English

A supervised program of study approved by the Head of School.

There is wide consensus that Asia is a major engine of recent global economic growth. Does this mean that Asia is a new economic power, or that the current growth indicates the resurgence of Asia? The answer to this question requires good historical knowledge of Asian economy in a global perspective. This course aims to provide such knowledge. 

The course focuses especially on Southeast Asia from the early time to the mid-twentieth century, discussing the following themes: natural environment; economic foundation of early states; changing demands in the global markets where consumption cultures were constantly changing; production development of particular products; regional and global trade; movement of labor; economic and social impacts of colonization, and struggles for economic decolonization. 

To prepare for this course, it is recommended to enroll in the course offered in the fall semester, "Economic History of Southeast Asia," which focuses more on the developments in the post-WWII period.

A workshop in writing based on the reading excerpts from world literature, this course aims to practice writing skills while deepening communication with literature while engaging with peers. Readings consist of short and medium-length excerpts (no whole books) from writers including James Baldwin, Edna O’Brien, Patrick MacGill, Naguib Mahfouz, and Émile Zola. Writing will be shared with the class and discussed. Students will be encouraged (not required) to keep a journal for building on ideas they began in class, sharing excerpts only if they wish to do so. In their final paper, students will be asked to write a short work based on anything in class that affected them—in a personal, aesthetic, political, or any other way.

This course examines humans as social beings. It covers topics such as social cognition, attitudes, group processes, interpersonal relationships, and language communication. 

In this studio course students will be introduced to a range of art practices. Making artworks in relation to a prescribed project, they will explore art strategies and processes, idea generation and creative and analytical thinking. 

Students are required to undertake a group design project that runs from September to April of the following year. The project topics are stipulated either by teachers or by industrial sponsors. Each project group has two teachers acting as supervisors and an additional teacher serving as moderator. During the course of the project, supervisors communicate with the students and the concerned project sponsor to monitor the project progress. At the completion of the project, each project student presents
his/her achievements to the supervisors, moderator and sponsor via a written report and an oral presentation. This course aims to: (1) provide a problem-based learning experience for students to learn how to apply scientific knowledge and team-work approach to tackle design/engineering problems systematically, and (2) strengthen students’ inter-personal and communication skills through interaction with teammates, supervisors and sponsors. Typical project activities include: problem identification & definition; research into information pertaining to the problem, design & analysis; materials sourcing; communication; conducting experiments/making prototypes for verification and demonstration of results; writing reports and giving oral presentations.

The field of popular music studies borrows from a diverse range of perspectives and disciplines, including history, sociology, musicology, ethnomusicology, communications, and cultural studies, among many others. This course examines a selection of these approaches by bringing together a variety of topics, touching upon taste, genres, institutions, and technologies, as well as cultural politics and identity politics as they relate to the study of popular music.

This course covers how a project manager leads the project team. Major topics include theories of leadership; traits of project leaders; and leadership competencies such as visioning, strategizing, team building, decision-making, empowering, influencing, planning, and communicating.