Meiji Gakuin University

This course examines Japanese culture, language, and way of thinking through current Japanese pop culture (movies, manga, and music) to gain a deeper understanding of “Modern Japan.”  Each class will divide international students and local students in pairs so they can discuss topics in Japanese and English effectively.

Prerequisite: International students must have completed at least one semester of college-level Japanese to enroll in this course. Japanese students should be able to express themselves in clear Japanese or English, ideally those interested in Japanese language teaching.

This course must be taken simultaneously with LABOR ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY A. This course explores how labor markets work and analyzes a wide range of labor issues within Japanese and US economies. Each class begins with the theoretical background of labor economics, then students analyze a related research article to understand how and whether the standard, neo-classical model is applied to real economic life.

Social entrepreneurship pertains to establishing enterprises with the primary purpose of finding a solution to a social problem or creating social value by reaching out to underserved sections of society. This course introduces students to the concept, theories, and real cases of social enterprises. Through real-world examples and case study analysis, students will learn how such enterprises are organized, what their challenges are, and how exactly they try to solve social problems.

This course will be conducted with a combination of lectures and case discussions. Students are required to purchase and read the assigned cases before the course begins. Links to case studies will be given in class.

This is a special studies course with projects arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific topics of study vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. The number of units varies with the student's project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student's special study project form.

This course introduces Japan’s global political and security role, starting with pre-1945 and Cold War era legacies and then the Post-Cold-War era. It examines Japan’s shift from security isolationism during the Cold War to security engagement; its championing of regional multilateralism in East Asia; its emergence as a global power in development aid, and its contributions to UN peacekeeping and non-traditional security in areas such as humanitarian and disaster relief (HaDR), counter-piracy, maritime security, and counter-pandemic measures. This course focuses on Japan’s relationships with the US, China, Korea, ASEAN, and Europe, and considers how Japan’s foreign policy institutions, including those making security and development aid policy, have changed during the Abe administration. The course concludes with a summary looking at Japan’s trajectory as a middle power.

Demons, ghosts, and monsters have populated the cultural landscape in Japan for centuries. Appearing in anime, manga, games, and movies, mysterious creatures continue to form the core of contemporary popular culture, sparking a global obsession with Japanese monsters. This course explores the cultural history of the strange and supernatural in Japanese literary, visual, and performing arts. Engaging with primary and critical sources from the eighth century to the present, it considers the social roles that representations of “the weird” have played in Japan.

This course is designed for beginners of Japanese or those who have only studied Japanese for a very short time. Students learn basic expressions to interact in Japanese to carry out conversations about familiar everyday topics. The course covers language revolving around greetings, introductions, family members, food, home, daily routines, making appointments, hobbies, holidays, shopping, and asking for directions.

The course is designed for students to improve their reading and writing skills focusing on variety of patterns of simple and compound sentences applying basic writing skills. The goal is to improve clarity and cohesion in sentence writing.

This advanced level course instructs logical dialogue and conversation about abstract topics through reading, listening, writing, and viewing materials that deal with social themes. The course aims to improve Japanese expression, information analysis, and logical thinking skills through presentations, discussions, and writing. 

Sumi-e is the Japanese traditional art of ink painting.  The art of Sumi-e captures the essence of the subject and expresses emotions on a sheet of paper. Although the subject is the same, emotions are not; thus, everyone can paint the same subject but none of the paintings would look the same.  Students are expected to paint subjects according to a theme given in each class. As a final project, students will choose their subject and showcase their art in a weeklong class exhibition at the end of the semester. The course aims to instruct various ways of expressing different points of view through Sumi-e.