English

In line with notions from the Gender Revolution, gender inequalities within Western societies have narrowed or even reversed in some areas in the last half-century. For instance, women’s overall labor market participation has increased dramatically. Nevertheless, women have maintained primary responsibility for domestic tasks stalling overall progress towards gender equality. In the first half of each session, we synthesize the literature on gender inequalities in the labor market and the family focusing on heterosexual couples and aspects such as the division of labor, occupation, and income. To this end, we also discuss the underlying theoretical explanations and assumptions about such inequalities and the relevance of the country context. The second half of each session takes place in the PC pool. Here we explore gender inequalities using German panel data. We start with a brief introduction to the statistical software and the dataset before exploring gender inequalities descriptively and using regression approaches. Due to the complexity of the substantial topic, we predominantly focus on economic gender inequalities in these applied sessions. No prior knowledge of panel data is assumed, but a general interest in and knowledge of quantitative methods is expected.

Digital technology has fundamentally and dramatically changed the way people live; the way society develops, and, most importantly, it refined the fundamental nature of human civilization. We are spending more time and effort in borderless cyberspace but, at the same time, dealing with issues in a multicultural physical space. Technology and society co-evolve, thus making it essential to understand both in order to grasp the best opportunities and also prepare for the upcoming challenges that arise from the ever-increasing integration of technologies into our societies.

This course broadly covers issues related to emerging technology advancement and addresses its critical societal challenges such as privacy, cybersecurity, governance, media, business stability, law enforcement, justice, and new modes of the workforce, among others. The course also investigates Japanese internet governance as well as privacy protection rules in a global context for a better understanding of not just the Japanese, but the global trends in building healthy relations between technology and society. The course aims to educate students to think critically about approaches and possible solutions to the challenges in the physical and virtual domain.

 

This course provides an introduction to the mythology and religious beliefs and customs of the ancient and medieval Celts, on the continent and in the Isles, and to the later reflexes of these beliefs in modern folklore. It examines evidence for the religious beliefs of the pre-Christian Celts and explore some of the essential elements of Celtic mythology. Material and archaeological evidence from Continental Europe, Britain, and Ireland are consulted, as well as written evidence, from classical writers of the late centuries BC to the Christian writers of the middle ages in Ireland. This section of the course includes study of some major Irish mythological texts (read in English translation) and consideration of the place and function of mythology in early Irish society. Students are also introduced to folk-beliefs and customs of Ireland, including traditions and stories concerning the fairies, saints, and holy wells; death customs and rituals; and traditions concerning the calendar and seasons. 
 

This course demonstrates the ways in which contemporary organizations navigate an increasingly turbulent environment. To achieve this, it combines necessary theoretical material with contemporary examples to convey the importance of, and different perspectives on, organizational change. The course covers topics including the nature and context of change, how individuals perceive and deal with change in a changing world, new ways of working, disruptive organizations and the gig economy, and the pivotal role of leaders in the organizational change process. 

This course covers advanced design skills, theories, and principles of fashion product development and fashion design. Students develop fashion product designs, experience design development processes, and practice design methods through group/individual projects. 

This course examines transnational global climate change developments through the lens of broader debates about transnationalism in world politics. It explores how and under what conditions sub-national and non-state actors such as cities, corporations, NGOs, and Indigenous peoples have become central to global efforts to address climate change. The course also considers the diverse forms of transnational governance led by these actors and the relationship of these initiatives to multilateral treaties and other state-based forms of climate change regulation. It reviews efforts to assess whether transnationalism contributes to a more effective global response to climate change and reflects on the normative issues raised as transnational actors and forms of governance become more deeply embedded in global climate politics.

Students develop their understanding of many dimensions of the relationship between gender and social policy. In the first section of the course, students become familiar with the fundamental concepts necessary for gender policy analysis, including how gender operates as a social structure and its intersectional relationship to other social structures such as race, class, and disability. Students develop their understanding of the concept of patriarchy in both its familial and non-familial meanings and ideas about post-patriarchal welfare states. Students learn about prevailing approaches to measuring gender inequalities, including indicators. Next, students focus on gendered typologies of welfare states and the importance of varieties of capitalism to gender inequalities in work, organizations, and families. In the final part of the course, students focus on how the concept of care is becoming increasingly significant for policymakers and private sector employers.

What made Ireland the country it is today? The course addresses that question by examining Irish history, culture, and society in an interdisciplinary and interactive manner. Students are introduced to key themes, debates, personalities, influences, and events that help to provide a greater understanding of how Ireland evolved into the country it is today. From the arrival of Christianity to post-Celtic Tiger Ireland, attention is focused throughout on fundamental issues related to religion, gender, sexuality, language, literature, politics, society, music, sport, film, and material culture. The course is structured around key topics which address a series of relevant issues relating to Ireland. Each topic is addressed in an associated lecture by an expert in that particular field. 

This course is designed to assist students who seek to bring cross-cultural theory and research into their business practices in order to develop the intercultural competence necessary to interact confidently and successfully with Japanese businesspeople. Theoretical discussions and intercultural sensitivity workshops are included in this course to achieve these goals. The comparative approach allows for examining how people practice business differently, depending on explicit and implicit sets of general cultural assumptions, rules, norms, and values. The course aims to understand cultural differences in businesspeople’ s attitudes towards work, companies, and the relationship between individuals (colleagues or co-workers and clients/customers) and organizations (counterparts or partners). The course also seeks to understand possible cultural roots of Japanese business practices and behavior, highlighting phenomena that are only indirectly observable, such as harmony, loyalty, discipline, patience, respect for senior staff, and the importance of moderation.

A good mixture of lectures, class discussions, and workshops comprise the activities of this course.

This course covers classic macroeconomic issues such as inflation, unemployment, interest rates, growth, and technological progress. The course also provides the foundations needed to understand how the macroeconomy operates and presents various solutions to economic problems.