Japan

This course covers sources of and obstacles to economic growth and development in Asian economies, focusing on the role of innovation, internationalization of firms, industrial clusters, institutions (including political institutions), and social capital. Each topic entails a review of basic theory and empirical evidence from growth theory, international economics, development economics, economic geography, economics of institutions, or network science; then an examination of Asian experiences. Classes consist of class discussions and presentations.  

This course introduces production management and presents tools and techniques mostly used by Japanese companies to manage and control their production systems. It provides the necessary concepts, tools, and methods to understand production management systems and the logic behind the various planning, scheduling, control, and decision techniques. The course covers essential Japanese production management concepts such as Toyota’s production systems, just-in-time, Kanban, and Kaizen. It also deals with traditional and modern Japanese production systems and those control systems being practiced in Toyota.

This course introduces the different schools of theories that enables one to understand any kind of narrative. Using a selection of prose extracts and poetry, the course teaches methods of reading and analyzing texts in class. By the end of the course, students are expected to reach a general conclusion about possible interpretations of the text, supported by concrete evidence.

Social entrepreneurship pertains to establishing enterprises with the primary purpose of finding a solution to a social problem or creating social value by reaching out to underserved sections of society. This course introduces students to the concept, theories, and real cases of social enterprises. Through real-world examples and case study analysis, students will learn how such enterprises are organized, what their challenges are, and how exactly they try to solve social problems.

This course will be conducted with a combination of lectures and case discussions. Students are required to purchase and read the assigned cases before the course begins. Links to case studies will be given in class.

This course is designed for students learning Japanese for the first time. The course aims to enhance basic listening and speaking skills as well as communicate with basic vocabulary and sentence structure. The course design is based on sentence structures and grammatical patterns learned in the class “Essential Japanese 1M-1 & 1M-2." It is recommended to take “Essential Japanese 1M-1 & 1M-2” together with this course.

This is a special studies course with projects arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific topics of study vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. The number of units varies with the student's project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student's special study project form.

This course introduces the politics and international relations in Korea, including some of the major developments in Korea’s contemporary history. It covers the complicated ways in which domestic politics, national division, and international relations intersect with each other. The course also provides opportunities to critically discuss contemporary political issues so that students may identify major political forces affecting them and their implications for Korea and their neighbors. The course aims to equip students with political knowledge and intellectual tools with which they can better understand the politics and international relations in Korea and Northeast Asia in the past and the future. 

Designed for upper beginners to improve oral communication skills, the course enables students to converse about familiar topics using upper basic Japanese grammar and vocabulary. 

The course covers: introducing oneself and family; sharing hobbies and favorite things; introducing favorite shops and restaurants; discussing travel preparations; explaining one’s current university life; discussing childhood experiences; expressing worries; giving advice based one experiences, and conveying one’s hopes and intentions.  

An exploratory culture course for foreign students, Japanese Culture C offers insights into various aspects of the living culture of Japan. The course comprises of three basic approaches: Discussing certain cultural characteristics of the nation; reading some representative literature and conducting fieldwork at venues of cultural significance. Students can also enroll in Japanese Culture C; the course contents of both classes alternate between fall and spring semesters. Fall-only students can enroll in one class but may join fieldwork activities of the other class if there are openings available. 

This course examines the interconnection between the history and culture of the Tohoku Region, including the rebuilding efforts from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It also addresses the variety of ways people have expressed themselves at different periods of history. 

This course reviews the history of Western international society and its global expansion, placing the development of the League of Nations and the United Nations (UN) in this historical context. The course particularly focuses on the role of Japan in any international organization.  

The course introduces students to the theory and history of international organizations, seeking to understand the following four subjects: (1) International Society, Rationalism or the English School as the third paradigm of International Relations in contrast to Realism and Liberalism; (2) the historic developments of Western international society and international organization; (3) the political dynamism behind the creation of the League of Nations and the United Nations (UN), and (4) the historic significance of a global liberal order.