Sociology

This course systematically examines the social, cultural, and pragmatic factors of language in context. Having a grasp of how these factors interact in a given language and in intercultural communication is crucial to the development of mutual understanding in the global world. The course explores the concepts of language, ideology, power, and identity on a micro-interactional (family, workplace, educational, legal settings) as well as macro-interactional level (language in the public sphere, in politics and the media). Seeing that the course participants are global citizens themselves, their viewpoints, experiences and opinions are crucial to developing an understanding of communication in the globalized world. Aside from being introduced to theoretical concepts, ideas and state-of-the-art studies in the field, one of the main aims of this course is for its participants to be able to discuss and analyze language from a sociolinguistic perspective. The course discusses topics including the intricate links between language and society; the concepts related to language change and variation, politeness, and impoliteness across cultures, and language ideologies; issues concerning the sociolinguistics of globalization and intercultural communication; the role of language in various spheres of everyday life (politics, media, health and education, economy); how cultural context affects the use and the (mis)interpretation of language; communication strategies that come into play in intercultural interactions in today’s globalized world; and conduct their own preliminary analysis of linguistic landscapes in their surroundings and apply the concepts presented in class with understanding the complexity of everyday language use.

Is Japan a racially and ethnically homogenous nation? Why is it that only a certain kind of "hafu" (multiracial) are on TV programs and ads? Why has Japan been ranked around the 120s in the Global Gender Equality Index, year after year? How could a prime minister claim that the “society would change, regrettably” (“shakai ga kawatteshimau”) with legal recognition of same-sex marriage in 21st-century Japan? Why are many female high school students in Japan wearing short skirts in the middle of winter, even in freezing temperatures? What is "karoshi" and why does it happen? Japan, the only country bombed by an atomic bomb in the world, has not yet joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons yet - why is this? Is Japan a part of the West or Asia? 

Sociology helps one understand the underlying factors of these questions. This course introduces you to the major aspects of contemporary Japanese society. The course investigates: race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; education; work and the economy, and politics and nationalism. Through these sociological themes, one should be able to comprehend concrete social issues associated, such as: hate speech and racial discrimination; sexual violence and discrimination; gender tracking and class division in education; visible and invisible foreign workers; and the increasing militarization of society.

Articulating social network theory and methods, this course seeks to explore the transformations of social life in contemporary societies characterized by the importance of connectedness and geographic mobility. The course introduces students to the theories, concepts, and measures of social network analysis (SNA) through a mixture of classroom teaching and hands-on computer work. It discusses in particular (1) to what extent social life is more networked in late modern societies; (2) how SNA is a powerful way of capturing empirically social life; (3) to what extent social networks are more individualized; (4) how physical and virtual mobility play an increasing role in meetings and social relationships. Key notions are addressed and illustrated through both the discussions of major thinkers and the use of the UCINet software and its visualization program NetDraw on real-world data sets. 

This course suggests three objectives for understanding pandemics from a sociological standpoint. First, it explains the pandemic's history as well as the sociological theory surrounding it. Second, it looks at health disparities, class inequality, platform labor, information-seeking behavior, fake news, education, caring, gender, hate, stigma, and social capital in relation to the pandemic. Third, it investigates the policy implications of these fields as well as the meaning of sociology in the post-pandemic era.

The course explores populist and "official" meanings and images of crimes, provide students with a basic appreciation of the differing perspectives and models used by criminologists to understand crime, and explore the influence of criminological ideas on state intervention in the criminal justice system. The course comprises a combination of weekly lectures and related seminars. The seminar, held directly after the lecture, is designed to deepen students' knowledge of the topic under discussion that week. These sessions give them the chance to develop your ideas through specific exercises and class discussion. The course also comprises a set of study skills tutorials. 

This course is a three-week intensive experiential course in Ghana, West Africa that features concentrated study, lectures, roundtables, field trips, and interactions with the people of Ghana. The course involves an in-depth examination of Ghanaian history, culture, governance, family and society, gender issues, and development challenges. The course also includes language instruction, language practice situations in the field, dance lessons, drumming lessons, and field excursions to culturally and historically significant sites in Kumasi, Cape Coast, or other areas. It also introduces a host of practical skills and information to help with adjustment to and living in Ghana. The course is comprised of 45 hours of lectures and over 30 hours of field interactions.

This course exposes students to the theoretical frameworks from sociology that are used to examine how the law shapes society and how society shapes the law. The course also applies these theoretical perspectives to current legal issues and policies and emphasizes the social, political, cultural, and historical aspects of the law rather than through legal doctrines, statues or judicial opinions (though these aspects are discussed).