English

This course deepens students' understanding of the writer’s craft and enhance the development of techniques they acquired in Prose Fiction. The first ninety minutes of every workshop is devoted to the critique of student work-in-progress (either a short story or a novel excerpt). Discussions are guided by the lecturer, who offer feedback tailored to the craft-related issues evident in each submission. This may include topic such as characterization, plot, structure, dialogue, voice, point of view, narrative time, conflict, and prose style. The last half-hour of each workshop promotes the close reading and evaluation of established authors’ work, exemplifying matters of technique and the various stylistic approaches to the form. 

This course covers the economic causes of environmental and resource problems. Economic theory is applied to environmental questions associated with resource exploitation; the problem of externalities and their management through various economic institutions, economic incentives and other instruments and policies. Means of analyzing the economic implications of environmental policy are also discussed as well as the valuation of environmental quality, assessment of environmental damages, and tools needed for the evaluation of projects such as cost-benefit analysis, and environmental impact assessments. Selected topics on international environmental issues will also be discussed.

This introductory course discusses how to identify types of arguments, how to evaluate them, and how to avoid fallacies and mistaken beliefs. It approaches critical argumentation as a practical skill that is learned through examples of real arguments. The methods presented are based on techniques developed in argumentation theory and informal logic, as well as the most updated discoveries on cognition and argumentation. Coursework includes public debate on a selected topic.

The last two centuries of Japan are the age of war and peace. As the development of the modern world has been crucially shaped through international relations, the analysis of international history is vital to understand modern Japan. Ranging from the Opium War to WWII to the “War Against Terrorism,” lectures and discussions cover the various issues of major wars and their consequences. Primary documents (English version) will be assigned for discussion sessions.

This course introduces the theory of financial economics. The major topics of modern finance will be covered in a rigorous way but with no claim to generality. The course assumes standard knowledge of microeconomics, calculus, and probability theory. 

The first part of the course (Weeks 1-2) is a refresher on the basic economic concepts used throughout the course, such as expected utility, choice under uncertainty, or competitive equilibrium. The second part (Weeks 3-6) covers standard portfolio-choice problems and equilibrium asset-pricing models such as the mean-variance model, CARA-normal model and the CAPM. The third part (Week 7) studies a basic market microstructure model with asymmetric information (Glosten-Milgrom model).

This course encourages new readings of American literature through the lens of theories that have developed in the field of gender and women’s studies over the last decades. It introduces a wide array of critical perspectives, ranging from early advocates of gynocriticism and theoreticians of “women’s writing,” to champions of intersectionality, queer studies, masculinity studies, and ecofeminism. The course pays special attention to the development of Black and Chicana feminist discourse and to their contribution to gender politics. It uses key concepts such as revision, mestizaje, silence, queering, performance, empowerment, resistance, embodiment, margin, and center to foster a revaluation of certain canonical or lesser-known texts and, sometimes, to uncover hidden layers of meaning beneath more conventional readings. The literary texts included are drawn from different periods and from a variety of genres (novel, short fiction, poetry) and include extracts from works by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Emily Dickinson, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Alice Walker, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, Toni Morrison, Carmen Tafolla, Paula Gunn Allen, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Economics can make two possible contributions to our lives. First, it may help us better understand how the economy works, or how its inhabitants --- or “economic agents” --- behave. Second, more importantly from a practical point of view, it may help us find how to influence our economy by means of economic policy, to improve its functioning and thereby our economic welfare as well.

This course is aimed at grasping the link between the first and the second by examining some of the examples of “economic theory used in practice.” The course teaches what kind of economic policies are being implemented for what purposes, and the theoretical basis by which such policies may be justified. The course examines the usefulness of economics, but we will also see its limitations. Knowing the latter is important, because many policies are often advocated without fully disclosing (or even worse, by proponents who cannot, or refuse to, see) their weaknesses or possible side effects.
 

The first part of this course (Week 1-7) covers a broad range of economics, both macro and micro, to give the students an overview of different economic theories and policies. The second part (Week 8-14) builds on the first part of the course and looks at the theory and practice of international economics, including trade policy, how economies relate to one another, and the latest issues in globalization.

Writing the Flâneuse, this seminar course explores representations of metropolitan spaces and experiences in 20th-century women’s writing. The figure of the flâneur – a term used to define a male wanderer and observer of urban life – has long been integral to critical explorations of modernity, from Charles Baudelaire's THE PAINTER OF MODERN LIFE through to James Joyce's ULYSSES (1922). However, students on this course are introduced to the contrasting feminine figure of the flâneuse – a female wanderer and observer of urban life – across the 20th century, drawing attention to the many re-evaluative efforts to bring matters of gender as well as the centrality of women's writing and experience to the forefront of studies of modern literature. It offers a critical and historical framework for approaching the figure of the flâneuse, reading primary texts alongside key critical works, and further incorporating discussions of space, spectacle, urban geography, mobility, consumer culture and labor. The course follows a broadly chronological trajectory, drawing on examples from novels, short fiction, and poetry by a diverse range of British and North American writers.

The course's main objective is to allow the student to acquire a panoramic view of different legal systems, enriching the notion of law and demonstrating that the ways of conceiving and solving legal problems vary throughout the different legal systems, which allows visualizing the contingent nature of law and its understanding as a social and changing phenomenon. The study of Comparative Law, together with the habits of research and reading of various materials, prepares the student for a better understanding of the legal culture and legal systems of other countries. Consequently, it facilitates study abroad and international legal practice.

The diaspora of Chinese migrants is evident in the “Chinatowns” in major cities throughout the worldwide.  Their success have led others to describe Chinese migrants as “cosmopolitan” or “global citizens.” However, it is also true that Chinese migrants are an ethnic group that has involved in international politics and the volatility of national regimes. This course looks at Chinese migrants through different case studies and analyzes their narratives from political, economic, legal, and cultural angles to understand their relationship with global issues. Comparative studies with other diasporas are recommended.