Recently in 01. From CGS Category

leaflet（A4, 0.6MB）

Any Concern on Gender, Sexuality or Sex is Welcome!!

Recently, a clinical psychologist specializing in issues related to gender and sexuality has been engaged to join the Human Rights Counseling team as a special advisor, as well as to advise at the Counseling Center at ICU.

As a special advisor, she is available to counsel those seeking advice and those who are troubled by problems related to gender or sexuality. She is also available to speak with anyone seeking information about support systems and medical and psychological counseling services both on and off campus. If there is something that you feel like you can't tell your friends, academic advisor or teachers, but you need someone to talk to, please feel free to make an appointment to speak with her. If it is necessary for you to also speak with a Human Rights Counselor and/or a counselor from the Counseling Center to seek assistance, she can help you with that, too. Advising is free of charge. If you have a problem that's been worrying you, no matter how small, please come and talk with her about it.

Dates
Every Tuesday, 11a.m. - 5p.m.

Place
ERB-1, Room 318

Counseling services are available to...
ICU students (undergraduate and graduate students, kenkyuusei, OYRs) and all ICU staff

How to make an appointment
Send an email to: gscounseling@icu.ac.jp　
Address emails to Yoshimi Takada (special counselor) and Yuji Kato (CGS)

l Please include your name, contact information, and the date and time you'd like to make an appointment for. There is a possibility that your desired date/time may already be filled, so please provide several options.

l Each session may last up to 50 minutes per person.

l Even if you have not made an appointment, if there is an opening, it may be possible to meet with the counselor on the same day.

l Please do not try to ask for advice directly by email to this address; advice may only be requested through face-to-face appointments.

Counseling is available in
Japanese and English

Examples of topics needing advising
Discrimination and harassment related to gender and sexuality
Coming Out and associated issues
Sexual health
Pregnancy, birth and childcare issues
Issues regarding femininity and masculinity
Etc.

In order to protect your privacy, consultations will be kept confidential. Counselors will seek your permission in advance if it seems appropriate to report the case to other Human Rights Advisors or to discuss it at a Human Rights Advisors' meeting. Moreover, advisors will take the utmost care not to cause you any disadvantage from your having discussed your problems with them.

Special Advisor Profile
Yoshimi Takada
ICU CLA'85. Graduate from New York University, School of Education, Health Study, Human Sexuality Program (MA). Specialized in psychological support for LGBT persons and their friends and family. She is also a member of ICU Church.

A Message from Ms. Takada
If you're having problems with something now, or there's something that's been troubling you for many years, or even if you just want to talk briefly, I'm here to listen. Please feel free to contact me any time.

The Special Counseling Center for Gender and Sexuality is run with the support of the Center for Gender Studies. If you are considering asking advice but aren't sure, please contact the Center for Gender Studies.

[date & time]
13th April, 2015(Mon) 12:40-15:00
14th April, 2015(Tue) 11:00-13:00
15th April, 2015(Wed) 12:40-15:00

[place]
Center for Gender Studies @ ERB-I 301 (The rainbow flag will be a guide!)

Anybody who is interested in CGS or Gender & Sexuality Studies will be welcome!!

We would like you all to join us at our tea party! We are especially looking forward to meeting new students arriving this term. Come and learn about the major in Gender and Sexuality Studies.

It's a good opportunity to see and talk with other students and CGS staff.
You can share topics related to gender & sexuality, and ask questions about your registration, campus life, and study.

All staff are looking forward to your visiting with preparing tea and snack.
How about taking this occasion to visit CGS?

Recently, a clinical psychologist specializing in issues related to gender and sexuality has been engaged to join the Human Rights Counseling team as a special advisor, as well as to advise at the Counseling Center at ICU.

As a special advisor, she is available to counsel those seeking advice and those who are troubled by problems related to gender or sexuality. She is also available to speak with anyone seeking information about support systems and medical and psychological counseling services both on and off campus. If there is something that you feel like you can't tell your friends, academic advisor or teachers, but you need someone to talk to, please feel free to make an appointment to speak with her. If it is necessary for you to also speak with a Human Rights Counselor and/or a counselor from the Counseling Center to seek assistance, she can help you with that, too. Advising is free of charge. If you have a problem that's been worrying you, no matter how small, please come and talk with her about it.

