Japan

This course provides an intermediate level of game theory. Game theory considers rational decision-making in interactive situations. This course defines what these interactive situations are, and the rationality under these situations. In particular, the class uses a new approach to analyze experimental data of people’s decisions in economic/interactive environments. This new approach quantitates the degree of people’s rationality while the standard game theory and economic theory assume ‘super-rational decision-makers.’

This course introduces perspectives on language. It starts with very fundamental questions and assumptions about the nature of language itself and proceed by analyzing basic linguistic structures of the languages course participants know. The course aims to discover that the comparison of languages leads us to linguistic categories some consider universal (same categories in all languages no matter how different they appear to be on the surface), asking the questions: If all languages are more or less alike than why is it so hard to learn a foreign language?  This course considers perspectives from the fields of psychology or anthropology gives us clues, thereby looking at some of the findings the science of language owes to other sciences.

Media affects how we perceive the world and people. With media becoming so prevalent and powerful in our society, and with student access to computers and the Internet expanding so fast in homes and schools, "media literacy" is becoming the basic form of literacy to provide lifelong empowerment to both the student and the citizen. This course provides students with the opportunity to learn a variety of analytical approaches they can use to understand and interpret media, including traditional media (e.g., TV, radio, print, billboard, etc.) and social media (e.g.,video sharing platforms), in the context of education. Your products may be shared to a certain audience for feedback. Participation in class such as asserting your ideas and presenting in English in front of the class is mandatory.

The kimono is one of the symbols of Japanese tradition and culture, and various traditional cultures are protected through the kimono.　
　
This course first looks at the history of the kimono, a traditional Japanese costume. The sensibility of admiring the four seasons was born from the dyeing and weaving materials that are produced all over the country due to the climate of Japan. Next, through the practice of wearing the yukata and kimono, the course instructs on the meaning of their structure and the way they are worn, as well as the significance of unique colors and patterns of Japan. The course teaches Kyoto culture by visiting Kyoto Yuzen and Nishijin textile workshops and experiencing Kyoto customs. Ultimately, the course aims to provide a learning experience of the movement and aesthetic sense of the Japanese through the kimono that Japan is proud of.　

This course is for students who are participating in the "Japanese as a Foreign Language Program." It teaches reading, writing, and usage of vocabulary and kanji in the first half of intermediate-level Japanese.  Prerequisite: “J3:JAPANESE” or equivalent.

The course provides lectures on reading, writing, and usage of vocabulary and kanji. Students are expected to participate in research and give individual or group presentations to increase their knowledge of kanji vocabulary and to promote their learning. There will be weekly check assignments on vocabulary and kanji.

Oscillatory motions and waves are prevalent in natural phenomena. They appear in many physical systems of various materials and scales. The first half of this course explores the properties of simple harmonic motion and a wave equation that describes waves on a string and sound waves. The second half of the course applies Newtonian mechanics to a system of many particles. The course begins an investigation from a rigid body and then relax this condition slightly. Finally, the course studies a system of particles with many degrees of freedom, namely fluid. 

By the end of the course, students are expected to gain familiarity with and understand oscillation phenomena, which include the simple motion of a pendulum and the propagation of waves and their basic properties. Also, students will have acquired knowledge of the basic properties of wave equations and their solutions. The mechanism behind the standing waves, sound waves, beats, the Doppler effect, and shock waves should become clear. Students are also expected to be able to solve the mechanics of static equilibrium for various configurations, including that in fluid with buoyancy. Young's modulus and bulk modulus as a determining factor of wave speed in medium should be clear. Familiarity with a general form of the hydrodynamical equation of motion from which hydrostatic and Bernoulli's equations are obtained under special conditions is also expected.

This course introduces key concepts affecting national education systems in the contemporary era of globalization. Since modern education systems were built by independent nation-states in the 19th and 20th centuries, the institutions that were created have come under severe strain by economic, social, technological, and demographic forces unleashed by 21st-century globalization. Governments everywhere are under pressure to prepare students for this new era.  Students will be required to conduct their own research into aspects of globalization as they affect education in two or more nation-states. Each week, students will discuss a text about the topic of the week. One student will lead the discussion with a presentation, and then further materials and ideas will be presented to the students to challenge them to think as deeply as possible about the issues raised.

This semester-long course introduces the Zen culture of Kyoto to Japanese and foreign students of Doshisha University.  It especially focuses on the main teachings, philosophical values, aesthetics, practices, and applications for daily life. By doing specific activities, writing assignments and oral presentations, students increase their knowledge and the meaning of what they have learned from their interactions and shared experiences.  The course compares between the different branches of Japanese Zen, and the Zen manifestations in other countries to strengthen final debates and discussions as well as to aid in the formation of group research projects for final evaluation.

Focusing on the function words of the former Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level 1, this course explains the functional expressions that advanced learners should acquire. The title of the course is "Introduction to Grammar," but explaining Japanese grammar to Japanese learners is not conducive for practical use. "Sentence pattern" likely refers to one pattern, so that one can remember the whole sentence pattern. In the weekly course, it is not possible to practice using the expressions that have been learned, so this course points out the mistakes that learners tend to make when using the expressions and teaches them how to use similar expressions. In the spring semester, functional words will be introduced and explained according to pattern.

This course focuses on various aspects of disaster science and their practical application for disaster mitigation and risk reduction. The course discusses the basics of disaster history; hazard generation and mechanisms and their impact; related emergency response; medical needs, and post-disaster reconstruction.