Keio University

This course considers and seeks to understand contemporary Japanese media culture and urban culture mainly from the perspective of sociology and media theory. Specifically, it examines various cultural texts and phenomena along the themes of "time," "space," and "media." The course aims to enable students to develop the basic ability to examine modern culture.

This course explores the origins of cinema in Japan and its development up to the present day. It investigates cultural influences that shaped approaches to filmmaking as well as narrative conventions and genres. The course also investigates how Japanese films have shaped foreign views of Japan and Japanese culture. Particular attention will be paid to issues and problems of film study in relation to cinema from Japan, including the construction of the “Japaneseness” of Japanese films.

This course is designed for students at the advanced levels to acquire comprehensive Japanese language proficiency. The purpose of the course is to increase student knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and kanji and to improve their reading and writing ability through close-reading of textbooks. In addition, students will develop speech techniques necessary to participate in discussions and to explain content that they have understood.

This course provides an opportunity to observe and analyze people’s conduct and/or language usage in contemporary Japanese society. As one approach to examining these issues, the course introduces the basics of qualitative research methods, allowing students to see the world more critically and deeply. Using these methods, students will be expected to design and conduct a group research project, investigating socio-cultural aspects of Japanese everyday life. 

In the face of a challenging business environment where change is the only constant, it is imperative to understand the intricate interplay of forces and factors that shape the business landscape to remain competitive.

This course seeks to provide a comprehensive view and understanding of the world of Marketing. Marketing is beyond the basics of 4Ps. While this course basically is about Marketing, students will not be learning Marketing à la textbook. Rather, different contemporary issues will be introduced and examined each week. The relevance and implications of the issues for all aspects of business, mainly Marketing will be discussed.
 

Students will develop an understanding of the different macro factors that affect decision-making and strategies through extensive readings, case studies and class discussions, as well as develop the ability to think strategically in analyzing and formulating solutions.

This course introduces the theory of financial economics. The major topics of modern finance will be covered in a rigorous way but with no claim to generality. The course assumes standard knowledge of microeconomics, calculus, and probability theory. 

The first part of the course (Weeks 1-2) is a refresher on the basic economic concepts used throughout the course, such as expected utility, choice under uncertainty, or competitive equilibrium. The second part (Weeks 3-6) covers standard portfolio-choice problems and equilibrium asset-pricing models such as the mean-variance model, CARA-normal model and the CAPM. The third part (Week 7) studies a basic market microstructure model with asymmetric information (Glosten-Milgrom model).

Economics can make two possible contributions to our lives. First, it may help us better understand how the economy works, or how its inhabitants --- or “economic agents” --- behave. Second, more importantly from a practical point of view, it may help us find how to influence our economy by means of economic policy, to improve its functioning and thereby our economic welfare as well.

This course is aimed at grasping the link between the first and the second by examining some of the examples of “economic theory used in practice.” The course teaches what kind of economic policies are being implemented for what purposes, and the theoretical basis by which such policies may be justified. The course examines the usefulness of economics, but we will also see its limitations. Knowing the latter is important, because many policies are often advocated without fully disclosing (or even worse, by proponents who cannot, or refuse to, see) their weaknesses or possible side effects.
 

The first part of this course (Week 1-7) covers a broad range of economics, both macro and micro, to give the students an overview of different economic theories and policies. The second part (Week 8-14) builds on the first part of the course and looks at the theory and practice of international economics, including trade policy, how economies relate to one another, and the latest issues in globalization.

This course analyzes the international security environment in Japan, including its new national security and defense policy as well as its challenges. The course is a combination of lectures and class discussion – the instructor provides lectures based on their extensive experience working for the Japanese government in the planning and implementation of national security and defense policy, particularly in the fields of legislation, policy framework, Japan-US Alliance, and international security cooperation. Students are required to prepare for each class session by reading the relevant part of the White Paper in advance.

This is a multidisciplinary course on the economic, political, and social aspects of Asia-Japan relations. It covers both theoretical and practical aspects, such as economic policies; Japan's corporate strategies, and financial markets.
 

Each session is composed of two parts. The first part is based on the latest text written by Japanese scholars. The second part addresses related topics based on comprehensive texts written by Asian and Western scholars. Students are expected to write short comments after each class.  The course will feature Asian policy makers and academics as occasional guest speakers.

This course is designed for students learning Japanese for the first time. The course focuses on the acquisition of grammar and sentence patterns based on the textbook Elementary Japanese for Academic Purposes Vol.1 (Lesson 1 to 6). Students must understand hiragana before taking this course.