Hirohisa Takenoshita Seminar

In this seminar, we conduct activities primarily in the field of social stratification. In social stratification, we examine the unequal distribution of social resources necessary for people to live in modern society and the mechanisms behind their formation. Among these, we investigate family background, inequality in educational opportunities, and career formation in the labor market as important mechanisms for the formation of inequality. Furthermore, we consider the formation of inequality from the perspectives of politics, economy, and local communities.

In the third year, after learning the foundations of important theories and statistical analysis methods in social stratification and inequality research, students divide into several groups to conduct research for their Mita Festival presentations. Analysis is performed using statistical data provided by recently developed data archives. From the end of the Mita Festival through the fourth year, students proceed with research for their graduation theses. A wide variety of graduation thesis topics are chosen based on the students' own interests. Some topics are closely related to stratification and inequality, while others are not. While many theses examine topics from a sociological perspective, they are highly interdisciplinary, with some considering inequality from the viewpoints of political science, economics, and public finance.

(Published: April 2026)