Syllabus Search Result

This research group designs new experiences using technology as an element. Our research fields are HCI (Human Computer Interaction) and UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience). Let's create new experiences with prototyping.

This seminar (kenkyu-kai) focuses on the study of Imitation and Originality. Until the Golden age of Classicism, imitation of the traditional canon of classical masterpieces from Greece and Rome was considered an ideal art form. Such paradigm was valued as conducive to producing real literature /real artworks. However, from the end of the 18th century, with the rise of Romantism movement in France, the practice of “imitation” of traditional “chef-d’oeuvre” (masterpieces) gradually lost value. As a result of this ideological reversal, classical “imitation” gradually became regarded as evidence of lack of creativity and genius of artists. Instead, there was a shift of thinking that placed value on “originality and the new.” These became considered to be standard qualities that continue to be valued and emphasized in our time, in both cultural thinking and social practices. In addition, the constant pursuit of “originality and the new” led some artists towards a dimension where they sought to create a paradoxical originality, by using other peoples’ work in the form of citation, parody, plagiarism, collage, homage, ready-made, and others. Therefore, it has become necessary to re-think a definition of what constitutes “imitation and originality” in our time, and how such definition influences practices that are connected to cultural phenomena in modern society.
As a starting point, we are going to read and discuss a series of assigned texts. Participants in this seminar are expected to engage in in-class discussions, respond to assigned readings, select their theme of research, conduct individual research and deliver in-class presentations.

This is a seminar that conducts practice and research to help Japanese society move toward a society that embraces linguistic and cultural diversity. The emphasis is on critically examining the phenomena of language and culture, cross-border migration and social majorities, and identifying and implementing small steps toward social change.

This is a seminar that conducts practice and research to help Japanese society move toward a society that embraces linguistic and cultural diversity. The emphasis is on critically examining the phenomena of language and culture, cross-border migration and social majorities, and identifying and implementing small steps toward social change.

This seminar (kenkyu-kai) focuses on the study of Imitation and Originality. Until the Golden age of Classicism, imitation of the traditional canon of classical masterpieces from Greece and Rome was considered an ideal art form. Such paradigm was valued as conducive to producing real literature /real artworks. However, from the end of the 18th century, with the rise of Romantism movement in France, the practice of “imitation” of traditional “chef-d’oeuvre” (masterpieces) gradually lost value. As a result of this ideological reversal, classical “imitation” gradually became regarded as evidence of lack of creativity and genius of artists. Instead, there was a shift of thinking that placed value on “originality and the new.” These became considered to be standard qualities that continue to be valued and emphasized in our time, in both cultural thinking and social practices. In addition, the constant pursuit of “originality and the new” led some artists towards a dimension where they sought to create a paradoxical originality, by using other peoples’ work in the form of citation, parody, plagiarism, collage, homage, ready-made, and others. Therefore, it has become necessary to re-think a definition of what constitutes “imitation and originality” in our time, and how such definition influences practices that are connected to cultural phenomena in modern society.
As a starting point, we are going to read and discuss a series of assigned texts. Participants in this seminar are expected to engage in in-class discussions, respond to assigned readings, select their theme of research, conduct individual research and deliver in-class presentations.

This seminar (kenkyu-kai) focuses on the study of Imitation and Originality. Until the Golden age of Classicism, imitation of the traditional canon of classical masterpieces from Greece and Rome was considered an ideal art form. Such paradigm was valued as conducive to producing real literature /real artworks. However, from the end of the 18th century, with the rise of Romantism movement in France, the practice of “imitation” of traditional “chef-d’oeuvre” (masterpieces) gradually lost value. As a result of this ideological reversal, classical “imitation” gradually became regarded as evidence of lack of creativity and genius of artists. Instead, there was a shift of thinking that placed value on “originality and the new.” These became considered to be standard qualities that continue to be valued and emphasized in our time, in both cultural thinking and social practices. In addition, the constant pursuit of “originality and the new” led some artists towards a dimension where they sought to create a paradoxical originality, by using other peoples’ work in the form of citation, parody, plagiarism, collage, homage, ready-made, and others. Therefore, it has become necessary to re-think a definition of what constitutes “imitation and originality” in our time, and how such definition influences practices that are connected to cultural phenomena in modern society.
As a starting point, we are going to read and discuss a series of assigned texts. Participants in this seminar are expected to engage in in-class discussions, respond to assigned readings, select their theme of research, conduct individual research and deliver in-class presentations.

