International Christian University

This course studies the history of the United Nations and other international organizations, their organizational structures and activities, and the solutions of various international problems through the framework of international organizations. 

The course looks at not only the fundamental elements of the UN and other international organizations but also current issues such as: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Conflict in Gaza and the situation in Afghanistan, Nuclear development of North Korea, Nuclear Disarmament, UN Peace-keeping Operations, Sustainable development, Human rights, and UN reform.   

This course introduces the framework of international law (IL), focusing on its basic history, philosophy, structure, and major principles. Previous study of law would be helpful; however, it is not required. 

The course also addresses topics such as the sources of international law; the law of treaties, and international law pertaining to personality, statehood and recognition; jurisdiction and sovereignty; nationality; statelessness, and international refugees. It also explores international law with regards to war and security; weapons (nuclear, biological, chemical), and infectious diseases. 

Is Japan a racially and ethnically homogenous nation? Why is it that only a certain kind of "hafu" (multiracial) are on TV programs and ads? Why has Japan been ranked around the 120s in the Global Gender Equality Index, year after year? How could a prime minister claim that the “society would change, regrettably” (“shakai ga kawatteshimau”) with legal recognition of same-sex marriage in 21st-century Japan? Why are many female high school students in Japan wearing short skirts in the middle of winter, even in freezing temperatures? What is "karoshi" and why does it happen? Japan, the only country bombed by an atomic bomb in the world, has not yet joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons yet - why is this? Is Japan a part of the West or Asia? 

Sociology helps one understand the underlying factors of these questions. This course introduces you to the major aspects of contemporary Japanese society. The course investigates: race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; education; work and the economy, and politics and nationalism. Through these sociological themes, one should be able to comprehend concrete social issues associated, such as: hate speech and racial discrimination; sexual violence and discrimination; gender tracking and class division in education; visible and invisible foreign workers; and the increasing militarization of society.

This course provides an overview pre-modern Chinese history up to the Opium War. Lectures will cover such topics as the Golden Age of Chinese Classics; the Han Unification; the arrival of Buddhism; the new empires under the Tang and Sung dynasties; the takeover by the Mongols; the rise and decline of the Ming dynasty, and the eastern encounter with the West.

 

This course provides a general introduction to medical anthropology. It first focuses on how humans have biologically adapted to diseases in their environment; then it examines the multiple ways in which medicine, illness, healing, and mental illness are conceived in different societies. The purpose of the course is to demonstrate the diversity of medical practices to understand the socio-cultural aspect of medicine in general.