Keio University

This course explores how to balance contemporary ecological and social imperatives with the economic and aesthetic functions of cities, particularly in an unpredictable future. While there is no simple answer to this question, the course engages with various theories, technologies, and practices in urbanism and architecture to critically examine it. By reflecting on the historical development of architecture, infrastructure, and urban design, the course provides a contextual framework for analyzing the city as a complex system.  

Throughout the course, various practitioners and theorists from different design fields will be invited to discuss projects and case studies from Japan and around the world. Key topics include spatial design, urban design, design utilizing digital technology, sustainable design, landscape design, and craftsmanship.  

This course addresses the question, "What can we/I do to create a better world?" from the perspective of Goals 10 to 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This course analyzes various data, experiences, and information to gain a global perspective; acknowledges the current situation, and considers how to address complex issues as well as solutions and actions one can take. 

This course explores the rich and multifaceted concept of “education,” which operates on a different plane than concrete acts such as “telling-listening” or “showing-seeing.” Drawing on the intellectual legacies of scholars such as R.S. Peters, I. Scheffler, and Minoru Murai, the course adds and develops their foundational insights.

This course addresses the question, "What can we/I do to create a better world?" from the perspective of Goal 1 to 9 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).  This course analyzes various data, experiences, and information to gain a global perspective; acknowledges the current situation, and considers how to address complex issues as well as solutions and actions one can take. 

This course examines the intersection of involuntary labor, transnational migration, and sexual exchange, broadly categorized under “human trafficking.” While this issue has gained urgency with the adoption of the United Nations’ Palermo Protocol (2000), historical inquiries reveal that commercial sexual labor has existed in various forms and under different guises throughout history. This course situates contemporary human trafficking within a continuum with historically similar practices, some of which were considered “indigenous” to Asia. This course looks at traditional forms of servitude and sexual exchange in east and southeast Asia, as well as the contemporary transnational migration of women for the sex industry. It engages with historiographic and ethnographic accounts on slavery, dependency, and other forms of servitude in Asia as a necessary background to the examination of modern practices of using women for sexual services.  

The course delves into the social and economic conditions that have historically facilitated the growth of the sex industry, including colonial establishments, and military mobilization, and the so-called “white slave” trade that spurred abolitionist movements by feminist and religious groups in the early 20th century. For contemporary cases, it examines practices that have been associated with human trafficking, such as prostitution and international brokered marriages. The course investigates the possibility of agency among exploited women, potentially challenging the predominant victimhood narrative. It concludes with a discussion on the social norms surrounding payment for intimate relations. 

This course explores the close relationship between language and culture from the perspective of psychology. It assumes that language is not simply a mental code - it is embodied and is closely related to cultural meanings. The course addresses the psychological power of language and culture learning--how it can be frustrating but also life changing.

This course continues the exploration of various moral theories, emphasizing approaches which are not part of standard introductions. 

After discussing contemporary utilitarianism, the course looks at ethical egoism and its standing in empirical research on, e.g., human evolution. Subsequently, the course discusses David Ross's idea of prima facie duties within ethical pluralism and Tom Scanlon's contractualism in which he expands John Rawls’ approach to morality as such. The course concludes with moral particularism and its denial that there are general moral principles. 

This course provides students with an integrated understanding of the dynamics of environment-economy interactions, including the depth of dynamic and nonlinear behavior of the environmental and economic systems as they interact and change over time. This contributes to develop students’ innovative use of specialized knowledge and critical thinking skills in designing cost-effective environmental planning and programs in addressing many of today’s complex environmental challenges and economic issues. 

The course then discusses of a wide range of topics, covering the theory and practice in system dynamics; complex economy-environment system interactions and their resultant multiple cause and effect consequences; theory and practice in environmental policymaking, and the role of value orientations in sustainable environmental decision-making and policy design, among other subjects of interest. The discussions will be empirically tested using relevant case studies drawing from academic research and actual field study. 

This course introduces the basic concepts of Cybersecurity. It explores the challenges that the interconnectedness of cyberspace poses to computer networks; the concept of risk; typical patterns of vulnerabilities, as well as attacks and mitigation strategies.  

The course introduces, in a non-technical fashion, the basic concepts of cryptography, and the typical cryptographic building blocks: encryption, digital signatures, authentication codes, public key and secret key infrastructures. The course discusses how these building blocks are used to construct secure networks and the legal frameworks handling cyber-attacks. Finally, the course analyzes cybersecurity in the context of Japan and East Asia. 

This course is intended for those who are learning Russian for the first time. Starting with alphabet and pronunciation, the course discusses what kind of country Russia is and what kind of language Russian is, as well as Russian culture.