Keio University

This course is a ASEAN fieldwork course jointly organized by ASEAN partner universities and Keio University. Students who participate in the fieldwork in Japan and aim to obtain an "EBA Perspectives" certificate will take this course in the semester following their participation in the fieldwork. SFC offers four fieldwork courses, two in ASEAN and two in Japan, so that up to four fieldwork courses in total can be included as credit-bearing courses.

Vietnam Fieldwork is a Field-based Project. The primary purpose of the project is to investigate how families live with their disabled children against the backdrop of poverty and limited medical infrastructure. Note that the fieldwork is conducted in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province in central Vietnam, where the US heavily sprayed the toxic defoliant known as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War (1963-1971). That background explains the high number of disabled people in this District alone, 4298 (as of 2018), accounting for 2% of the District population (not including mild cases of disabilities). 

The issue that the fieldwork aims to address lies in a complex context of risk and risk management: Environmental risk, Public Health risk, and risks that these two have generated. An equally important concern of our examination includes the basic infrastructure and policies designed to cope with these risks. 

For that purpose, our examinations incorporate the Vietnam War, Vietnam’s recent Socioeconomic Development, and Vietnam’s welfare policies (public health policies and safety net, among others). 

Participants are asked to explore the following questions: 1) How do these families (primarily farmers) perceive the environmental problem (as signified by the disabled child), the source of the problem, and the risks? 2) How do they live with the problem in the absence/presence of external support, such as health clinics and other facilities? Moreover, 3) how their narratives reveal a larger picture of which their living is part. The students are asked to call attention to people’s narratives through intimate interaction while observing their facial expressions, bodily expressions, and languages. 

The fieldwork also takes us to the “weekend class” for the disabled children, their families, the volunteer teachers of the class, and the local residents. The classes are valuable sites for us to observe how the disabled children, their families, and the teachers interact with each other openly. Over the past 10 years, we have established four such classes, which they call “Dream Class.”

This course will be offered as a companion course to JAPANESE BUDDHISM AND SOCIAL SUFFERING by the same instructor in the second half of the semester. You do not have to take both courses, but it is recommended to do so for a fuller understanding. Buddhism is the largest indigenous religion of Asia and has ancient roots in every country in the region, including majority Muslim ones like Bangladesh and Indonesia. However, in the contemporary age, it is in crisis, principally from the way economic and scientific modernity challenges its worldview and values. Buddhist institutions throughout the region have been responding to this crisis in variety of ways from nationalistic chauvinism, to market and technologically savvy new Buddhist organizations, and also progressive social action movements known as Socially Engaged Buddhism. This course will look at these different responses and attempts by Buddhism to remain relevant in the dynamic social landscape of contemporary Asia, while offering numerous case studies familiar to the instructor’s 25 years of experience throughout the region. 

This course will be offered as a companion course to JAPANESE BUDDHISM AND SOCIAL SUFFERING by the same instructor in the second half of the semester. You do not have to take both courses, but it is recommended to do so for a fuller understanding. Buddhism is the largest indigenous religion of Asia and has ancient roots in every country in the region, including majority Muslim ones like Bangladesh and Indonesia. However, in the contemporary age, it is in crisis, principally from the way economic and scientific modernity challenges its worldview and values. Buddhist institutions throughout the region have been responding to this crisis in variety of ways from nationalistic chauvinism, to market and technologically savvy new Buddhist organizations, and also progressive social action movements known as Socially Engaged Buddhism. This course will look at these different responses and attempts by Buddhism to remain relevant in the dynamic social landscape of contemporary Asia, while offering numerous case studies familiar to the instructor’s 25 years of experience throughout the region. 

Literary analyses and attempts for various interpretations of English literary works undoubtedly enrich students' general skills in English; their insight into texts, and understanding of some important cultural topics that well reflect the characteristics of human societies. This course aims to foster students' abilities of these through close reading of English literary works of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This session focuses on Emily Bronte's masterpiece, "Wuthering Heights", and examines the narrative, style, and author's messages from many points of view.

This class discusses the international environmental regimes (international regimes: sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actors’ expectations converge in a given area of international relations (Krasner, 1983)) and related challenges, including policy-making procedures, the role of actors (international organizations, governments, the scientific community, industry, and non-governmental organizations) which influenced that policy-making, by explaining various international environmental conventions and frameworks under the United Nations.

This course explains governance issues such as the international environmental regimes and the interactions among related international conventions and institutions; multi-level governance (international, national, and local, etc.), and the fragmentation and cohesion of governance. In addition, this course explains theories and analytical frameworks, including transnational governance, which focuses on non-state actors (e.g., cities, non-governmental organizations, and companies); transition management focused on societal systems transformations, and governance related to equity between developed and developing countries.

This course explores how organizational change, albeit necessary and difficult, should be managed. It discusses organizational change from various angles such as leadership, organizational structure, job design, organizational culture, etc. 
The course examines Japanese and British case studies to see how organizations handle hardship in change management. 

Students are expected to develop critical thinking of the theories introduced for each respective theme as well as to articulate their own original ideas to manage barriers to organizational change.

This course discusses Media Law, focusing on defamation; hate speech law; freedom of the press, and State secrets, etc. 

This course is offered as a companion course to the course, Buddhism and Social Change in Contemporary Asia taught by the same instructor in the first half of the semester. Students are not required to take both courses, but it is recommended to do so for a fuller understanding.

This course analyzes Buddhism in Japan in a very different way – through the actions of Buddhist priests and followers-- to confront the real life problems and suffering of the people in Japan today. The course looks at issues such as:
1) human relationships in terms of: a) dying and grieving, and b) alienation and suicide; 
2) economic development in terms of: a) social and economic gaps, aging society, community breakdown and depopulation of the countryside; b) alternatives to globalization and Buddhist economics, and c) alternative energy and the environment; 
3) politics in terms of: a) nuclear power and peace, and b) Buddhist complicity with war and work for peace. 
 

The creative solutions some individual Buddhists are developing in response to these problems mark an attempt to revive Japanese Buddhism, which has been primarily associated with funerals and tourism. These efforts are trying to remake the temple as a center of community in an increasingly alienated society.
 

A variety of teaching methods are employed - from homework, readings, group processes, in-class videos, and guest speakers and this course will aim to be interactive. Students should be ready to reflect on the issues personally as they experience them as residents of Japan, and to express these reflections not only intellectually but emotionally as well. Field trips will be offered on the key issues above so as to deepen appreciation and understanding. 

A moral theory has the task of explaining why certain norms regarding our actions are valid. Most people agree, for example, that it is morally wrong to lie. There is, however, strong disagreement as to why it is wrong. This course provides an overview of the most important moral theories, such as divine command theory, natural law theory, and moral relativism.

The course will also discuss ethical questions emerging in literature and film. It is recommended to read Ivan Turgenev's novel "Fathers and Sons" ("Fathers and Children" in the Russian original) and watch Billy Wilder's movie, "Double Indemnity."

Students will use brushes, washi paper, mineral pigments, and gold leaf used in Japanese paintings, as well as the brushes and glue used for mounting, and finish their works. You can learn about the texture of paints and base materials, the fun and difficulty of classical techniques, and the structure of works, which cannot be learned just by looking at art works at galleries and museums. 
In the first half of the class, students will complete ink reproductions of classic Japanese paintings. In the second half, you will complete your original work on a fan using various paints used in Japanese paintings. Let's have fun learning together and creating works that are full of originality using variety of Japanese painting materials.