Dates
Every Tuesday, 11a.m. - 5p.m.

Place
ERB-1, Room 318

*The location of the Special Counseling Room on May 13th (Tuesday) will be as follows:
11a.m. - 3p.m. Education and Research Building I (ERB-I), Room 318 (individual counseling in a private space)
3p.m. - 4:30p.m. Education and Research Building I (ERB-I), Room 301 (at the communication space inside CGS--there may be other people present)

Counseling services are available to...
ICU students (undergraduate and graduate students, kenkyuusei, OYRs) and all ICU staff

How to make an appointment
Send an email to: gscounseling@icu.ac.jp　
Address emails to Yoshimi Takada (special counselor) and Yuji Kato (CGS)

* The Special Counseling Room will be closed during winter break from 12/23 (Tue, holiday) to 1/5 (Mon), so responses to appointment requests may be delayed. Thank you for your understanding.

l Please include your name, contact information, and the date and time you'd like to make an appointment for. There is a possibility that your desired date/time may already be filled, so please provide several options.

l Each session may last up to 50 minutes per person.

l Even if you have not made an appointment, if there is an opening, it may be possible to meet with the counselor on the same day.

l Please do not try to ask for advice directly by email to this address; advice may only be requested through face-to-face appointments.

Counseling is available in
Japanese and English

Examples of topics needing advising
Discrimination and harassment related to gender and sexuality
Coming Out and associated issues
Sexual health
Pregnancy, birth and childcare issues
Issues regarding femininity and masculinity
Etc.

In order to protect your privacy, consultations will be kept confidential. Counselors will seek your permission in advance if it seems appropriate to report the case to other Human Rights Advisors or to discuss it at a Human Rights Advisors' meeting. Moreover, advisors will take the utmost care not to cause you any disadvantage from your having discussed your problems with them.

Special Advisor Profile
Yoshimi Takada
ICU CLA'85. Graduate from New York University, School of Education, Health Study, Human Sexuality Program (MA). Specialized in psychological support for LGBT persons and their friends and family. She is also a member of ICU Church.

A Message from Ms. Takada
If you're having problems with something now, or there's something that's been troubling you for many years, or even if you just want to talk briefly, I'm here to listen. Please feel free to contact me any time.

The Special Counseling Center for Gender and Sexuality is run with the support of the Center for Gender Studies. If you are considering asking advice but aren't sure, please contact the Center for Gender Studies.

Poster （A4, PDF, about550KB)

Center for Gender Studies Panel Discussion
Let's talk about Parenting on Campus #04

Date: 27th, January 2015(Tue) 1:50a.m.-3:00p.m.

Place: 347, ERB-I, International Christian University

Coordinator: Natsumi IKOMA (Director, Center for Gender Studies)

Fee: Free, No Appointment Necessary

Language: Japanese/English

Do you think universities have nothing to do with parenting? Our university, ICU, is supported by a number of people who have children such as students, lecturers, and staff. What kind of institutions and facilities are needed for parents to concentrate on their studies and work on campus and for their children to grow up healthy?
While we share our various experiences and ideas with each other, we will get closer to our goal of making this university a place in which both parents and children can learn and grow. We also welcome both parents and those who wish become parents while working in future! Let's enjoy tea and confections and have a chat about parenting.

* ICU Nursing Room is now accepting user applications.
More information is available at the CGS upon request.

YoRAP 2015 Research Presentation
Idealization of Mother: Case Studies in Japanese Literature

Time and Date:
February 14th, 2015 (Sat), 13:00-16:00

Place:
ICU Alumni House, 2nd Floor Lounge

Language:
English (No Simultaneous Interpretation)

Participation Fee:
Free, No Reservation Necessary

Presenters:
Natsumi IKOMA (Senior Associate Professor, ICU / Director, CGS)
"To Miss the Missing Mother: Absence of Real Mothers in Japanese Literature by Male Authors"

Juliana BURITICA ALZATE (Doctoral Candidate, ICU)
"Nearer to or Farther from the Idealized Mother: Portrayals of Motherhood by Japanese Women Writers"

Lindsay R. MORRISON (Doctoral Candidate, ICU / Research Institute Assistant, CGS)
"In Search of What Is Real: the Role of Nature in Japanese Literature on the Mother and Home"

Event Details:
This panel will examine representations of motherhood in Japanese literary works from the modern period to contemporary times. In doing so, the panel will primarily explore how the male gaze idealizes motherhood in its memory or absence, and how the female gaze instead resists and subverts this ideal. The shared premise underlying the presentations is that the idealized representation of motherhood needs to be revised from critical and gender perspectives.

