UTokyo Open Lectures: Water
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Content List
Water and science
#1 Opening lecture remarks
In this course we will aim to bring together from various standpoints developments in cutting-edge science concerning water, and take a comprehensive look at the culture and science of water.
Available
#2 H2O—Water and water molecules
In this lecture, we will look at various unusual natural phenomenon related to water, ranging from the basic question of why H2O water molecules have an isosceles triangle shape to the tastes of mineral water and wine, observing with a scientific eye various phenomena related to water and water molecules.
Available
Water’s relation to politics and the economy
Available
#3 Conflicts over “bad water”—How people discarded water in Japanese history
Water is essential to the support of human lifestyles, but useless water often invites disaster. Here we will focus not on the waste water generated in cities, but rather the “bad water” in agricultural villages. We will attempt to consider the thinking of people regarding the costs associated with discarded water.
Available
Available
#4 “A friend in need is a friend indeed”—Access to water and human relationships
In this lecture, we will shed light on mechanisms by which even among slum dwellers individuals who enjoy relatively advantageous positions in their social networks have access to cheaper and safer water, and will cite methods to more fairly satisfy the needs of more people.
Available
Available
#5 Safe Water: Using knowledge and wisdom gained in the field by global health programs
People living in developing countries still do not have “safe water” to use. However, it is actually surprisingly difficult to define exactly what safe water is. In this lecture we intend to introduce some of the knowledge and wisdom gained from global health programs in local areas designed to ensure safe water.
Available
Water and literature
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#6 Various aspects of water as seen in Chinese literature
Chinese poetry traditionally sang the praises of various endearing aspects of nature. Nevertheless, among these there seldom are references to oceans. In this lecture, we will look at various ways in which Chinese poets described aspects of water, while making comparisons with the situation in Japan.
Available
#7 Images of water in literature
In this lecture, we will introduce various examples illustrating the interconnections between literature and “water.” We will also consider how “water” is represented in fiction and poetry.
Available
#8 British literature and water, rivers, oceans
In British fiction, how are rivers, the ocean and other things related to them or evidencing an interest in them represented? We will search for answers to these questions in the works of famous British authors.
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Water and society
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#9 Agriculture in Okinawa and how to view water
The islands of Okinawa are girdled by coral reefs, but they lack any significant rivers, which makes it difficult to preserve surface water. In this lecture, from the perspective of how the way Okinawan farm families regard water has evolved, we will consider the somewhat convoluted relationship between water and local agriculture.
Available
Available
#10 Development of governance concerning water use and the accumulation of social capital
In this lecture we will consider how the various countries of “monsoon Asia, ” including Japan, have shared in common a process of formation of water-based societies, and imagine the form that our future society should take.
Available
Available
#11 Supportive science and technology which can respond to changes in climate and hydrologic cycles
Along with the rise in concentrations of hothouse gases in the atmosphere, extreme water circulation phenomena have appeared in various parts of the world. In this lecture we will consider such aspects as forecasts of these changes, evaluation of the risks these changes pose, the formulation of effective response policies, whether or not these can actually be implemented, and the science and tech…
Available
Water’s relation to life and the environment
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#12 What parasites have to teach us: The benefits and calamities provided by water
In this lecture our aim is to consider how water usage can transform an environment and the contagious diseases that might spread as a result. We should never forget that ecologically rich land will also be land that is rich in terms of parasites.
Available
Available
#13 Water and forests and people
Are the “uses” of water from forests truly convenient “functions” for human beings? In this lecture we will focus on The University of Tokyo’s Experimental Forest in Aichi Prefecture, which has over eight decades carried out long-term research. We will investigate these issues in comprehensive fashion from historical, scientific and socioeconomic perspectives and gain a glimpse of what the future…
Available
Available
#14 Water traveling around locales and people traveling around water
Why are there still close to 900 million people in the world today who are not assured of having safe drinking water even for a day? In the arid Middle East which lacks water resources, why is it that we do not see quarrels over water intensifying? Let us consider the strange interrelationships between water around the earth and human beings.
Available
#15 Closing lecture remarks
In this course the theme was “water, ” and the lectures were approached from a number of different angles, including science, political economics, literature, society, life and the environment. During the closing session, Professor Toshio Yamagata, head of the Planning Committee (and also dean of the School of Science of the University of Tokyo) will offer remarks on this topic.
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