Sociology

This course covers some fundamental theories in economics and deals with current social, economic issues. This class is for students who are interested in economics, but find it difficult to study on their own. Through this course, students learn the basics of economics and use them to develop the power to analyze current issues in daily life. Furthermore, the knowledge learned in this class serves as a good foothold in future social advances and social life. The goals and outlines of this class are as follows. First, it analyzes economic issues based on a solid theory and provides an objective perspective on modern society. Second, students build their own economic logic based on economic theory and cultivate their ability to interpret social issues. Third, we provide the latest information on important and emerging topics such as energy and finance. As such, this class develops depth that cannot be felt in general liberal arts lectures and application skills that cannot be felt in existing economics major classes. At the end of the semester, this class helps students fully understand the economic newspaper and cultivate their skills to the extent that they can express their pros and cons on the arguments presented. This class focuses on positive economics rather than normative economics. While normative economics is a value judgment question about “What should be?”, empirical economics is a realistic analysis of “What it is?”. If you only judge value without knowledge of the real world and its principles, you will be evaluated for lack of logic and narrowness. This class provides basic empirical economic knowledge and cultivate the power to make value judgments on various social phenomena based on the students. 

Assessment: Participation(14%), Self-Introduction(1%), Assignments(35%), Final(50%)

Modern nation-states rely on borders to govern mobility as “migration.” In the context of globalization, migration governance and the public debates and societal contestations around it have become increasingly salient. This interdisciplinary course addresses different phenomena of migration and borders, paying attention to the historical contexts and the complex and contested nature of migration governance. Drawing on social, legal, cultural, historical, and political perspectives, and engaging grassroots movements and audio-visual works, the course focuses on European and German policies, institutions, practices, and debates over migration and borders. Also the Berlin level is discussed, particularly by guests and in relation to local contestations. The course takes distance from the nation-state and borders as normative frames, introducing critiques of methodological nationalism and critical perspectives emerging from (everyday) practices of migration and antiracist movements. Borders are explored as complex, contested practices / relations at the intersection of race, law, gender, control of labor, international relations, and other factors, creating (global) social hierarchies and unequal access to mobility and other rights / resources.

This course offers an introduction to the study of urban geography. The course discusses the identification of socio-spatial developments in urban areas, in particular those that are related to ongoing economic restructuring, as well as the concept of “urban landscape” which reflects the historical evolution and current developments of a wide range of social-cultural phenomena. The course examines topics including socio-spatial developments in urban areas; the interpretation of these developments by placing them in a relevant economic, political, and socio-cultural context; potential explanations for varying spatial developments; spatial behavior of individuals and households; and the identification and analysis of characteristics of areas and the effects of these characteristics on the behavior of the residents and other users. The course consists of lectures, student presentations, and discussions. Students participate in two field trips, group research, and the creation of a walking tour in Utrecht. The course requires the completion of the equivalent of an Introduction to Human Geography course as a prerequisite.

This course offers an introduction to Norwegian history, life, and society. Topics include: Norwegian history, geography, the political system, foreign politics, economics, the welfare state, religion, the judicial system, the role of the family in Norwegian society, Norwegian literature and language, Norwegian visual arts, culture, and identity. The course provides insight into Norwegian way of life and Norwegian identity seen in the light of historical, political, and cultural development.

This course provides an introduction to the field of sociology, particularly analytical and critical reflection of society and culture from a scientific perspective. It covers main concepts and sociological processes, the function of different social institutions according to the most relevant sociological theories, and ideologies on which the practices of social institutions are based. 

This course reviews the modern history and examines key contemporary social issues of East Asian societies, namely China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.