Transmitting from the Mitaka Community to the World

Date:
30th January, 2015(Fri) 3:10p.m. - 7:00p.m.

Place:
Honkan 402, ICU

TALK BACK OUT LOUD (トークバック 沈黙を破る女たち)
Film Screening 3:15p.m. - 5:15p.m.
Talk Back Session 5:30p.m. - 7:00p.m.

http://www.talkbackoutloud.com

Documentary/119 minutes/English with Japanese Subtitles/Color/2013/Japan/(c)out of frame
Directed, Produced, and Edited by Kaori Sakagami
Production Team: Ayumi Aso (Co-Producer), Yukio Minami (Cinematographer), Eiji Mori (sound Engineer), Akinori Ito (Sound Artist), Neo P&T (Post Production)

A new documentary film by an award-winning Japanese filmmaker Kaori Sakagami, TALK BACK OUT LOUD unfolds stories of women with HIV/AIDS who were victims of life-long violence. These women became "Thrivers" from survivors through a process of creating a paly based on each of their own experience. The film features eight women belonging to The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women, an all-women amateur theater group which originated in the San Francisco jail.

After the movie, a talk event will be held in Japanese.
Kaori Sakagami (Director of "Talk Back")
Harue Kamioka (Facility Director of DARC Women's Halfway House)

CGS 10th Anniversary Symposium
Redefining Boundaries and Conviviality:
Nationality, Body, Gender and Sexuality

Poster (PDF)

Date
November 23, 2014.(Sun) 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m. (Door: 9:30a.m.)

Place
International Conference Room, ICU Dialogue House 2F

Language
Japanese, English
Simultaneous Interpretation Available

Entrance fee: Free
No reservation necessary

Program Details
9:30a.m. Open

10:00a.m. Opening Ceremony
Welcoming Address (On Hosting the CGS 10th Anniversary Symposium)
Natsumi Ikoma (Director, CGS)

10:10a.m.-12:10p.m. 1st Session "Reframing Conflicts: Approaching Racism from the Perspective of Gender and Sexuality"
Chair: Habiba-Mao Ueda
The Space Between Anti-Racism and Feminism: Recognizing Hate Speech as a Social Problem
Shingo Hori (Associate Research Fellow, CGS)
Racism as Control and the Violence Inherent in Managing Gender and Sexuality: Transforming Fear to Possibility in the Case of Comfort Women
Natsuno Kikuchi (Nagoya City University)
Sexism as Racism, Racism as Sexism: Gender and Sexuality Perspectives on Hate Speech
Yeonghae Jung (Otsuma Women's University)

12:10p.m.-1:00p.m. Lunch (Begin collecting questionnaires from 1st session)

1:00p.m.-3:00p.m.　2nd Session "The Marginalization of the Body: International Students and the Absent Debate on Gender and Sexuality"
Chair: Natsumi Ikoma
International Students and Childbirth: a Case Study
Kana Takamatsu (Assistant Director, CGS)
Symbolic Violence Latent in the Policy and Practice of International Student Education in Japan
Tomoka Toraiwa (Nagoya University)
From 'Us' vs. 'Foreign Students' to 'Us' as a Whole: Togetherness through Religious Diversity
Kyoko Tanaka (Nagoya University)

3:00p.m.-3:30p.m. Break

3:30p.m.-5:00p.m.　The final session: Open-floor Discussion
Chair: Natsumi Ikoma

5:00p.m. Closing Ceremony
(Announcement about Closing Ceremony and After Party)

5:30p.m.- After Party
Attendees are expected to pay for their own food/drink.

PDF Download (1.8MB)

About This Guide
The "LGBT in ICU Student Guidebook" was created to provide support to LGBT *1 students attending ICU in order for them to obtain a better learning environment. The editing and publication of the guidebook are performed by CGS (Center for Gender Studies).