This class will approach the Chinese language from a sociolinguistic angle. Sociolinguistics is a field that attempts to elucidate language in terms of its relationship with society, and its research targets range from familiar linguistic phenomena to language variation, multilingual use, language inheritance, language policy, language services, and more.

My own research topics that I have worked on/am working on include language policy for ethnic minorities, language evaluation attitudes, language use attitudes, attitudes toward the use of nominal terms for women, language services in Nagano Prefecture, and strategies for "refusal" in Chinese. In addition, the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence has become one of the most important topics in foreign language education. Therefore, this study group will also treat research on Chinese language education as one important issue.

The workshop will operate in the following sequence
(1) Students will read and critically analyze the literature related to the theme that they (or their team) will address in their project.
(2) Divide into projects, formulate themes, and derive hypotheses.
(3) Design and conduct effective research to substantiate hypotheses.
(4) Summarize the results of the investigation and report the findings.

This class will approach the Chinese language from a sociolinguistic angle. Sociolinguistics is a field that attempts to elucidate language in terms of its relationship with society, and its research targets range from familiar linguistic phenomena to language variation, multilingual use, language inheritance, language policy, language services, and more.

My own research topics that I have worked on/am working on include language policy for ethnic minorities, language evaluation attitudes, language use attitudes, attitudes toward the use of nominal terms for women, language services in Nagano Prefecture, and strategies for "refusal" in Chinese. In addition, the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence has become one of the most important topics in foreign language education. Therefore, this study group will also treat research on Chinese language education as one important issue.

The workshop will operate in the following sequence
(1) Students will read and critically analyze the literature related to the theme that they (or their team) will address in their project.
(2) Divide into projects, formulate themes, and derive hypotheses.
(3) Design and conduct effective research to substantiate hypotheses.
(4) Summarize the results of the investigation and report the findings.

The main topic of this KENKYUKAI is examining Japanese language and culture toward multilingual and multicultural inclusive society.

This is a seminar that conducts practice and research to help Japanese society move toward a society that embraces linguistic and cultural diversity. The emphasis is on critically examining the phenomena of language and culture, cross-border migration and social majorities, and identifying and implementing small steps toward social change.

This seminar (kenkyu-kai) focuses on the study of Imitation and Originality. Until the Golden age of Classicism, imitation of the traditional canon of classical masterpieces from Greece and Rome was considered an ideal art form. Such paradigm was valued as conducive to producing real literature /real artworks. However, from the end of the 18th century, with the rise of Romantism movement in France, the practice of “imitation” of traditional “chef-d’oeuvre” (masterpieces) gradually lost value. As a result of this ideological reversal, classical “imitation” gradually became regarded as evidence of lack of creativity and genius of artists. Instead, there was a shift of thinking that placed value on “originality and the new.” These became considered to be standard qualities that continue to be valued and emphasized in our time, in both cultural thinking and social practices. In addition, the constant pursuit of “originality and the new” led some artists towards a dimension where they sought to create a paradoxical originality, by using other peoples’ work in the form of citation, parody, plagiarism, collage, homage, ready-made, and others. Therefore, it has become necessary to re-think a definition of what constitutes “imitation and originality” in our time, and how such definition influences practices that are connected to cultural phenomena in modern society.
As a starting point, we are going to read and discuss a series of assigned texts. Participants in this seminar are expected to engage in in-class discussions, respond to assigned readings, select their theme of research, conduct individual research and deliver in-class presentations.

