Japan

We are in the midst of unprecedented global environmental change. Rising temperatures and sea levels, unpredictable and increasingly volatile weather events, plant and animal extinctions, and continued human expansion and adaptation are all pressing matters for our current and future lives. How did we get here, what are the implications for human and nonhuman life, and where do we go from here? 

This course draws on anthropological concepts and fieldwork findings to explore the complex and reciprocal relationships between humans and our environments. Students will be introduced to environmental anthropology and its potential for understanding not only nature, culture, and their relationship, but also possible solutions to issues related to life on a changed (and changing) planet. 

Students will be introduced to the past, present, and potential future diversity of human-environment relations through topics including fungal networks, human-animal relationships, nonhuman persons, environmental politics, urban development, and of course, climate change. Through this, students will gain an appreciation for the diversity of human life, the environment, and our ways of being in the world, while also developing critical analytical skills beneficial for personal, activist, and academic success. 

This course covers the foundations and growing applications of Web computing, ranging from web crawling, search, and mining to recent trends in natural language processing on the Web. The course is designed to help students understand the fundamental notions and software technologies underlying Web information services. Topics covered: frontiers in web computing; natural language processing for text processing; foundations of information retrieval; advances in information retrieval; information extraction from documents; from information extraction to knowledge acquisition; social network analysis and recommendation systems, and web service mashups. 

This course focuses on explaining social and cultural phenomena to accurately understand Japanese society today. It focuses on topics such as family, gender, education, friendships, work/labor, and political/social movements. Audiovisual materials will be utilized. 

To understand the complex and multifaceted reality unique to Japanese society, students will broaden their horizons and acquire a comprehensive and comparative perspective on society as a whole.

This course examines the concept of "plain Japanese" theoretically and practically, studying it from various angles. The course aims to develop practical skills of writing and speaking based on the principle of "plain Japanese."

This course is offered as a companion course to the course, Buddhism and Social Change in Contemporary Asia taught by the same instructor in the first half of the semester. Students are not required to take both courses, but it is recommended to do so for a fuller understanding.

This course analyzes Buddhism in Japan in a very different way – through the actions of Buddhist priests and followers-- to confront the real life problems and suffering of the people in Japan today. The course looks at issues such as:
1) human relationships in terms of: a) dying and grieving, and b) alienation and suicide; 
2) economic development in terms of: a) social and economic gaps, aging society, community breakdown and depopulation of the countryside; b) alternatives to globalization and Buddhist economics, and c) alternative energy and the environment; 
3) politics in terms of: a) nuclear power and peace, and b) Buddhist complicity with war and work for peace. 
 

The creative solutions some individual Buddhists are developing in response to these problems mark an attempt to revive Japanese Buddhism, which has been primarily associated with funerals and tourism. These efforts are trying to remake the temple as a center of community in an increasingly alienated society.
 

A variety of teaching methods are employed - from homework, readings, group processes, in-class videos, and guest speakers and this course will aim to be interactive. Students should be ready to reflect on the issues personally as they experience them as residents of Japan, and to express these reflections not only intellectually but emotionally as well. Field trips will be offered on the key issues above so as to deepen appreciation and understanding. 

This course introduces the culture of Japanese gardens, focusing on the main philosophical values, styles, aesthetics, and landscape design principles through history. By doing specific activities, writing assignments and oral presentations, the course increases knowledge and the meaning of what has been learned from interactions and shared experiences. Comparisons with historical gardens examples in other cultures and a study-tour to relevant Japanese gardens located inside or around Kyoto City are planned to strengthen final debates and discussions as well as to help the formation of group research projects for final evaluation. 

This course focuses on the Eukaryotic cell structure, its basic components, and their functions. Eukaryotic cells are characterized by membrane-bound compartments called Organelles. The class focuses on Organelles, Membrane Structure and Composition, Membrane Transport, Vesicles Trafficking, and Cell Energy, applying these basic ideas to current biological questions. For instance, the class will relate dysfunctions in various cellular processes to human diseases. Furthermore, the course covers methods utilized by researchers to uncover current information about Eukaryotic cells. 

This course is recommended to be taken after FOUNDATION OF BIOLOGY or INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY. 

This course is designed to improve integrate French-language skills but also to expand cultural knowledge of the French-speaking world. It aims to prepare students for the Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française (DELF) exam, to train their French-Japanese translation skills and to provide them with the opportunity to understand the French society.

The course provides the following opportunities:

• Acquire listening skills of B1 level (CECR);
• Develop speaking skills and be able to discuss in French;
• Acquire reading skills of B1 level;
• Have a deeper understanding of French society; and,
• Develop the skills needed to pass the B1 level of the DELF exam

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the nature of second language learning and current theoretical explanations for second language learning. It also considers principles of classroom second language instruction in light of current empirical research. The course also examines various positions towards second/ foreign language teaching that have been developed since the 20th century and considers the relationship between second language acquisition theory, research on second language learning, and second language teaching practice.   

This course explores a specific theme of a broad range of topics in Japan Studies representing humanities, social science, natural science, and environmental science perspectives. The course involves substantial out of classroom work, including fieldwork, interviews, and first-hand observation.