English

This course investigates key literary works from the 18th century to the present that mark turning points in English-language literature. Beginning with the emergence of the English novel and continuing through Romanticism, Gothic literature, Modernism, Postmodernism, and contemporary identity-driven and decolonial narratives, the course emphasizes how literature both reflects and shapes historical change. 

This course examines the relationship between humans and animals during the Middle Ages. Beginning with a historical introduction to the medieval worldview, it explores how animals were represented in religion, literature, art, and science. Through readings, discussions, and visual analysis, this course investigates themes such as the influence of classical zoology, Christian symbolism, medieval bestiaries, and the cultural legacy of these representations in later traditions.  

This course explores Asian cinema from its beginning to the introduction of talkies in the 1930s. Topics include the advent of cinema in Asia and how it transformed entertainment across the continent and provided a novel means of popular expression. Students examine how cinema is closely tied to modernity and understand how different societies and cultures in Asia responded to the modern transformation and how they appropriated it for their own ends. The course focuses on China, Japan, and India and their film culture.

This course introduces students to the foundations of Behavioral Science: the science that explains and predicts how humans make decisions. Students are introduced to the way in which we make judgements and investigate strategies for decision making. Students study cognitive biases and aspects of context which influence how/what judgements and decisions we make. This course also delves into the dynamics of decision-making in groups, exploring topics such as how groups make decisions effectively and the common pitfalls that can impede their success. Additionally, students delve into the role of choice architecture in shaping group decision-making processes, and analyze various heuristics that individuals use, such as anchoring and receptiveness, which can impact group decision-making. Importantly, across both parts of the course, discussion of core concepts and examples are woven together with new advances and applications in the field. 

This course offers a historical and conceptual journey through the evolution of electronics from the first discoveries of static electricity to today’s digital and quantum technologies. It explores how humanity has “tamed the electron”, examining key inventions like the telegraph and microprocessor, as well as the social, economic, and environmental impacts of modern electronics. This course concludes with a focus on the future of computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum devices. 

There are nearly 5000 languages used daily around the world. Geographical and political restructuring, migration, natural disassters are just a few of the factors which cause multilingualism in society.  The course addresses the key questions: What does it mean to be bilingual and how does a child or adult become bilingual? This course also surveys bilingualism and bidialectalism in Japan (e.g. Korean, Okinawan, Tagalog, English).

This course examines various approaches to the study of bilingualism and multilingualism (e.g., societal, cognitive, psychological, educational), covering a wide variety of crucial issues and controversies in the field.  

This course focuses on analyzing the responses of Japan and the global community to multiple environmental issues, predominantly climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification. The special focus is on Japan's ambition to actively engage in climate change negotiations and the path to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The latter is a crucial step to maximize the chances that the average temperature warming will not exceed 1.5ºC above the preindustrial average. The course also explores what Japan has been doing to tackle climate change and other environmental issues.

This course focuses on the study and practical use of English vocabulary and communication strategies specific to the field of Social Work. It includes grammar review and develops oral and written skills for professional contexts such as interviews, reports, meetings, and presentations. Topics cover key areas of Social Work including healthcare, families, children, the elderly, and the prison system.

The course examines English slang and colloquial language from both historical and current perspectives. It focuses on how informal and marginal lexical forms shape linguistic variation, especially in youth and counter-cultural contexts. Topics include word formation, etymology, linguistic interdiction, and the representation of slang in literature and media.

This course covers approaches and patterns of economic development in East Asian countries (including ASEAN member countries, China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan), East Asian development model, policies and roles of state in development, multinational corporation (MNCs) and East Asian production networks, and characteristics and problems of East Asian development model.