This seminar (kenkyu-kai) focuses on the study of Imitation and Originality. Until the Golden age of Classicism, imitation of the traditional canon of classical masterpieces from Greece and Rome was considered an ideal art form. Such paradigm was valued as conducive to producing real literature /real artworks. However, from the end of the 18th century, with the rise of Romantism movement in France, the practice of “imitation” of traditional “chef-d’oeuvre” (masterpieces) gradually lost value. As a result of this ideological reversal, classical “imitation” gradually became regarded as evidence of lack of creativity and genius of artists. Instead, there was a shift of thinking that placed value on “originality and the new.” These became considered to be standard qualities that continue to be valued and emphasized in our time, in both cultural thinking and social practices. In addition, the constant pursuit of “originality and the new” led some artists towards a dimension where they sought to create a paradoxical originality, by using other peoples’ work in the form of citation, parody, plagiarism, collage, homage, ready-made, and others. Therefore, it has become necessary to re-think a definition of what constitutes “imitation and originality” in our time, and how such definition influences practices that are connected to cultural phenomena in modern society.
As a starting point, we are going to read and discuss a series of assigned texts. Participants in this seminar are expected to engage in in-class discussions, respond to assigned readings, select their theme of research, conduct individual research and deliver in-class presentations.

The main topic of this KENKYUKAI is examining Japanese language and culture toward multilingual and multicultural inclusive society.

This seminar (kenkyu-kai) focuses on the study of Imitation and Originality. Until the Golden age of Classicism, imitation of the traditional canon of classical masterpieces from Greece and Rome was considered an ideal art form. Such paradigm was valued as conducive to producing real literature /real artworks. However, from the end of the 18th century, with the rise of Romantism movement in France, the practice of “imitation” of traditional “chef-d’oeuvre” (masterpieces) gradually lost value. As a result of this ideological reversal, classical “imitation” gradually became regarded as evidence of lack of creativity and genius of artists. Instead, there was a shift of thinking that placed value on “originality and the new.” These became considered to be standard qualities that continue to be valued and emphasized in our time, in both cultural thinking and social practices. In addition, the constant pursuit of “originality and the new” led some artists towards a dimension where they sought to create a paradoxical originality, by using other peoples’ work in the form of citation, parody, plagiarism, collage, homage, ready-made, and others. Therefore, it has become necessary to re-think a definition of what constitutes “imitation and originality” in our time, and how such definition influences practices that are connected to cultural phenomena in modern society.
As a starting point, we are going to read and discuss a series of assigned texts. Participants in this seminar are expected to engage in in-class discussions, respond to assigned readings, select their theme of research, conduct individual research and deliver in-class presentations.

In recent years, the development of information and communication technologies such as Internet, mobile phone , IoT and 5G has promoted information access and made our life more convenient. What makes today's information and communication social infrastructure so developed is the formulation and implementation of digital policies over the years.
In this seminar, we will discuss a wide range of trends related to digital society, digital policy, and the usage of digital media and new technologies, including 5G use cases, the Metaverse, ChatGPT, and Self-driving. We will also enhance our understanding of the policy formation process and various issues in the media industry in countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, and Korea. Our research methods will involve case study analysis, Field work, questionnaire survey analysis and social media data analysis.

In recent years, the development of information and communication technologies such as Internet, mobile phone , IoT and 5G has promoted information access and made our life more convenient. What makes today's information and communication social infrastructure so developed is the formulation and implementation of digital policies over the years.
In this seminar, we will discuss a wide range of trends related to digital society, digital policy, and the usage of digital media and new technologies, including 5G use cases, the Metaverse, ChatGPT, and Self-driving. We will also enhance our understanding of the policy formation process and various issues in the media industry in countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, and Korea. Our research methods will involve case study analysis, Field work, questionnaire survey analysis and social media data analysis. We welcome the participation of students who are capable of or interested in learning the aforementioned analysis methods.

Nowadays the problems related to the functions of family and their solutions are widely discussed in Japan. As a background of such a situation, we may point out that the traditional gender division of labour, 'men work, while women stay at home', still exists. When and how was it established? Such family form is called the 'modern family'. What kind of influence has the 'modern family' had on not only the institutions and policies but also behavioural norms and lives of the people? This seminar is targeted at those who want to explore the answers of these questions by relating the declining birthrate and aging population in methods for historical or sociological research.

Faced with a declining birthrate and an aging and shrinking population, Japan is also facing a shortage of people to support the local community. The number of nuclear families is increasing like never before, and more and more people are facing challenges such as child-rearing, nursing care, withdrawal, deprivation, and social isolation in the absence of anyone to help them. In addition, government welfare workers are finding it difficult to locate people with these challenges because of the weakening of ties in the community. In order to improve this situation as much as possible, it is necessary to encourage local residents to take an active role in the community as supporters of community support. Although the current situation has been reported in the media, there are few opportunities to take on such roles or to experience the management of community activities.

this class provides an opportunity for participants to experience the role of a community support leader in the Shonan area, including the area around SFC, in cooperation and collaboration with residents' groups and government agencies. Through this opportunity, participants will gain an understanding of policy implementation and the actual operation of community activities, and will be able to formulate and implement specific measures in the future.

This seminar is aimed at those who are interested in the politics, economy, society, culture and history of the German-speaking areas and wish to learn more about them, as well as those who wish to draw implications from the cases of the German-speaking areas in order to seek solutions to various issues facing Japan today.

Nowadays the problems related to the functions of family and their solutions are widely discussed in Japan. As a background of such a situation, we may point out that the traditional gender division of labour, 'men work, while women stay at home', still exists. When and how was it established? Such family form is called the 'modern family'. What kind of influence has the 'modern family' had on not only the institutions and policies but also behavioural norms and lives of the people? This seminar is targeted at those who want to explore the answers of these questions by relating the declining birthrate and aging population in methods for historical or sociological research.

GIGA students (or English-speaking students) are welcome to join the seminar. The main working language of this seminar is Japanese. However, students are also encouraged to make presentations, join discussions, and write reports in English as well (in a semi-bilingual environment). Be aware that a basic understanding of the Japanese language will be recommended to participate in this seminar fully.

The seminar "International Security and Global Governance" (A-type/4 credits) aims to enhance the understanding of contemporary international politics and security in the world through examining theories, policy frameworks, and practices. Students are required to pursue their own research agenda proactively, participate in the crisis simulation exercise, contribute to group work, and write a term research paper.

The international system has undergone significant changes. Twenty years ago (around 2003), when the United States was recognized as a “unipolar moment,” the main subjects of international security were interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as international coordination on counter-terrorism. Globalization and deepening economic interdependence created notions for regional integration in Europe and Asia.

However, with the global shift in the distribution of power, the United States no longer maintains a unipolar structure. The rise of China challenges the existing region and global order. The Middle East is in a mess. The momentum of European integration has largely waned as a result of, but not limited to, Brexit. Geopolitical and historical tensions still linger in Northeast Asia.

We are now entering an era where we need to change the prism/framework of looking into the world and regional affairs. Examples include: 1) from US-centric power and order to multi-actor equilibrium, 2) from traditional deterrence to multi-layered anti-access and denial, 3) from ‘legacy’ military capability to high-tech, cyber, and space technologies, 4) from liberal international order to non-liberal state capitalism, 5) redefinition of ‘global commons’ (maritime order, cyber and space). This seminar will grapple squarely with emerging agendas that we face after the 2020s.

Below are examples of themes for the ‘group work’ for this semester:
The rise of China and the change of international system
North Korea’s nuclear and missile developments
Current trends of international terrorism
The agenda for peace-building

This seminar is the sub-seminar of the seminar B(1) "Modern and Contemporary Chinese History".

This seminar will be held together with the seminar of Professor Tajima Eiichi. Students who take this seminar are encouraged to make presentations on their individual research and to participate in discussions.

This seminar is based on the study of China from historical and sociological perspectives. We will analyze Chinese issues in modern and contemporary history during the past 100 years, and examine current social problems through the dynamic analysis of grassroots politics and local culture, as well as the daily lives of ordinary people.

Every week we will discuss the literature which students should read in advance. Students are encouraged to present their research plan and attend the discussion with other students. Through presentations and discussions, students can learn multiple perspectives of China Studies and basic skills about how to write an academic paper.

The sub-seminar will be held in conjunction with Prof. Tajima. The object of the sub-seminar is to read references on sociology and history.

This research project corresponds to research on any of the following (1) and (2).

(1) China study
(2) Study on civil society, intermediate organizations such as NGOs, and religions.

This is because my research is targeting on religious NGOs in China. If you think you have interests related to these areas, you are welcome to contact us.

