interacting with other students in other campuses.

Student Life
Q. Do you have any exchanges/interactions with other campuses?  
A.  The Faculty itself does not hold interdisciplinary events that give you the opportunity to interact with other campuses. However, it is possible to expand the range of your interactions/exchanges by joining clubs and circles. Even if you belong to a certain faculty, you can still have opportunities to interact with students from other campuses by participating in events such as volunteer activities of Kansai University. Ultimately, it is all up to you. However, there is no reason why you have to confine yourself to only the Takatsuki Muse Campus during your student life.
Q. Do we need to go to other campuses such as the Senriyama campus to attend classes?  
A.  Since you can take all the credits required for graduation at the Takatsuki Muse Campus, you do not need to commute to the other campuses. However, as an exception, some liberal arts courses of all students and some of the foreign student subjects may be offered jointly with the students of the Faculty of Informatics at the Takatsuki campus.
Q. Which facilities can students use?  
A.  Every student is allowed to use, in addition to the open spaces which are also open to the general public (such as the “Restaurant”, “Muse Cafe”, “Cafe Exchange Salon”, etc.), the “Student Waiting Room” for meals, coffee, breaks, and discourse. In addition, the “Study Room” and “IT 1, 2, 3 Classrooms (when open use is available)” can be used for self-study and report preparation. Furthermore, at the “Muse University Library”, you can collect necessary materials to respond to the assignments. These facilities are available from 9:00 am to - 8:00 pm on Mondays to Fridays and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturdays. (However, the available date and time period may be changed during the university's or facility's holiday period.)

Career After Graduation / Eligible Qualifications

Q. What sort of qualifications can we acquire at the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences?  
A.  You can acquire teaching licenses for “social study” for junior high school, and “civics” for senior high school. All teaching subjects required for qualification acquisition can be taken at the Takatsuki Muse Campus. Therefore, those who wish to acquire teacher qualifications can take courses for teaching jobs systematically while adjusting their schedules.
 In addition to the teacher qualifications, you can also acquire “Social Safety Officer” or “Social Inspector (for AY 2014 students and thereafter)” qualifications which are given uniquely by the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences.

Eligible qualifications
Q. What is the Social Safety Officer qualification? Also, how can I get it?  
A.  It was founded in AY 2011 as a qualification that the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences uniquely certifies. The acquirer of this qualification is a person who can contribute to responding to and being prepared for all kinds of disasters. This person is qualified to understand safety problems of community life and social activities, to devise measures to solve the problems, to manage the practice of those measures, and to communicate with experts in different fields.
 In order to acquire the qualification of Social Safety Officer, it is necessary for you to earn credits of necessary subjects for the qualification while in the university at a score higher than a certain reference value, and also to attend the specified extracurricular lectures including the ordinary life saving course.

About the Social Safety Officer
Q. Does the university accept employment consultations and qualification acquisition consultations at the Muse Campus?  
A.  At the Takatsuki Muse Campus, there is a “Career Center” that serves as a window for employment consultation, and an “Extension Reed Center” section for reception and consultation of courses to acquire various qualifications, and following-up on students.
Q. What will happen to our career paths after graduation?  
A.  There was many visitors at the symposium held at our university where the faculty members of the “Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences” served as panelists. Even from this fact, we can see that the “Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences” is a highly-visible existence for businesses and local governments. The reason for this is that students who studied the theories and methods of “safety and security” such as crisis management have yet to find jobs in modern enterprises and local governments. Examples of possible employment opportunities include the following cases:

(1) Being engaged in safe urban planning as a national / local civil servant;
(2) Contributing to crime prevention and fire-fighting as a police officer or firefighter;
(3) Being engaged in developing country support projects as an international organization worker;
(4) Being engaged in food safety issues in a company in the food sector;
(5) Being in charge of legal risk management as part of the legal department of a company;
(6) Being in charge of security management as an employee of an information and telecommunications enterprise;
(7) Being engaged in the development of safe products in a company that manufactures machinery, automobiles, electricity, gas appliances, etc.;
(8) Being engaged in Business Continuity Planning (BCP) at risk management departments in general, financial, and insurance industries.

In fact, graduates of the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences are actively working in various fields.

Employment Achievement of graduates