IRP Course Structure
IRP consists of three classes, all of which are mandatory for obtaining any credit for an IRP:
- “INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT A, B” (2 credits each)—In these two classes, students advance their own research under the guidance of the supervisor who is specialist in the relevant or related areas.
- “INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT C” (2 credits for the whole academic year). This class is principally for the presentation of the results of the IRP. Students receive an orientation at the beginning of the first semester, and make a mid-year and final presentation.
You can enroll in Independent Research Projects at the same time as you are enrolled in a RESEARCH SEMINAR and the PCP programme. However, the research you undertake in each of these courses must be different.
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT A, B (IRPA and IRPB)
COURSE CONTENT
The aim of these two courses is to ensure that students acquire a deep understanding of a particular research area.
●Before formally registering for these courses, students begin by determining their own research topics, contacting possible supervisors, and asking them to agree to their proposed research topic. Therefore, applicants for the IRP are required to clarify their own research interests during their first and second years at Keio.
●Each supervisor supports a student’s research and gives advice on proper research methods, relevant academic research, and directions for the research. Students usually get coaching from their supervisors individually or in a small group, once a week (90 minutes) over the fall semester in IRPA (starting in late September) and over the spring semester in IRPB (starting in April). According to a student’s research interest, however, some supervisors may hold meetings with his/her student on an irregular basis. Each student will decide the details of these procedures after consulting with his/her supervisor when the fall and spring semesters begin.
●Students are also allowed to do collaborative research. In this case, students of other faculties of Keio University can join in the research activity, and all the students are required to register for the three IRP courses (A, B, and C) and to explicitly specify which member of the group is responsible for what part of the research in their presentations and paper.
SUPERVISORS
●All full-time professors in the Faculty of Economics whether they are located on the Mita or Hiyoshi campuses are eligible to be supervisors of IRP. However, your preferred professor might not accept your request for supervision. Before formally registering for the IRP courses, each student is required to contact and ask his/her preferred professor for supervision. This preliminary work is a part of the lessons that students are expected to learn through pursuing an IRP.
●See below on how to contact professors and the lists of professors’ specialized research area.
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT C (IRPC)
COURSE CONTENT
●The aim of IRPC is to provide students with an orientation for the IRP programme, and an opportunity for professors unrelated to the students’ research to review the progress of their research.
●The professors responsible for the IRPC course are called “coordinators”. They will provide an orientation at the beginning of the fall semester, and organize the mid-term and final presentations. Moreover, the coordinators evaluate whether the final research outcome submitted by a student fulfills the academic conventions required for a research paper.
●“Independent Research Project C” also provides students with an opportunity to communicate with other students registered in the IRP programme, and to develop academic interests in their research.
●The “Independent Research Project C” is timetabled to be held on Saturdays, but students are required only to attend an orientation class at the beginning of the fall semester, and to make a mid-term presentation in February and a final presentation in July. These presentations will be open to the public. The coordinators are also available for any general questions about the IRP programme, and for solving problems that arise between a student and his/her supervisor.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
Third and fourth year students enrolled in the Faculty of Economics are eligible for the IRP. Students attached to other faculties can only participate in an IRP as a collaborator of the research led by a student(s) in the Faculty of Economics. For non-Economics students, whether or not the IRP credits are recognized is decided by the Faculty the students is associated with.
Creation-type Research
Creations such as artwork or literary work are acceptable in an IRP. For details of this type of research, see below:
