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* Cross-listed in ESOP
A few of our courses
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ARTS, LITERATURE, AND CULTURE |
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Facts and Fiction in the Movies Michael Bettridge |
The objective of this course is to allow students to examine the accuracy of movies and film that claim to be based on a true story, while at the same time learning to recognize the devices and techniques a film maker uses to convince the viewers that the story on the screen is indeed factual. In group work, students will research and study the original sources that inspired the making of a selected movie, note accuracies and inaccuracies between the original source and the movie, analyze the intentions and manipulations of the movie makers, and present findings to the class.
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History of English Studies in Japan Mitsutoshi Somura |
How have Britain and America changed us, since Japan's first encounter with Western civilization in the middle of the nineteenth century? This course starts with English teaching and covers such topics as literature, thought, politics, philosophy and worldviews, post-war American culture from rock 'n' roll to counterculture and post-modernism, and the accelerating pace of globalization. Moreover, we will inquire into the reasons why some Japanese things have not been changed and indeed have stubbornly remained untouched.
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LINGUISTICS AND ENGLISH EDUCATION |
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English around the World Yutai Watanabe |
No language has ever been so extensively used on earth as English is today, which is so far the only language spoken on the moon. However, the language, spoken by well over 400 million people as a mother tongue, has developed a wide range of variations resulting from regional and/or social factors. This course will survey the phonetic, lexical, and syntactical characteristics of the standard varieties of English in the UK, North America and Australasia, with constant reference to their historical backgrounds.
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ESL Education II: Teaching Methodology Machiko Kobori |
The course is mainly provided for students intending to become English language teachers. Its purpose is to give insight into the basic issues in teaching methodology for L2 education. It will also encourage the students to develop their own teaching performance. Course content provides the knowledge and skills in language teaching necessary for qualification as an English teacher.
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Morphology: Building Words Peter Evans |
In this course, you'll look more deeply into one area of linguistics: how words are made up. At first this may sound what you get in a book on the history of language or in a large dictionary. However, it is not: native speakers have some knowledge beyond what they may have learnt by heart. For example, although speakers of English are most unlikely to have encountered “reenthusify" (invented only minutes before this was written, when Google offered no hits for it), they're likely to be able to guess its meaning.
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SOCIETY AND IDENTITY |
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Understanding the Human Mind I Yu Niiya |
My intention in this course is to enhance students' ability to analyze human thoughts and behaviors. Students will be introduced to the basic theories, research methods, and important findings from major subfields of psychology, such as perception and sensation, state of consciousness, learning, and memory. I will particularly focus on how people perceive and construct their surrounding "realities."
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Race, Class, and Gender I Diana Khor |
Race, class, gender and sexuality are important aspects of social life that affect us in distinct as well as interrelated ways. A perspective that recognizes the significance of these axes of differences and inequalities, called the "intersectional" approach, has been developed in the context of American society. However, the perspective can be fruitfully applied to other countries and to analyzing global issues. Therefore, while much of the class material will be based on the United States, data from other countries will also be drawn on, and students will be encouraged to apply the perspective to Japan as well.
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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND ECONOMY |
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Introduction to International Relations I Takeshi Yuzawa |
The course is designed to provide an introduction to the discipline of International Relations (IR). The objectives of the course are: (1) To enable students to have a broad understanding of the concepts and theories of IR; (2) To enable students to utilize the concepts and theories of IR to analyze major events, actors, and structures of international politics, such as the state, war, conflict, globalization, the rise of non-state actors and the development of international organizations; (3) To enable students to acquire the ability to form their own answers to enduring and contemporary questions in international relations.
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Peace and Conflict Resolutions I Hiromi Fujishige |
Despite widespread euphoria after the end of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry, the reality of the post-Cold War era has witnessed the eruption of civil wars in the Balkans, Africa and elsewhere. This phenomenon is highly problematic because it brings not only bloodshed but also the collapse of statehood. Given the disorder in the wake of a state's failure, today's conflict resolution entails significant difficulty for the international society. Why have civil conflicts erupted after the demise of the Cold War? How can we resolve internal wars? To answer these questions, we will do an overview of contemporary conflict resolution.
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100-level Preparatory Courses |
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Global Studies |
Through this course, students will learn about a broad range of issues of global significance from diverse disciplinary perspectives. In this team-taught course, each of the full-time teaching staff uses a session to explore the theme of world cultural connection and diversity through his or her discipline. All instructors have in common their quest to lead the student to an understanding of the relationship between global universalism and local cultures, whether the subject of study is language, popular culture, the development of an academic discipline, religion, the military, politics, inequality, or the very process of globalization.
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Debate Alan Meadows |
This course aims to help students to practice fluency, exchange opinions and enhance critical thinking and reasoned decision making skills through the medium of debate. In the early stages of the course, students will analyse a specific topic, conduct research to find evidence, write either affirmative or negative case positions and then present their case in an open class debate. As the course proceeds, depth and breadth of study will be expanded so as to require students to carry out individualized assignments, which will further refine their organisational, analytical and speaking skills.
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International Business and Employability I Takamasa Fukuoka |
The purpose of this course is to understand the basics of international business and the required skills in the current competitive global society. This course is aimed at students who have studied abroad and want to engage in global business in the future and make use of their language skills and overseas experience, and it focuses on learning basic knowledge and global business skills. To achieve the goal, in the first semester, we will first look at the aspects of globalization in the various industries and occupations in the modern society, and then focus on the basic knowledge and skills as a member of society, learning about the internationalization of multinational companies.
*** Adapted from 2011 GIS course syllabus .
