Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to suggest why and how career education in the undergraduate level should have scope and sequence.
We will first, discuss why and how we need to reconsider the scope and sequence of career education, through analyzing one of the freshman seminars "JIBUN (Self-formation)," which was held for four years at Tohoku Univ. The case study clarified the fact that many freshmen could not think positively about themselves and their future; was anxious about having relationships with other students. Therefore, the university should help students to overcome these problems, and enable them to experience a smooth academic life.
According to the current definition of career education, to support students' self-formation is also regarded as necessary. The reason is that self-formation is the basis of the students' career development. If students could not think positively about themselves, how could they think of their future? Career education, most of which is job-guidance, should carefully be designed based on the students' developmental stage.
Career education at Tohoku University, however, has not yet been so designed. Only job-search guidance and an internship within discipline lie without scope and sequence considered. In this situation, students themselves must integrate these programs for their own career development.
Therefore, we suggest the scope and sequence of the career education curriculum be considered as follows. The scope can be classified into three types: one is "self-search" type which is one of the freshman introductory programs that focuses on college students so that they can have a smooth transition from high school to college life, and to study positively at a university. The second is "specialty-search type" which is an orientation to academic fields held during their first two years. The selection of the academic field is related to the course in the future for many students. This "specialty-search type" has, therefore, a very important meaning from the viewpoint of career education at the university. The third is "vocational education" type, which differs from discipline in what and how it is delivered. It can each be called, "aptitude- search type", "occupation-search type" and "training type."
The sequence can be arranged as follows in the four-year undergraduate education:
Freshman (1st and 2nd Semester): "self-search type"
Freshman (2nd Semester)～Sophomore (3rd Semester): "specialty-search type"
Sophomore (4th Semester)～Junior (5th Semester): "vocational education" type: Start looking for occupation
Junior (6th Semester)～Senior (7th and 8th Semester): "vocational education" type: Prepare for working
The method of designing a career education should vary from university to university. What is important is to clarify undergraduate education policy: what knowledge a university wants their students to acquire from their education.
