11054001 Atomic Bomb Survivors (Hibakusha) and World Peace

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2026Year School/Graduate School Liberal Arts Education Program

Lecture Code 11054001 Subject Classification Peace Science Courses

Subject Name Atomic Bomb Survivors (Hibakusha) and World Peace

Subject Name
（Katakana）

Subject Name in
English Atomic Bomb Survivors (Hibakusha) and World Peace

Instructor VASILEVA VLADISAYA

Instructor
(Katakana) ヴァシレヴァ　ヴラデサヤ　ビラノヴァ

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year, First Semester, 2Term

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (2T) Mon5-8：IAS K209

Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details) Face-to-face

This course will be conducted in a face-to-face format, combining lectures with icebreaker activities, short videos, and student discussions. Microsoft Teams will be used for course communication and for distributing lecture and reading materials.

Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 4 Language of Instruction E : English

Course Level 2 : Undergraduate Low-Intermediate

Course Area（Area） 24 : Social Sciences

Course Area（Discipline） 05 : Sociology

Eligible Students

Keywords atomic bombings, nuclear narratives, hibakusha social movement, nuclear justice, nuclear taboo

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status within
Liberal Arts Education This course falls under the Peace Science category. Peace Science courses aim to deepen students’ understanding of peace by encouraging critical engagement with peace-related problems from a variety of perspectives.
Expected Outcome By the end of this course, students will be able to explain key narratives and concepts of the nuclear age and understand how these are created, contested, and transformed, and how they shape perceptions of nuclear weapons and the experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Class Objectives
/Class Outline The primary objective of this course is to provide students with multiple perspectives for critically engaging with the existence of nuclear weapons and the meaning of the atomic bombings. To achieve this, the course examines different historical and contemporary framings, narratives, and concepts surrounding the atomic bombings, their consequences, and nuclear weapons. Particular attention is given to hibakusha's perspectives and their efforts to transform their experiences into foundations for peace advocacy, challenging state and status quo narratives.

Class Schedule lesson1 Course Overview & Objectives 6/15
lesson2 Introductory Lenses: Peace & the Way We Talk About Nuclear Weapons 6/15
lesson3 Entering the Nuclear Age: Under the Mushroom Cloud 6/22
lesson4 Living in the Nuclear Age: Life as a Hibakusha 6/22
lesson5 Constructing an Official Narrative: The United States & Atomic Bomb Myths 6/29
lesson6 From Narrative to Belief: Nuclearism 6/29
lesson7 Another State Narrative: Japan, the Atomic Bombings, & Pacifism 7/6
lesson8 Hiroshima Finds Its Voice: Humanism 7/6
lesson9 From Silence to Peace Advocacy: The Survivor Mission 7/13
lesson10 Nihon Hidankyo: Building an Anti-Nuclear Weapon Ideology 7/13
lesson11 Joining Voices: Global Hibakusha Denounce Nuclear Injustice 7/14
lesson12 Imagining a Different World: Nuclear Justice 7/14
lesson13 From Testimony to Norm: Atomic Bomb Testimonies & the Nuclear Taboo 7/27
lesson14 How the World Talks About Hiroshima 7/27 (student discussion)
lesson15 Final Reflections & Wrap-Up 8/3 (mini-exam & a short reflection essay written in class)

Students are required to submit the “My Approach to Peace” report, which is common to all Peace Science courses. There is no final report for this course. Instead, during the final lesson, students will take a mini-exam on the definitions of key concepts discussed in class and write a short reflection essay on the course content.

While various discussion points will be offered throughout the course, Lesson 14 will be mainly student-discussion-based. Students will be asked to gather information on how the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are usually discussed in their own countries or places of origin and to share their findings in class.

