Waseda University

This course analyzes clues to major environmental issues that the world faces today. First, it studies the basic process and mechanism of the natural environment and how living organisms adapt to the environment. Secondly, the course teaches the role of semi-natural disturbances on biodiversity conservation. Traditional agricultural practices in Japanese Satoyama and agro-forestry in Indonesia provide some good examples of where people receive natural resources and ecosystem services locally and how energy is flowing in cycle, as well as providing habitat for native species. Such balanced interaction in turn can function as a resilient ecosystem. This concept is called the Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR). Thirdly, the course studies the impacts of recent human activities such as overexploitation of natural resources, industrialization, intensive agriculture and globalization, on ecosystems, wildlife and as well as on our health and safety. Topics include environmental carrying capacity, chemical pollution and bioaccumulation, soil erosion, global warming, climate change, endangered species, aging society and under-use of local resources problem, impacts of invasive species and genetically modified organisms (GMO), and how they are complexly interrelated. Last, the course discusses issues on alternative power/renewable energy usage, such as biomass and geothermal power generation. 

This course addresses how to define and interpret key humanitarian concepts such as human rights, human security and the responsibility to protect. The course also addresses how to define democracy and study trends in democratization over the last 100 years. The class reviews the content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Charter in some detail. The class also considers the strengths and weaknesses of the UN Security Council and discuss the possibility of UN reform. 
 

This course explores different musical traditions in their historical and cultural contexts, encouraging students to think deeper about the universal function of music to not only reflect, but also create social reality. The course focuses on the aesthetics and history of classical music in the Western world and beyond, exploring masterpieces of composers from both Europe and Asia, as well as ethnic and popular music in parts of Asia and the Middle East. 

The course also asks essential questions about the historical development of music in different regions, and about suitable approaches for the study of music. Tracing the historical trajectory of musicology as a field, the class discusses the major debates within musicology; questions its central tenets, and explores how music has been studied in other disciplines such as ethnomusicology, philosophy, and psychology. 

Classes feature live performances by instructor and guest lecturers, followed by discussions.

This course explores contemporary Korean history at the introductory level. After its liberation from Japan in 1945, Korea sought to build a new modern state, but suffered from division and the Korean War. North and South Korea were at odds with each other even as they sought reunification, and South Korea sought economic growth and modernization but struggled with democratization. This course analyzes the historical development of a post-colonial underdeveloped country that made South Korea what it is today. 

The course is designed to expose students to different styles of qualitative and mixed methods research including, among many others, comparative case studies; process tracing and historical methods; interpretive and discursive methods; social network analyses, and natural experiments. The course uses practical sessions to help students prepare their own research design into an important and real-world question of their own choosing. Participants present their research designs in the final two weeks of the class and receive feedback from their peers.

The course is divided into three parts. The first introduces the fundamentals of positivist and interpretative qualitative methods. The next investigates case selection, mixed method, and causal inference. The third considers more specific techniques including the practical considerations involved in collecting primary materials, considering logics of historical process, and designing social experiments.

This course familiarizes students with the fundamental techniques of linear algebra so that they can eventually master the "diagonalisation" of square matrices, which is one of the most important subjects in linear algebra. Upon completion, students understand the basic notions of linear algebra, such as matrices, determinants, eigenvalues, eigenvectors and diagonalisation, projections, and others, and be able to apply these techniques in various cases.

This course teaches the basics of major literary theories. Each lecture focuses on a specific theoretical approach to texts and cultural phenomena, such as psychoanalytic criticism, feminist criticism, gender and queer criticism, new historicism, and postcolonial criticism. By engaging with diverse critical frameworks, the course aims to deepen our appreciation for the richness and complexity of literature and other cultural forms.

This course is designed to provide students with the tools necessary to design and implement surveys and survey experiments. The course discusses issues of questionnaire design; sampling; respondent recruitment, and data collection. The course also explores causal inference and experiment designs to conduct social science research.

This course explores translation theories and their practical applications. Each session focuses on a specific theory or approach to translation, followed by an analysis of a translated text. The course aims to understand the crucial role of translation as a cultural and social practice and to become familiar with the major issues in translation theory and comparative literature.

This course teaches beginning Chinese language. The course teaches grammar, vocabulary, and expressions through tasks focused on developing the ability to communicate in Chinese. This course enables students to develop skills in understanding, speaking, reading and writing basic Chinese, while increasing their awareness of the Chinese speaking world.  By the end of the semester, students are expected to have mastered pronunciation, basic grammar and possess enough vocabulary to manage to communicate in daily life, using simple Chinese expressions. Equal emphasis is placed on the four (listening, speaking, writing and reading) skills.