Sociology

This course employs two perspectives to understand the histories of modern Japan in the context of East Asia and globalization from the early 20th century to the present. It examines how modern boundaries, identities, and cultures are shaped in a rapidly emerging modern world order. The course also looks at how individuals respond to and are shaped by the variety of modernity(ies).

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 explores social issues related to diversity in Japan, with a particular focus on racial and ethnic minority groups. The course examines how these groups’ identities have been socially constructed within Japan’s broader identity formation process and how their social circumstances and public discourse have evolved over time. The course emphasizes critical self-reflection of one's own identities and perspectives -how the social contexts and discourses are embedded in one's life and how these factors have shaped their identities and perspectives. 

This course offers a study of basic demographic concepts, collection and use of demographic data, and tools for demographic analysis. It discusses population dynamics from a historical and global comparative perspective including current trends and future forecasts. This course examines determinants of demographic change, socioeconomic and environmental consequences of demographic change, and population policies.

The course covers cities, towns, villages, and farming communities in a world of globalization. It will emphasize the mobility of people, money, products, and information which has transformed the logic, delimitation, and relations between urban and rural communities in different countries. Major theories on the interplay between culture and structure are covered as well as the societal and technological changes which have reconstructed urban-rural distinctions and interconnections. Special attention is given to patterns of migration within and between countries and their effects on the development of different settlements.

This course explores the effects of globalization and development on education and societies in Asia. It discusses the roles and activities of agencies such as the UN, the World Bank, JICA, and grassroots NGOs and their impact on education in the developed and developing countries of East and Southeast Asia.

The international community has become more globalized - increasingly become more interdependent and enhancing opportunities for people to acknowledge their common humanity across arbitrarily drawn political borders and cultural divides. What does the term "globalization" really mean? How does it affect our lives? This course explains the various dimensions of globalization: cultural, economic, political and ecological. It also discusses the positive and negative effects of globalization as well as its future outlook.

This course focuses on the theoretical tools for examining problems faced in social work practice as well as their application for understanding professional ethics and the development of the profession. Topics include: fundamental concepts of moral philosophy; contemporary ethical theories in social work; ethical principles of social work; applied ethics and professional deontology; ethical dilemmas and resolution models.

This course is an introduction to research in environmental sociology with an emphasis on the social processes, dynamics and institutions that are influential in contemporary environmental crises. It looks at the social dimensions of our natural world and considers how our social life shapes our ecological life (and vice versa!). It will focus particularly on how environmental problems are created by social drivers and experienced unequally. Topics include production and consumption and its environmental effects, inequality and environmental risk, and social movements for environmental justice. 

This course offers a study of Spanish territory and society from a geographical perspective. Topics include: diversity of the physical environment; population in Spain; settlement and the urban system; economic activities; transport and its role in structuring the territory; environmental problems; Spain in an international context.