Hitotsubashi University

This course reflects on the impact of the environment on the economy, particulary the economic impacts of natural disasters in Japan. The course also discusses how Japanese society has mitigated and prepared against the effects of natural disasters since the mid-19th century.  

This course covers the basic theories of behavioral economics and discusses papers published in major journals in recent years in a group-reading style. Utilizing behavioral economics, it analyzes recent trends in development econmics research.

Course prerequisites: Advanced undergraduate or graduate-level microeconomics and econometrics.

This course explores the challenges and dilemmas of globalization, especially with regard to global human mobility; cultural flows and transformation; multiculturalism; ethnic communities; identities; citizenship, social divisions and inequality. While taking a global, comparative approach, this course places special emphasis on Japan and other industrial countries. Through lectures, discussions, and other class activities, the class collectively examines and evaluate key concepts and theories to deepen one's understanding of issues related to transnational sociology. 

This class is designed for students with advanced Japanese proficiency to identify the author's perspective based on the tone of academic texts in Economics. The course provides opportunities for students to develop academic writing and oral communication skills for logically constructing academic arguments. Participants select their own research topic; present seminar-style; prepare summaries and presentation slides, and deliver mini-presentations. 

This course examines the relationship between the Enlightenment and the crisis of the Old Regime in 18th century France. During the decades from the mid-eighteenth century to the French Revolution, the Enlightenment reached its peak, and social, political and cultural changes became evident.  The course deals with not only the writings of several major philosophers but also their life and activities in order to understand the social and political problems with which they were faced at the time.  

The course teaches the implementation of basic data management and statistical/econometric analysis methods using Stata. 

Course Prerequisite: Completion of Introductory Econometrics or a more advanced course in econometrics.

This course is designed for students with advanced Japanese fluency to learn Japanese terms used in economics. The class discusses materials selected from books, magazines, and newspapers to expand one's vocabulary in the field of economics and gain a broad knowledge of current events related to the Japanese economy. 

This course equips students with a deep understanding of the key factors that contribute to success when working in Japan-related global organizations. It explores how foreign employees can build trust; influence decision-making, and achieve long-term career goals. By analyzing working styles through established frameworks, the class gains insights into the complexities of Japanese business culture and its evolving landscape. Course goals include developing a deep understanding of Japanese workplace culture; decision-making and communication styles in global organizations; and building effective communication, leadership, and negotiation skills tailored for Japan-related global workplaces.

This course analyzes how whales and the practice of whaling is portrayed across a variety of film and print sources by Japanese and foreign directors and authors.  In Japan, whale meat is still available in restaurants and supermarkets, and while national whale consumption is falling, the majority of the Japanese public supports the country's whaling industry. In contrast, the idea of hunting whales or consuming them is anathema to much of the western world, where whales have in recent decades become a symbol of the environmental movement. The techniques and ideas utilized in the course aims to help students form educated opinions about whaling issues, and serve as for examining other controversial issues in the future.

This course explores social issues related to diversity in Japan, with a particular focus on racial and ethnic minority groups. The course examines how these groups’ identities have been socially constructed within Japan’s broader identity formation process and how their social circumstances and public discourse have evolved over time. The course emphasizes critical self-reflection of one's own identities and perspectives -how the social contexts and discourses are embedded in one's life and how these factors have shaped their identities and perspectives.