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Alasdair MacIntyre said the modern world lacks a moral foundation. To be precise, I suspect that the system of politics and markets, not the whole modern world, lacks a moral foundation. Modern liberalists believe that reason freed humans from the "prejudice" of customs and beliefs. Therefore, the system that liberalism envisions must be value-neutral, not bound by customs or beliefs. On the other hand, they also believe that the system should not intervene in the choices of individuals in the lifeworld. Therefore, in principle, liberal nations such as the United States and Japan maintain the separation of church and state in the system and protect the freedom of religion and thought in the lifeworld. As a result, in the liberal system, monetary value becomes the de facto standard, not the morals of customs and beliefs. Economic growth, materially affluent life, and maintaining security and national defense so as not to threaten them are top priorities.
Therefore, there is no moral foundation. In fact, even if someone say that "liberalism ends up in utilitarianism," I believe, "realists" like T. Hobbs would not object it. On the other hand, idealistic liberalists like I. Kant, J. Rolls and J. Habermas were trying to say, "Morality can be derived from the reason." Habermas is seriously thinking how to derive morals explicitly verbalized by reason from the customs and beliefs that are freely spoken in the lifeworld, how to reflect them in the system, and what kind of communication is possible for that purpose ,and he insists that "those who have religious beliefs should translate and send out rational expressions unrelated to their beliefs."
On the other hand, authoritarian systems based on nationalism or/and socialism have emerged while denying liberalism as egoism. Authoritarianism does not drive customs and beliefs out of the system, but determines the only correct belief with its own authority. The origins of their "justice" are idols like ethnic community or revolutionary classes.
Then, we are in a dire situation. In liberalism, we are subordinate to the idol of money, and in authoritarianism, we are subordinate to the national idol. So, back to McIntyre, the question is, "Where is morality?"
Personally, I don't think we are hopeless. From a Habermas perspective, there is a living morality in the lifeworld. However, I also think, "Is there really a communication process that changes it into an explicit language?" "Is there a need to reflect it in the system?" If the lifeworld has the strength to compete with the monetary idols and state-owned idols of the system, we can resist with fortifying our lifeworld, and I think that resistance means our freedom and independence. R. Bellah said we have unverbalized moral consciousness in the lifeworld.
So, I am doing this kind of research, focusing on how far religious practices can continue to create new moral consciousness in the lifeworld. I believe it is possible even in a country like China.

GIGA students (or English-speaking students) are welcome to join the seminar. The main working language in this seminar is Japanese. However, students are also encouraged to make presentations, join discussions, and write reports in English (in a semi-bilingual environment). Be aware that a basic understanding of the Japanese language will be recommended to participate fully in this seminar.

The seminar "International Security and Global Governance" (A-type/4 credits) aims to enhance the understanding of contemporary international politics and security in the world through examining theories, policy frameworks, and practices. Students must pursue their research agenda proactively, participate in the crisis simulation exercise, contribute to group work, and write a term research paper.

The international system has undergone significant changes. Twenty years ago (around 2003), when the United States was recognized as a “unipolar moment,” the main subjects of international security were interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq and international coordination on counter-terrorism. Globalization and deepening economic interdependence created notions for regional integration in Europe and Asia.

However, with the global shift in power distribution, the United States no longer maintains a unipolar structure. The rise of China challenges the existing region and global order. The Middle East is in a mess. The momentum of European integration has largely waned due to, but not limited to, Brexit. Geopolitical and historical tensions still linger in Northeast Asia.

We are now entering an era where we must change the prism/framework of looking into the world and regional affairs. Examples include: 1) from US-centric power and order to multi-actor equilibrium, 2) from traditional deterrence to multi-layered anti-access and denial, 3) from ‘legacy’ military capability to high-tech, cyber, and space technologies, 4) from liberal international order to non-liberal state capitalism, 5) redefinition of ‘global commons’ (maritime order, cyber and space). This seminar will grapple squarely with emerging agendas that we face after the 2020s.

Below are examples of themes for the ‘group work’ for this semester:
The rise of China and the change of international system
North Korea’s nuclear and missile developments
Current trends of international terrorism
The agenda for peace-building