History

This course focuses on the political aspects of Hollywood cinema by questioning the links that exist between the production of films and the ideological structures hidden behind the images. It discusses how genre cinema appears to be a "dream factory" whose specific economic organization is accompanied by ideological and political schemes that should be identified in the perspective of political and cultural studies. The course demonstrates how much cinema contributes to the diffusion of the traditional values of the American Dream and how the big studios manage to find a balance between submission to the commercial constraints imposed by the market, simplification of political phenomena (whether situational or systemic), and artistic research.

This course examines the “pre-modern period” of Japan from its origins in the Jomon Period through to the end of the 16th century. It focuses on the emergence of the imperial state, court rulership, and the rise of the warrior class. Though dominated by the rulership, religions, and lifestyles of courtiers and warriors, this course also explores the cultural context within which elites, commoners, and those in between lived and prospered. The approach is thus primarily socio-cultural, aiming to enhance the student’ understanding not only of the Japan of the past, but also of the present. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the most important aspects of the classical Heian age, the dual (or tripartite) polity of Kamakura, the warrior rule of the Muromachi era, and the subsequent era of civil warfare.

This course examines politics revolving around historical issues. What is national history? Why can it be a source of political conflict? What is needed to reconcile historical disputes? These questions are explored through the examination of Asian and European cases. 

This course examines modern Korean literature, history, culture, and society of the 20th and early 21st century. 

The course provides an overview over the history of racism from antiquity to the postwar era. It addresses the relationship with different historical developments like colonialism, slavery, race science, eugenics, segregation and genocide. The course discusses the exemplary developments in different European and non-European societies. While the perspective of the victims of racist discrimination is addressed frequently, the course also focuses on the logic of such discrimination. For this, various related issues are raised, like anti-black racism, antisemitism, hatred against Sinti and Roma etc.

This course discusses the origins and structure of contemporary society based on the method of social history, comprehensively examining the dynamics of society, considering not only its economy, but also its politics, culture, and other various aspects. The course addresses education, media, cities, families, social movements, etc.

This course aims to trace certain aspects of postwar Japan, particularly the planning and reconstruction of cities damaged during the Second World War, taking comparisons with Great Britain into account.

This course provides an overview of the history and major issues in Korea-US relations. The first half of the course deals with the late nineteenth century up to the 1980`s. The second half discusses various contemporary issues related to the two countries, including security, trade, Korean nationalism, immigration, North Korea`s nuclear program, and territorial disputes, among many others. Topics include security, trade, Korean nationalism, immigration, North Korea`s nuclear program, and territorial disputes, among others.

This course provides an avenue for Japanese and international students to exchange opinions and cooperate on projects to gain an understanding of modern Japanese history and culture from a variety of perspectives. The class also aims to provide students with an understanding of the differences in historical and cultural backgrounds that create various values/worldviews and diverse intercultural communication skills.

The course begins with an overview of Japanese cultural and intellectual history from the 19th century onward. After initial lectures on cultural research methodology, students will conduct presentations, introducing historical events that occurred in modern Japan during the era to which they are assigned. There will also be lectures on the contents of presentations. 

Eligibility: This class will be conducted in Japanese. B2 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N1 in the JLPT).

The course examines the successes and failures of British business and industry, with an emphasis on the post-World War II period. It assesses many of the hypotheses on why the UK economy grew more slowly than other OECD nations during this period. Explanations of relative economic decline are examined in the context of comparisons with other European nations and with the US, Japan and more recently China. The course is organized to combine major economic and political themes, such as de-industrialization, globalization, education and training, management organization and practices, labor relations, and Britain’s relationship with the EEC/EU, with case studies of industries as diverse as textiles, motors, banking, pharmaceuticals, and steel. By interacting themes and case studies, students get a sense of how national policies can affect business opportunities, and how governments can both aid and harm business. The impact of government policies such as nationalization/privatization, regional policy and competition are also examined in this context. The primary focus is on the post-World War II period, including current changes in performance, but the historical roots of Britain's recent performance are also considered.

This course focuses on the modern socioeconomic history of agriculture in China and the relationships between rural and urban; farm and industry; traditional and modern, and communism and capitalism.

The course aims to:

1. Understand the political economy of a non-industrial and non-western social system.
2. Learn how to distinguish between historical facts and present values.
3. Learn how to make meaningful comparisons between different societies and economies.