Communication

To communicate well with others, especially in cross-cultural settings, it is crucial to have a good vocabulary and grammatical knowledge of the language used, but this is not enough. We still misunderstand each other unless we correctly understand what they mean through their speech, which is sometimes not so easy. This course explores Japanese everyday interaction from various socio-cultural aspects that may affect speakers' ways of interacting with others. By analyzing it in detail, comparing it to practices in other languages, and sharing expressions and opinions with classmates, insight into how people select their words and expressions and thereby perform social actions is provided. The course examines socio-cultural phenomena of Japanese communication from a wider perspective, while observing and analyzing language use and its possible impacts on others. 

The purpose of the course is to improve students' professional and creative writing abilities through the monthly publication of an online journal: taidajournal.tumblr.com. Students work together as a team to publish each issue, writing and editing stories. News stories as well as those that lean more toward creative writing are accepted. The class includes group discussions, workshops, peer editing conferences, and in-class presentations. Students usually spend the first week of the month presenting their ideas to the class and commenting on their classmates’ ideas.

This course offers a hands-on introduction to essential concepts in computational media, focusing on web development and data visualization. Non-programmers are introduced to the fundamentals of industry-standard programming languages, tools, and best practices for web development and data analysis, through hands-on tutorials and programming exercises. Topics include social media to public relations campaigns, from data reporting to web design, from business decision-making to news, from democratic participation to interactive art, and the ability to understand and interpret computational media.

This course examines the social aspects of new and old communication technologies. Communication technologies have been an essential part of our everyday lives. We constantly connect to older communication technologies, such as radio, television, and newspapers, and newer communication technologies, including the internet and mobile phones, to fulfill our daily goals. This course critically examines: 1) How communication technologies are introduced to society and how their use is shaped by various social factors, and 2) How communication technologies influence everyday lives of individuals, organizations, and society.

This course examines the definition of propaganda and the persuasion of the masses in the contemporary world. It relies on several disciplines (history, communication, sociology, political sciences, social psychology, art history, and neuroscience) and puts into perspective the evolution of propaganda and persuasion from the "age of paper" through the "digital age." Students analyze a multitude of platforms (text, fixed images, animated images, sound, objects, and monuments) by using both a theoretical and empirical approach. Along with a methodology of writing and presentation, this course explores critical analysis in a global perspective and techniques of forming public opinion.