Japan

In Japan, Ikebana is appreciated with Japanese sophisticated sense of nature, admiring not only the beautiful colors of flowers but also the leaf - its green, beauty of bark, seasonal fruits, or even it withering. The whole of them are named generically "hana," which means "flower" in Japanese Ikebana. Japanese Ikebana is respected as "the way of hana" which is the best way to learn spiritual, philosophical, and aesthetic sense.

This course covers plant features, seasonal changes, and Ikebana techniques. The course aims to understand flower arrangement but also to acquire the skills for communicating and feeling the sense of beauty between a flower arranger (master) and observers (guests). 

This course introduces students to the mutually influential art of the East and the West. The first half of the course focuses on "Shosoin Treasures and Buddhist Art of Todaiji Temple," with the objective of fostering an interest in the origins of traditional designs and symbols in Japanese art. The second half of the course covers different topics, one of which is the visualization of the "Arabian Nights" and consideration of Orientalism and Japonisme in art.  The course also considers manuscript illustrations from the Islamic world and Japanese picture scrolls, comparing media and painting materials with the actual objects, while reviewing the history of printing technology using plant-fiber paper. 

This course examines various issues facing sports in modern society, mainly from the perspective of sports sociology. What kind of social background are the sports we enjoy based on? Also, sports are generally considered to be "good," however, students learn that sports also have disadvantages. While analyzing various problems that sports in modern society is facing, students are expected to acquire the basic ideas of sports sociology.

How has the media been incorporated into our experiences of place and culture? How do we understand our media consumption, and our dwelling and travelling experiences, and how would such an understanding help us make sense of the increasingly globalizing world in which we live?  

This course explores the role the media play in deterritorialized, global and multicultural contexts. It first introduces two key approaches to media globalization, cultural imperialism paradigm and cultural globalization thesis, and considers how the production, circulation and consumption of global entertainment media have shaped the ways we understand both domestic and foreign cultures. It then examines a range of contemporary cultural phenomena such as cultural migrants, diaspora, media representation of minority, etc. and considers how such phenomena are concerned with critical issues in relation to globalization, identity formation and the shaping of our sense of place. 
 
A range of media texts (e.g. movies, television programs) will serve as exemplars to be analyzed in the lecture and discussion, in order to help students grasp the key concepts of relevant theories. 

In addition to the 160 basic kanji characters taught in K150, students will learn to read, write and type 160 new characters. They will become familiar with various methods of kanji learning and expand their vocabulary of words that contain kanji.
Eligibility: Students who have learned about 160 kanji characters and are at least A1 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N5 in the JLPT).
Learning Objectives:
・Understand the meanings and readings of 320 kanji and words using those kanji.
・Write 320 kanji vocabulary words with the help of example models.
・Type short sentences containing the 320 kanji on a smartphone or PC.

This course examines the impact of religion, culture, and identity on global politics. International Relations (IR) conventionally refers to relations between sovereign states in an anarchic world. The sovereign state is assumed to be the natural political community of humankind and to command the allegiance of those subject to its rule. The culture, identity and religion of states are not conventionally considered relevant to how states interact with other states.  

However, since the events of September 11, 2001 (9/11), there has been renewed interest in culture, religion, and identity in global politics. The resultant US-led ‘War on Terror’ have reinforced the importance of religion to collective identities and rekindled the specter of a ‘clash of civilizations’ (Huntington 1996) pitting a Judeo-Christian West against a resurgent Islamic civilization. Echoes of the clash of civilizations but can be found in the policies of the Israeli state under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu towards Gaza after the attacks of October 7, 2023, by Hamas and in the policies towards migrants from Muslim majority states in the US under (ex) President Donald Trump and in many European Union (EU) states. In India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi views Islam as a threat to India's national identity based on "Hindutva" (Hindu values). Religion has moved from the margins of global politics to its center-stage.  

But did it really go away? The modern international order instituted in Westphalia in 1648 was itself an attempt to contain religious and cultural conflict in Europe. How will the increasing resurgence of the non-western world and China and India in particular transform global politics? Will the eclipse of the West lead to a 'post-western' (Shani 2008) or 'global' (Acharya 2014, Acharya and Buzan 2020) IR? And will it be 'post-secular'? (Habermas 2008, Mavelli and Petito 2012, Shani 2014)? 

The course discusses these questions with reference to a series of historical and contemporary case studies in global politics. These will include Human Rights in the EU, the global "War on Terror," and Religious Nationalism in South Asia. 

By focusing on the “economy and business” and “music and advertisement” of Post World War II United States, this course contextualizes the characters and strengths of American capitalist development. Two consecutive sessions on each of the two topics alternate throughout the semester. 
 

The section on “Economy and Business” will explore how the American economy expanded and its businesses succeeded in the post-WWII period despite facing serious setbacks and crises. The course discusses major political and social developments chronologically and the economic impact it had both on the domestic front and abroad. The goal is for the students to foster a long-term perspective on American economic development and how it has shaped and continue to affect current affairs. 

The aim of the "Music and Advertising" section is to understand how the advertising industry had utilized music to sell goods between 1950 and 1990. Music has always played an important role in advertising, which has been undoubtedly an essential element of capitalism. The class focuses on the question of how commercials have been fashioned not only to sell goods and services, but also to inculcate listeners and viewers into their roles as consumers.

This course introduces Chinese and Japanese literature through the works of best-known 20th-century poets (including songwriters) writing in Chinese or Japanese primarily to students from outside Chinese or Japanese-speaking cultures majoring in East Asian studies. East Asian Studies majors are encouraged to use this course as a complement to more specialized courses in Chinese and/or Japanese literature in their portfolio. 

Knowledge of Japanese and/or Chinese would be of great use, but is not a prerequisite for taking this course.

Animals (and even insects) can communicate with each other, but man's way of communication is fundamentally different in that it is greatly facilitated by language, the structure of which seems species-specific. This course concentrates on this part of human language with special reference to its syntax, a set of rules that govern the way the words in a sentence come together. This course thus aims to discover principles that govern this essential aspect of human language and tries to tackle issues such as how child language acquisition takes place and how surface differences among languages may be explained by the notion of parameter.

In recent years, various concepts such as ESG, SDGs, and CSV have been published to realize a sustainable society and economy. These concepts have become an indispensable theme for corporate management. For example, governments are considering requiring companies to disclose sustainability information. This course explains the theory on sustainability and its application to practice for the purpose of understanding sustainability and the latest management trends.