Foundations of Environmental Sciences I

Professor Okamoto will conduct a reading seminar and/or give lectures on the history and current situation of the power industry in Japan. The reading assignments will be on three or four of the following issues: the establishment of the first electric light industry in Tokyo; jurists and physicists’ debate over electricity theft; attempts and failure in the frequency unification; the development of nuclear power in postwar Japan; reform of the industry after March 11, 2011; lessons of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident. More specifically, chapters and articles in the following publications may be assigned to read and discuss: J. Ahn et al. eds., Reflections on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident, Springer, 2015, E.D. Blandford et al. eds., Learning from a Disaster, Stanford Security Studies, 2016, and Technology and Culture, 58:1 (2017). Professor Ishihara will lecture on environmental philosophy, dealing with the following topics and issues: relationships between nature, animals, and humans; philosophical discussions on environmental issues; human mind and environment (extended mind hypothesis). Each student will be required to give a presentation on a topic related to the topics covered by the lecture. Professor Mimura will have a seminar based on reading some chapters of Kyle Harper, Plagues Upon the Earth (Princeton University Press, 2021), and will discuss, with some introductory lectures, the historical relationship between infectious diseases and human affaires.

Lectures and students' presentations

Participation and final report.

To be announced during lectures

To be announced during lectures

The course will be provided in English. The first class will be given online. For details please refer to ITC-LMS.

The first class will be given online. For details please refer to ITC-LMS.