The guide contains information about institutional support, based on how actual cases were handled at ICU in the past. It also includes examples pertaining to students at unease with their gender, such as transgender or GID*2 students, as well as information useful for life at the university.

The information listed in this guide reflects the measures that can be taken at ICU at present, and may not fit each individual's needs or expectations. CGS will continue its work to create a more comfortable environment for students, and as such, we will periodically update and expand this guide to respond to a wide variety of gender and sexuality-related needs.

*1 LGBT An acronym formed by taking the first letters of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. In recent years, it has come into use as a general term to refer to sexual minorities. There are two major reasons why the term LGBT was used in the series title for this guide. One reason is that we wanted to include a word that clearly indicated "transgender," the main topic of this guide. The second is because we are planning on releasing a second guide in the future that focuses on genders and sexualities besides transgender/GID, and so we wanted a title that would anticipate that. Sexual minorities are not limited to the four categories represented in the term LGBT, nor are problems related to gender and sexuality restricted to minorities alone. In the future, we are considering updating the series title as we release a variety of guides.

*2 GID
A medical term formed by taking the first letters of Gender Identity Disorder. In recent years, there has been a movement advocating the use of the concept "gender dysphoria."

Find the most recent version (21st October 2015 Updated)

[date & time]
9/18(Thu), 19(Fri) 12:40-15:00

[place]
Center for Gender Studies @ ERB-I 301 (The rainbow flag will be a guide!)

Anybody who is interested in CGS or Gender & Sexuality Studies will be welcome!!

We would like you all to join us at our tea party! We are especially looking forward to meeting new students arriving this term. Come and learn about the major in Gender and Sexuality Studies.

It's a good opportunity to see and talk with other students and CGS staff.
You can share topics related to gender & sexuality, and ask questions about your registration, campus life, and study.

All staff are looking forward to your visiting with preparing tea and snack.
How about taking this occasion to visit CGS?

Natsumi IKOMA
Director, CGS
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the seventeenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

CGS is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Spearheaded by the powerful initiative of its founder, Prof. Kazuko Tanaka, our members have been engaged in a wide range of activities over the past 10 years, striving to create a center that is "a safe place for anyone" and to get the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies on track. We've organized international workshops and guest lectures, nurtured young researchers, and supported the activities of the Tama Gender Education Network. We've also disseminated news and research on gender and sexuality through our annual journal and regular newsletters. At the same time, on campus, we've raised awareness of human rights issues, initiated support structures for LGBT students, organized a movement for childcare, and established the Special Counseling Room for Gender and Sexuality. We wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to all those who have supported and facilitated our endeavors over the years.

This year has also marked the retirement of Prof. Tanaka from ICU, prompting us to reflect deeply on the direction of CGS in the next decade. While we are determined to continue our activities with the same degree of intensity and enthusiasm, we are also faced with the current reality of significant reductions in our budget and human resources. Therefore, we aim to proceed slowly to find a means for sustainable management without compromising the center's influence, but we must also consider our work ethic in order to protect our staff from burn-out. This entails narrowing our focus: our priority lies in the issues of gender and sexuality in higher education and its institutions, including ICU. We will begin with the upcoming 10th anniversary symposium in November, which will offer the opportunity to consider the conflicts of gender and sexuality that are encountered both on campus and in society by shifting our perspective to see them as our own problems, not as somebody else's.

Lately, we have been receiving more and more enquiries from other universities regarding LGBT issues. We are delighted to see the fruits of the initiatives of our members and also to find that more and more people are becoming aware of the need to be sensitive to gender and sexuality issues. Yet many problems still remain unresolved in the education system, not only in higher education but also in the levels before it. In the wider society, there are also ongoing problems involving male-centrism, dichotomous gender formations, and heterosexism, to name but a few. In such a climate, we are mindful of our foremost responsibility to secure and nurture our center as "a safe place for anyone." I am deeply committed to this mission and look forward to further collaboration with staff, students, and all those involved in our activities. We sincerely appreciate your continued interest, support, and engagement.