Text/Reference
Books,etc. Lecture and reading materials will be distributed in class. There is no required textbook. Some reference books that students may find useful when writing their reflections include:
Lifton, R. J., & Falk, R. (1982). Indefensible Weapons: The Political and Psychological Case Against Nuclearism. Basic Books.
Lifton, R. J., & Mitchell, G. (1995). Hiroshima in America: Fifty Years of Denial. Putnam.
Hogan, M. J. (1996). Hiroshima in History and Memory. Cambridge University Press.
Yuasa, M. (2024). Challenging Nuclear Pacifism in Japan: Hiroshima’s Anti-Nuclear Social Movements. Routledge.
Yoneyama, L. (1999). Hiroshima Traces: Time, Space, and the Dialectics of Memory. University of California Press.
井上泰浩 (2021). 『世界は広島をどう理解しているか――原爆七五年の五五か国・地域の報道』中央公論新社.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc. Text, Handouts, Visual Materials, Microsoft Teams, moodle

(More Details) Power Point, Videos

Learning techniques to be incorporated Discussions, Quizzes/ Quiz format

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review Students should carefully review the provided handouts and lecture materials.

Requirements

Grading Method Assessment is based on reflection comments submitted at the end of each lesson (20%), a mini-exam and final short reflection essay (30%), the “My Approach to Peace” report (40%), and participation in discussion (10%). Students who fail to submit the “My Approach to Peace” report will not be awarded credit.

Practical Experience

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it

Message Through this course, I invite you to reflect on what “peace” means and how it is shaped by history, lived experience, and narratives surrounding nuclear weapons.

Other Please make sure to attend the introductory lesson. If you are unable to attend Lesson 15 for any reason, please contact the instructor.
You are required to submit a report entitled "My Approach to Peace" as a common assignment for Peace Science Courses. When you fail to submit the report, the credits will not be awarded.
【Period of the report submission】
The 2nd term course--> from July 6th to July 13th
The 3rd term course--> from October 26th to November 2nd
Night program course--> Follow teachers’ instructions
See the link below for further details.
https://momiji.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/momiji-top/en/learning/kyouyou/peace_science_courses.html
In case the number of registered students exceed the upper limit, a computerized random selection will be carried out.

