Japan

This course provides an opportunity to observe and analyze people’s conduct and/or language usage in contemporary Japanese society. As one approach to examining these issues, the course introduces the basics of qualitative research methods, allowing students to see the world more critically and deeply. Using these methods, students will be expected to design and conduct a group research project, investigating socio-cultural aspects of Japanese everyday life. 

<Level V>
Target Students: Those who have partially completed intermediate level studies.
Course Goals: To develop understanding and command of the 200 important intermediate sentence patterns for further improvement of the four skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. To master the 6,000 basic words and 1,000 to 1,200 basic Chinese characters.

<Written Expression A>
Goal: To be able to write well-formed passages of approximately 800 words in length.
Contents: Writing letters and simple essays on topics familiar to students.

In the face of a challenging business environment where change is the only constant, it is imperative to understand the intricate interplay of forces and factors that shape the business landscape to remain competitive.

This course seeks to provide a comprehensive view and understanding of the world of Marketing. Marketing is beyond the basics of 4Ps. While this course basically is about Marketing, students will not be learning Marketing à la textbook. Rather, different contemporary issues will be introduced and examined each week. The relevance and implications of the issues for all aspects of business, mainly Marketing will be discussed.
 

Students will develop an understanding of the different macro factors that affect decision-making and strategies through extensive readings, case studies and class discussions, as well as develop the ability to think strategically in analyzing and formulating solutions.

This course introduces the sounds, grammar, vocabulary, genetic affiliation, and types of Japanese language, terms and concepts often used in Japanese linguistics.  It covers the basic information on Japanese language needed for students interested in teaching it as a second/foreign language or a native language. Japanese is also contrasted with other languages such as Korean, Chinese and English.

This course is for students with at least one year of prior study of Japanese. The goal of this course is for students to acquire well-balanced basic proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and to develop an understanding and command of basic grammar and its usage. Students practice listening comprehension and pronunciation using videotapes and CDs. They learn conversational expressions and phrases necessary in daily life, fundamentals of written expression, and how to read and write short passages on topics familiar to them using previously learned sentence patterns and vocabulary. By the end of term, students master 1500 basic words and 300 basic kanji. 

The last two centuries of Japan are the age of war and peace. As the development of the modern world has been crucially shaped through international relations, the analysis of international history is vital to understand modern Japan. Ranging from the Opium War to WWII to the “War Against Terrorism,” lectures and discussions cover the various issues of major wars and their consequences. Primary documents (English version) will be assigned for discussion sessions.

This course introduces the theory of financial economics. The major topics of modern finance will be covered in a rigorous way but with no claim to generality. The course assumes standard knowledge of microeconomics, calculus, and probability theory. 

The first part of the course (Weeks 1-2) is a refresher on the basic economic concepts used throughout the course, such as expected utility, choice under uncertainty, or competitive equilibrium. The second part (Weeks 3-6) covers standard portfolio-choice problems and equilibrium asset-pricing models such as the mean-variance model, CARA-normal model and the CAPM. The third part (Week 7) studies a basic market microstructure model with asymmetric information (Glosten-Milgrom model).

Economics can make two possible contributions to our lives. First, it may help us better understand how the economy works, or how its inhabitants --- or “economic agents” --- behave. Second, more importantly from a practical point of view, it may help us find how to influence our economy by means of economic policy, to improve its functioning and thereby our economic welfare as well.

This course is aimed at grasping the link between the first and the second by examining some of the examples of “economic theory used in practice.” The course teaches what kind of economic policies are being implemented for what purposes, and the theoretical basis by which such policies may be justified. The course examines the usefulness of economics, but we will also see its limitations. Knowing the latter is important, because many policies are often advocated without fully disclosing (or even worse, by proponents who cannot, or refuse to, see) their weaknesses or possible side effects.
 

The first part of this course (Week 1-7) covers a broad range of economics, both macro and micro, to give the students an overview of different economic theories and policies. The second part (Week 8-14) builds on the first part of the course and looks at the theory and practice of international economics, including trade policy, how economies relate to one another, and the latest issues in globalization.

This course gives an introduction to data-driven research in political science and sociology. The examples will include data from Twitter, Amazon, Wikipedia, Facebook and parliamentary records. Data from many countries including Japan, Ukraine, and Nigeria, as well as international institutions and websites, will be discussed. The analytical techniques include text analysis (sentiment analysis and topic modeling), network analysis, descriptive statistics and visualization, and statistical techniques such as regression analysis.

The diaspora of Chinese migrants is evident in the “Chinatowns” in major cities throughout the worldwide.  Their success have led others to describe Chinese migrants as “cosmopolitan” or “global citizens.” However, it is also true that Chinese migrants are an ethnic group that has involved in international politics and the volatility of national regimes. This course looks at Chinese migrants through different case studies and analyzes their narratives from political, economic, legal, and cultural angles to understand their relationship with global issues. Comparative studies with other diasporas are recommended.