[CGS 10th Anniversary Symposium]
Kana TAKAMATSU
Assistant Director, CGS
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the seventeenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

CGS will hold its 10th anniversary symposium, "Redefining Boundaries and Conviviality: Nationality, Body, Gender and Sexuality," on Sunday, November 23, 2014. CGS steering committee member Kana Takamatsu discusses the theme of the symposium, and CGS associate researchers Shingo Hori and Miho Matsuzaki and research institute assistant Yuko Sasaki introduce the individual sessions below.

[CGS 10th Anniversary Symposium]
Shingo HORI
Junkenkyuin (Associate Researcher), CGS; Doctoral Program (Sociology), Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the seventeenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

Recurring incidents of hate speech targeting Zainichi Koreans and foreigners have spread beyond Tokyo and Osaka to other regions of Japan over the past year. The ongoing counter-protests against this racism have also garnered attention, and hate speech is gradually being recognized as a social problem.

What can gender and sexuality studies contribute to this evolving debate? This session will critically examine the rising intensity of racism in our society from the perspective of gender and sexuality. For this purpose, we have invited two guest speakers whose research has focused on the multi-layered relationship between sexism and racism: Natsuno Kikuchi of Nagoya City University and Yeonghae Jung of Otsuma Women's University. It is hoped that their insights will stimulate fruitful discussion among all the participants.

At this session, I think it will be vital to consider the issue of "comfort women" and the Japanese army in relation to this debate. The fact that Japanese society has continued to proceed without facing up to this issue has not only fostered a climate in which hate speech can go unchallenged on our streets but also provided a foundation for the radical-right regime that is the second Abe administration. In fact, I believe that this neglect has nurtured a society that can ignore the pleas of those who have suffered from discrimination and violence. This session aims to elucidate this problem by deconstructing the conflicting narratives of states, social movements, and identities.

[CGS 10th Anniversary Symposium]
Miho MATSUZAKI
Junkenkyuin (Associate Researcher), CGS
Yuko SASAKI
Research Institute Assistant, CGS; Master's Student, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the seventeenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

This session will examine the Japanese university system and international students from the perspective of gender and sexuality, which is an aspect that has hitherto not been sufficiently explored. In particular, we ask, how do the various institutions and norms of gender and sexuality impact international students who are ethnic, linguistic, religious, and/or cultural minorities in Japan? How are the actual bodies of these students marginalized or made invisible in this process?

We have invited guest speakers to share their experiences in coordinating and supporting international students in Japan. The session will begin with a report by CGS Assistant Director Kana Takamatsu on how the Japanese university system handles international students and some of the challenges involved. Next, Kyoko Tanaka of the Education Center for International Students at Nagoya University will discuss the Japanese university system from the perspective of international students who are religious minorities. Then Tomoka Toraiwa of the same center will speak about the types of harassment that international students in Japan tend to be subjected to. Finally, we hope to widen the debate by inviting further discussion among all the participants.

While the asymmetry of local and international students in Japan continues to be spawned, it is also becoming less visible by the day. To address this issue, this session will examine the intrinsic link between gender/sexuality norms and institutions and the study abroad system in Japan, and provide a forum for participants to share their viewpoints on how this impacts the "bodies" who have traveled from other countries to study here. Besides introducing case studies and debating the diverse gender and sexuality issues concerning international students in Japan, we will also question the "absent debate," namely, the fact that these issues have received little attention both in research and in practice.

[Creating a Space at ICU for Sharing Our Thoughts and Feelings]
Hikari MOKUTA
Research Institute Assistant (2012-13), CGS
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the seventeenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

The Fuwa (Casual) Café was launched in December 2012 in response to expressions of interest for a place where people can freely share their thoughts, however vague and undefined, on gender and sexuality issues. Hikari Mokuta discusses her initiative, a concept that was based on Rainbow Action's Yuru (Relaxed and Loosely Defined) Café and Kamo ("Maybe I'm...") Café (http://rainbowaction. blog.fc2.com/).

[Creating a Space at ICU for Sharing Our Thoughts and Feelings]
Soichiro KAWAME
Undergraduate Student, ICU
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the seventeenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

In December 2012, CGS hosted a student-led discussion titled, "So You Think You Know What Coming Out Is All About?," as a special event under the R-Week banner. Soichiro Kawame reflects on the event, which he both planned and moderated in his junior year at ICU.