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2026Year	School/Graduate School	Liberal Arts Education Program
Lecture Code	11054001	Subject Classification	Peace Science Courses
Subject Name	Atomic Bomb Survivors (Hibakusha) and World Peace
Subject Name （Katakana）
Subject Name in English	Atomic Bomb Survivors (Hibakusha) and World Peace
Instructor	VASILEVA VLADISAYA
Instructor (Katakana)	ヴァシレヴァ　ヴラデサヤ　ビラノヴァ
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	1st-Year, First Semester, 2Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(2T) Mon5-8：IAS K209
Lesson Style	Lecture	Lesson Style (More Details)	Face-to-face
This course will be conducted in a face-to-face format, combining lectures with icebreaker activities, short videos, and student discussions. Microsoft Teams will be used for course communication and for distributing lecture and reading materials.
Credits	2.0	Class Hours/Week	4	Language of Instruction	E : English
Course Level	2 : Undergraduate Low-Intermediate
Course Area（Area）	24 : Social Sciences
Course Area（Discipline）	05 : Sociology
Eligible Students
Keywords	atomic bombings, nuclear narratives, hibakusha social movement, nuclear justice, nuclear taboo
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Liberal Arts Education	This course falls under the Peace Science category. Peace Science courses aim to deepen students’ understanding of peace by encouraging critical engagement with peace-related problems from a variety of perspectives.
Expected Outcome	By the end of this course, students will be able to explain key narratives and concepts of the nuclear age and understand how these are created, contested, and transformed, and how they shape perceptions of nuclear weapons and the experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Class Objectives /Class Outline	The primary objective of this course is to provide students with multiple perspectives for critically engaging with the existence of nuclear weapons and the meaning of the atomic bombings. To achieve this, the course examines different historical and contemporary framings, narratives, and concepts surrounding the atomic bombings, their consequences, and nuclear weapons. Particular attention is given to hibakusha's perspectives and their efforts to transform their experiences into foundations for peace advocacy, challenging state and status quo narratives.
Class Schedule	lesson1 Course Overview & Objectives 6/15 lesson2 Introductory Lenses: Peace & the Way We Talk About Nuclear Weapons 6/15 lesson3 Entering the Nuclear Age: Under the Mushroom Cloud 6/22 lesson4 Living in the Nuclear Age: Life as a Hibakusha 6/22 lesson5 Constructing an Official Narrative: The United States & Atomic Bomb Myths 6/29 lesson6 From Narrative to Belief: Nuclearism 6/29 lesson7 Another State Narrative: Japan, the Atomic Bombings, & Pacifism 7/6 lesson8 Hiroshima Finds Its Voice: Humanism 7/6 lesson9 From Silence to Peace Advocacy: The Survivor Mission 7/13 lesson10 Nihon Hidankyo: Building an Anti-Nuclear Weapon Ideology 7/13 lesson11 Joining Voices: Global Hibakusha Denounce Nuclear Injustice 7/14 lesson12 Imagining a Different World: Nuclear Justice 7/14 lesson13 From Testimony to Norm: Atomic Bomb Testimonies & the Nuclear Taboo 7/27 lesson14 How the World Talks About Hiroshima 7/27 (student discussion) lesson15 Final Reflections & Wrap-Up 8/3 (mini-exam & a short reflection essay written in class) Students are required to submit the “My Approach to Peace” report, which is common to all Peace Science courses. There is no final report for this course. Instead, during the final lesson, students will take a mini-exam on the definitions of key concepts discussed in class and write a short reflection essay on the course content. While various discussion points will be offered throughout the course, Lesson 14 will be mainly student-discussion-based. Students will be asked to gather information on how the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are usually discussed in their own countries or places of origin and to share their findings in class.
Text/Reference Books,etc.	Lecture and reading materials will be distributed in class. There is no required textbook. Some reference books that students may find useful when writing their reflections include: Lifton, R. J., & Falk, R. (1982). Indefensible Weapons: The Political and Psychological Case Against Nuclearism. Basic Books. Lifton, R. J., & Mitchell, G. (1995). Hiroshima in America: Fifty Years of Denial. Putnam. Hogan, M. J. (1996). Hiroshima in History and Memory. Cambridge University Press. Yuasa, M. (2024). Challenging Nuclear Pacifism in Japan: Hiroshima’s Anti-Nuclear Social Movements. Routledge. Yoneyama, L. (1999). Hiroshima Traces: Time, Space, and the Dialectics of Memory. University of California Press. 井上泰浩 (2021). 『世界は広島をどう理解しているか――原爆七五年の五五か国・地域の報道』中央公論新社.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.	Text, Handouts, Visual Materials, Microsoft Teams, moodle
(More Details)	Power Point, Videos
Learning techniques to be incorporated	Discussions, Quizzes/ Quiz format
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	Students should carefully review the provided handouts and lecture materials.
Requirements
Grading Method	Assessment is based on reflection comments submitted at the end of each lesson (20%), a mini-exam and final short reflection essay (30%), the “My Approach to Peace” report (40%), and participation in discussion (10%). Students who fail to submit the “My Approach to Peace” report will not be awarded credit.
Practical Experience
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it
Message	Through this course, I invite you to reflect on what “peace” means and how it is shaped by history, lived experience, and narratives surrounding nuclear weapons.
Other	Please make sure to attend the introductory lesson. If you are unable to attend Lesson 15 for any reason, please contact the instructor. You are required to submit a report entitled "My Approach to Peace" as a common assignment for Peace Science Courses. When you fail to submit the report, the credits will not be awarded. 【Period of the report submission】 The 2nd term course--> from July 6th to July 13th The 3rd term course--> from October 26th to November 2nd Night program course--> Follow teachers’ instructions See the link below for further details. https://momiji.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/momiji-top/en/learning/kyouyou/peace_science_courses.html In case the number of registered students exceed the upper limit, a computerized random selection will be carried out.
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

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