Japan

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 objective of this course is to understand how the roots of Otaku cultural activities in Japan have expanded internationally as one of Simulacra with creators and activists of the fields.  This course shares the history of “Otaku Culture” and its technology in Japan from three perspectives: 1) Potential of expression; 2) Application of digital content technologies, and 3) Breakthrough of “Otaku Culture” influenced by Trans-nationalization and Internationalization.  The course instructs on the creation process of media contents, games, and expressions for the next generation, especially learning and understanding technologies and methods on becoming “Otaku Culture creator and producers.”

This course provides an avenue for Japanese and international students to exchange opinions and cooperate on projects to gain an understanding of modern Japanese history and culture from a variety of perspectives. The class also aims to provide students with an understanding of the differences in historical and cultural backgrounds that create various values/worldviews and diverse intercultural communication skills.

The course begins with an overview of Japanese cultural and intellectual history from the 19th century onward. After initial lectures on cultural research methodology, students will conduct presentations, introducing historical events that occurred in modern Japan during the era to which they are assigned. There will also be lectures on the contents of presentations. 

Eligibility: This class will be conducted in Japanese. B2 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N1 in the JLPT).

This course provides an overview of the development of the Japanese economy from the end of World War II to the present. Compared with other courses on Japanese economic history, this course emphasizes the application of basic economic theory to review the postwar history of the Japanese economy and then discusses current issues for the Japanese economy.

Target Students: Those who have partially completed elementary level studies.

Course Goals: To master the grammatical expressions learnt at the elementary level, as well as to develop understanding and command of upper elementary and intermediate level grammar and to improve the four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. To master the 2,000 basic words and 500 basic Chinese characters.

Contents: Mastering the elementary level grammar and developing understanding and command of grammar using an upper elementary level textbook, followed by introduction of basic sentence patterns of the intermediate level using an intermediate level textbook. Improving the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through various class activities designed for developing each skill. Mastering the 2,000 basic words and 500 basic Chinese characters.

This course offers a comparative, transnational study of the dramatic social, scientific, political, and cultural transformations that occurred in the two decades or so following World War II. By focusing on Japan's global moment in the 1960s, it includes some of the following topics: the Cold War and the Space Race, the reshaping of the Middle-East, the Cultural Revolution in China, decolonization in Africa, dictatorship and Liberation Theology in Latin America, the global civil rights movement, the New Right, the environmental movement, consumerism, counter-culture and the student protest movements that took place around the world.
 

This course examines multiple contexts of the Global Sixties in the collective efforts to map out the simultaneity of revolutionary transformation and conflict, while developing a methodological approach for researching and interpreting change from a variety of national/local perspectives. It particularly focuses on the travels of individuals who saw themselves as part of an international community of antiwar activists and antiracism causes.

This class also examines how actual interactions among people from Japan and other Third World countries inspired transnational identities and multiracial coalitions, challenging the political commitments and personal relationships of individual activists.

Target Students: Those who have partially completed elementary level studies.

Course Goals: To master the grammatical expressions learnt at the elementary level, as well as to develop understanding and command of upper elementary and intermediate level grammar and to improve the four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. To master the 2,000 basic words and 500 basic Chinese characters.

Contents: Mastering the elementary level grammar and developing understanding and command of grammar using an upper elementary level textbook, followed by introduction of basic sentence patterns of the intermediate level using an intermediate level textbook. Improving the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through various class activities designed for developing each skill. Mastering the 2,000 basic words and 500 basic Chinese characters.

This course covers the economics of financial institutions and markets as well as the role of central banks. It begins with an overview of the financial system and introduction to money and its role in the economy. The course then focuses on: (i) the behavior of interest rates; (ii) basic theories for stock prices; (iii) banks and bank management; (iv) the money supply process, and (v) the conduct of monetary policy.

This course is for students with at least one year of prior study of Japanese. The goal is to provide 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 aim of this course is to discuss education in the world to establish a deeper understanding of how one’s identity and their understanding regarding differences and similarities between students from different backgrounds developed.

The course aims to:
1. Deepen understanding of various issues related to “International Understanding”
2. Provide skills to express views of education cooperatively in group presentation
3. Provide capability to provide meaningful feedback to other groups
4. Foster understanding of others and ways to cooperate with others
5. Encourage discussion on the deeper meaning of International Education.