Waseda University

This course provides an overview of empirical political science, introducing important concepts, theories, methods, and findings in the discipline. The course examines some of the major questions in political science and encourages critically thinking about the discipline's best answers to those questions. The course covers basic concepts relevant to the study of different types of political systems (such as democracy or sovereignty) and explores the challenges of defining and measuring such concepts while also acquiring some historical understanding of these concepts. The course explores how political scientists assess causal relationships between social, economic, and political variables, and how scholars study political behavior and political identity. 

This course analyzes the complexity of "wicked" problems - problems that are difficult or impossible to solve because of their complex and interconnected nature. The course epxlores a system of metrics to assess the appropriateness of transition design and social design interventions The second part of the course explores the transition design framework as it was proposed by scholars of at The School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, one of many useful frameworks for understanding how positive socio-ecological change can be constructed. The course concludes with a discussion of concepts like cosmopolitan localism and inter-localisation that promise a positive way forward towards forming more empowered, resilient communities in an age of intensifying planetary crises.

This is an introductory course on the history of economics. The course reviews the history of economics to understand what economics is, clarifying economic ideas which have been a part of today's economics; those that no longer receive much attention, and those which have potential to be resurrected. Please note that the history of economics is different from economic history. Basic knowledge of world history from the modern times is required as this course reviews the way in which economists have tried to understand economic problems. 

This course introduces the R system as a programming language. Covering standard regression methods and then tackling more advanced methods, the course guides students through the practical, powerful tools that the R system provides. The emphasis is on hands-on analysis, graphical display, and interpretation of data. By the end of the course, students are expected to have gained a mastery of using the software R to perform data analysis.  

Course enrollees are assumed to have basic knowledge of statistics and mathematics and are encouraged to install the R system onto their home computer. 

This course reads canonical works of great Japanese literature from the early twentieth century, with a focus on their perceptions of modernity. Thematically, the course is divided into two parts. The first half explores works written during the Meiji period to understand how they conceptualized 'modernity,' 'the West,' and their own identities. The writers discussed in this section include Higuchi Ichiyo, Natsume Soseki, Mori Ogai, and Nagai Kafu. The second half of the course addresses works by modernist and Marxist writers, examining how their concepts of 'modernity' and their relationships with 'the West' evolved as Japan expanded its influence into Asia. This part includes an analysis of the literary representation of modernity in the works of Tanizaki Junichiro, Yokomitsu Riichi, Hayashi Fumiko, Kobayashi Takiji, Edogawa Rampo, and Kawabata Yasunari.

All readings course are in English translation therefore the ability to read the Japanese original work is not required. Knowledge of modern Japanese history and culture is recommended.