Keio University

This course examines the “pre-modern period” of Japan from its origins in the Jomon Period through to the end of the 16th century. It focuses on the emergence of the imperial state, court rulership, and the rise of the warrior class. Though dominated by the rulership, religions, and lifestyles of courtiers and warriors, this course also explores the cultural context within which elites, commoners, and those in between lived and prospered. The approach is thus primarily socio-cultural, aiming to enhance the student’ understanding not only of the Japan of the past, but also of the present. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the most important aspects of the classical Heian age, the dual (or tripartite) polity of Kamakura, the warrior rule of the Muromachi era, and the subsequent era of civil warfare.

This course is designed to deepen students' understanding of the history of economics after the Marginal Revolution. The purpose of these lectures is to encourage participants to look at the development of economics from the viewpoint of history and theory, in order to understand modern economics from a different perspective. This course covers the Marginal Revolution and the historical development of microeconomics. Students are required to have basic knowledge of micro- as well as macroeconomics. Some mathematical reformulations are introduced in the lectures, but they are elementary and can be understood easily. Evaluations will be based on midterm and final papers.

This course discusses the origins and structure of contemporary society based on the method of social history, comprehensively examining the dynamics of society, considering not only its economy, but also its politics, culture, and other various aspects. The course addresses education, media, cities, families, social movements, etc.

This course aims to trace certain aspects of postwar Japan, particularly the planning and reconstruction of cities damaged during the Second World War, taking comparisons with Great Britain into account.

This course focuses on global trade system/rules (namely WTO Agreements and Free Trade Agreements) and Japanese trade policies and laws under those rules. It will provide basic knowledge on concepts and terms related to global trade system/rules, together with tools for legal analysis of trade laws and policies of respective countries.
 

The class sessions begin with lectures on basic trade system/rules/policies followed by case studies. Relevant cases are distributed in advance and active participation in the case-related presentations, debates, or other forms of group work, depending on the number of students, is necessary. Case studies are based on actual cases and can be complex.

The objective of this course is to understand how the roots of Otaku cultural activities in Japan have expanded internationally as one of Simulacra with creators and activists of the fields.  This course shares the history of “Otaku Culture” and its technology in Japan from three perspectives: 1) Potential of expression; 2) Application of digital content technologies, and 3) Breakthrough of “Otaku Culture” influenced by Trans-nationalization and Internationalization.  The course instructs on the creation process of media contents, games, and expressions for the next generation, especially learning and understanding technologies and methods on becoming “Otaku Culture creator and producers.”

This course deals with masterpieces of Japanese visual art from ancient times to the contemporary period. It aims to explain their meaning, expression, material, and technique, guiding students to obtain basic knowledge and skill to appreciate and understand essential works of Japanese art.

This course introduces students to the fundamental theory and practice of the social, political, legal, and ethical implications of computer technologies in Japan and abroad. Through in-class activities, group assignments, and reflection work, students will gain a basic understanding of essential concepts, modern and historical cases, and guidelines for best practice. Key concepts include AI bias; privacy in the social media era; personal data and digital behavior tracking; vectors of misinformation; stereotypes in design, digital inclusion, and more. The main objective is to inform and encourage critical thinking in students who will be playing key roles in deciding, creating, marketing, governing, and disseminating computer technologies in Japan.

Typically, the first class each week will introduce a new topic, with interactive activities (e.g., hands-on demos, brainstorming, quick activities), individual reflection, and group discussion. Students will be given a homework assignment to be completed before the second class that week. That second class will start with a discussion of the homework and introduce the next topic for that week. Students will be expected to complete readings from the text and/or other sources before the next week of classes. Attendance is taken randomly in every class.

The aim of the course is to learn and discuss 1) Basic concepts of communication/intercultural communication, and 2) Basic/universal emotions and different emotions between cultures. More specifically, the course examines (a) how openly certain emotions tend to be expressed; (b) how often certain emotions tend to be controlled, and (c) how differently certain emotions tend to be perceived in particular cultures. The course also addresses how different emotions between cultures could be related to different perceptions of “self” and cognitive styles such as thought patterns.

The purpose of this course is to provide adequate perspectives and concepts for the exploration of the dynamic implications of the interactions between the economy and the environment. The aim is to enable students to understand clearly how the many actions and forces embedded in the economy-environment system interact with each other to give rise to actual and potential conflicts between economic growth and environmental sustainability, the resulting environmental external costs arising from environment-economy interactions, and their implications for planning and administering a delicate balancing act between economic and environmental sustainability. The course also seeks to enhance students’ mastery of coordinate and practical knowledge of sustainability management by tying learning and knowledge from different domains to environmental economic issues in real-life situations. This is intended to develop students’ critical thinking and cross-disciplinary analytical skills in problem-solving which is key to academic and career advancement.
 

The course then discusses the structure of environmental value; the relationship between value orientation or value-belief norm theory in environmental choices and economic preferences; the economic and environmental assumptions governing the costs and benefits of growth and environmental sustainability; the properties of natural capital, and their implications for environmental and resource conservation, among other subjects of interest.

This course introduces and explores gender and sexuality studies, mainly from a sociological perspective, by examining various issues in recent Japanese society.

In Japan today, we frequently hear terms such as the “gender gap” and “LGBTQ”, some of which may be regarded as “current must-know terms” for university examinations or employment examinations. However, not many people recognize that gender is essentially a matter of power-knowledge. Gender, as power-knowledge, acts as a structural background that goes beyond the good or bad intentions of individuals. This course aims to examine how gender as power-knowledge makes various things unremarkable and socially “natural” (e.g., stay-at-home moms, heterosexual couples) but other things more distinctive (e.g., stay-at-home dads, gay couples).

Based on traditional discussions of power relations between men and women, this course outlines recent discussions focusing on complex relations among women and among men that do not always fit into the monolithic scheme of “male domination of women.” During the first half of the semester (lectures 1–6), the course covers basic ideas and concepts in gender and sexuality studies; in the second half (lectures 7–14), the course examines social issues, mainly in recent Japanese society.

*Topics regarding violence (including rape and hate crimes) will be discussed in multiple sessions of this course. Carefully consider your enrollment in this course if these topics make you uncomfortable; alternative assignments can be provided for these sessions.