Science-Based Comparative Culture: A New Theme of Experiment for Freshmen in Tohoku University

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel science-based comparative culture experiment for freshmen at Tohoku University, aiming to foster understanding of natural laws and cultural value judgments through hands-on exploration.

Contribution

It presents a new educational theme integrating science and culture, emphasizing experiential learning for first-year students in natural sciences.

Findings

Students explore natural laws through vibration experiments.

The course reveals cultural differences in value judgments.

Enhanced understanding of science and culture integration.

Abstract

In 2004, Tohoku University created a new introductory science experimental course for freshmen. The course is a compulsory subject for students in all natural science fields. The course is not designed for a professional education, but as a liberal education, in which students are trained to become familiar with nature and to discover natural laws for themselves. We present here one of 12 themes - "science and culture: vibration of string instrument and music", in which we expect students to study two aspects: 1) the universality of natural laws and 2) the variety of value judgments from the evidence.