English

This course provides an overview of major currents in Jewish life across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa from the Enlightenment era to the creation of the State of Israel. Topics include continuity and rupture in Jewish cultural life and political and social status; interactions and influences between Jews in different geographical, political, and cultural spheres; the rise of modern antisemitism and Jewish responses; European and Middle East and North Africa Jews' respective roles in and reactions to the emergence of the Zionist movement; the Shoah; and the creation of the State of Israel.

This course investigates the political, strategic, and institutional dynamics shaping Northeast Asia—a region home to major powers, contested histories, nuclear tensions, and economic interdependence. It examines the evolving regional order through both theoretical lenses and case-based analysis. Topics include great power competition, alliance politics, nationalism and identity, historical memory, economic security, and digital sovereignty. Students analyze how state and non-state actors interact within shifting geopolitical conditions and regional governance structures. The course also explores how transnational challenges—such as the chip war, data governance, and human rights—intersect with traditional security and diplomatic agendas. Through engagement with readings, expert lectures, and structured debates, students develop a critical understanding of the region’s complexities and its global implications.

This course introduces various topics in macroeconomics such as measurements, business cycles, effects of policies, and long-run growth to first year undergraduate students.  In particular, this course develops basic but formal macroeconomic frameworks step by step. The ultimate goal of this course is to help students understand key macroeconomic questions such as “Why does an economy grow over time?” and “What happens and what should we do when the aggregate economy fluctuates?"

This course, together with International Relations (II) in the spring semester, provides an overview of International Relations for political science majors and other interested students. The course aims to provide the following: a foundation in the study of international relations; an ability to apply international relations theory to discuss real-world politics; an overview of global politics; the ability to read academic texts in English, and oral and written communication skills in the English language.

This course examines the biological underpinnings of selected mental health conditions. Topics include addictions, anxiety disorders, attentional disorders, dementias, eating disorders, mood disorders, and psychosis. Clinical observations, human experiments, genomic investigations, and studies using animal models may be used to illustrate the relationships between altered cognitive-behavioral states, biochemical processes, and functional neuroanatomy. The biological implications of therapies for mental health conditions are also discussed.