Japan

This is an introductory course on modern Artificial Intelligence designed for Keio University. It focuses predominantly on theory and fundamental concepts, with implementation of basic techniques in Python. Depending on the level of the students and time constraints, it may also cover more practical engineering topics using modern practices, as well as some of the most influential recent advancements based on a selection of research papers. Additionally, the course also covers some topics in more depth based on the interests of the instructor. One of those topics is Natural Language Processing (NLP) in the era of Deep Learning, as well as advanced methods in representation learning.

This course focuses on Deep Neural Information Processing Systems. As a rapidly developing field, the course centers on most important trends and core ideas, as it is impossible to cover all recent developments in a single course. It follows historical trends in AI with a focus on neural networks, seeing how the current ideas emerged out of decades of research in the field.  Then, the course discusses current neural architectures and algorithms, while introducing modern perspectives. After completing this course, students are expected to have an appreciation and understanding of neural AI systems and anticipate future developments in research and applications of AI (especially Deep Learning). 

This course covers leading theoretical approaches to Japanese animation as viewed from abroad. Is anime a genre? A culture? An industry? How do we actually define anime? And what reasons exist for studying anime in the first place? To answer these questions, the course explores the history of Japanese animation and its global reach by means of arguments put forth by leading scholars in the English language, including notably Rayna Denison, Susan Napier, Thomas Lamarre, and Jonathan Clements. This course looks at the themes they identify in and around anime, such as the shojo, the otaku, the techno-orientalism, as well as investigating to what extent characteristic production methods such as hand-drawn animation define a supposedly unique nature of anime. In the process the course also attempts to identify the transnational aspects that have long formed a part of "Japanese" animation, by asking the question: How Japanese is anime?

This course is aimed at those who have already studied the first half of elementary grammar.  It focuses on oral practice, mainly using the sentence patterns and vocabulary introduced in the course, Essential Japanese 3M.

Textbook: "University Japanese: Beginner's Course, Tomodachi vol.2" compiled by the Japanese Language Education Center for International Students, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.