Japan

This course provides an in-depth understanding of contemporary European politics and societal issues which have developed throughout the last 30 years. The course covers five main areas. First, it examines the history of Europe – the development of democracy and the nation-state and how modern Europe came to be after the wars of the 20th century. Second, the course looks at the different political systems which exist within Europe's democracies. Third, it takes a more detailed look at specific countries and their relations with each other in the context of intra-European relations. The course also compares society in Europe's different nation states and the relationship between government and civil society, the media and issues such as gender, race and identity. The final part of the course looks at the history of the European Union and contrast its achievements with its present-day challenges including Brexit and the rise of populism, and the role of Europe as a global actor. Units: The regular version of this course is worth 3.0 UC quarter units. The Q version of this course is worth 4 or 4.5 UC quarter units. Students must submit a special study project form which outlines the requirements for the additional units. This is typically an additional paper graded by the instructor of the course.

This course introduces the contours of the most-frequently-referred theories and models of International Political Economy (IPE). In this course, students gain a basic understanding of the theories and models of International Political Economy (IPE), and to become able to analyze international affairs by applying those theories and models by themselves. Topics covered in this course include: complex interdependence, Democratic Peace Theory, soft power, Hegemonic Stability Theory, World-Systems Theory and Dependency Theory, 2-level game model.

This course explores the traditional phases of Japanese culture to provide a deeper understanding of the origin of modern Japanese society and the mental phases of the Japanese people. The course also focuses on the traditional culture of the Miyagi prefecture, on the basis that understanding the local area is an important part of being global. Learning goals include being able to develop original analysis through the experience and observation of Japanese traditional culture; being able to comprehend Japanese traditional culture from various cultural insights; and gain basic knowledge of local traditional culture.

This course covers the origin, development and methodology of the different approaches to the study of human social behavior. The processes of social behavior, social attitudes, patterns of interpersonal relationships, psychological structure and the functions of various groups are examined.

This course considers how individual bodies are gendered and how gender is constructed in individual bodies through weekly readings and discussion in class. Students are expected to read each week's materials critically and to construct questions that allow other students to examine relations between gender and body deeply. Through these activities, students understand how social norms strongly construct gendered bodies, and explore possibilities of resisting it. Lecture topics vary, but may include problem's created by women's beauty work; radical feminist perspectives from the 1960s through today; why do many women wear makeup; and how to resist gendered norms of body. Reading materials are provided online. Assessment: class participation, presentation, final paper. Units: The regular version of this course is worth 3.0 UC quarter units. The AQ version of this course is worth up to 4.5 UC quarter units. Students must submit a special study project form which outlines the requirements for the additional units. This is typically an additional paper graded by the instructor of the course.

The emphasis of this course is to improve vocabulary and kanji knowledge, in preparation for advanced level classes. In order to increase the knowledge of kanji, students are tested on kanji list given during the previous class (70-100 kanji per list) and attempt to accurately define the meaning of kanji and kanji compounds. Through this methodology students both increase the number of kanji they know and gain a clear understanding on the meaning of a word and when and how to use it, by explaining the meaning of words in Japanese. Assessment: attendance, class participation, quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam.

This course has two main purposes. The first is to develop a comparative understanding of the education systems between Japan and other countries. The second is to examine contemporary Japanese education processes, along with related policies and practices, and to recognize their impact on Japanese society. To accomplish these purposes, each student is expected to share their knowledge and experience about the success and failure of their home-countries' education systems with other students and contribute to active discussions in class. Special attention is given to an examination of comparative and contrasting policies, practices, and issues in education as they unfold in Japan and students' home countries.

This course is an advanced in-depth study of Japan's security role in Northeast Asia. It examines the political, military, and economic challenges facing Japan in the international system under conditions of great uncertainty. Topics include the history to international relations theories that inform our understanding of international affairs and foreign policy decision-making related to Japan. The course also focuses on Japanese bilateral and global security policies from a range of theoretical perspectives.