This is a course on visual culture in the 20th and 21st century, with a particular focus on the interplay between media technology, culture and society. This course will also be multidisciplinary in nature, as we reflect on our discursive assumptions in the historical, sociological, anthropological, philosophical disciplines among others. While the readings may primarily cover phenomenon in the United States, participants will be strongly encouraged to think of the specificity of the impact of globalization on media and society in various regions of the world including Japan. The course objectives are the following: -Gain a better understanding of the relationships between society, media, people, institutions and how they function as agents of maintaining the status quo or for fostering change -Learn about the transformative faculties and social implications of quotidian applications of technology -Gain deeper understanding of the academic disciplines Topics will include (but are not limited to): -representation of human-computer interaction in culture -regional, transnational and international ecosystems of information technology -artificial intelligence and algorithmic bias -representation of race, ethnicity and gender and other minorities -technological advancement and implementation in everyday life and the powers at play

This is a course on visual culture in the 20th and 21st century, with a particular focus on the interplay between media technology, culture and society. This course will also be multidisciplinary in nature, as we reflect on our discursive assumptions in the historical, sociological, anthropological, philosophical disciplines among others. While the readings may primarily cover phenomenon in the United States, participants will be strongly encouraged to think of the specificity of the impact of globalization on media and society in various regions of the world including Japan. The course objectives are the following: -Gain a better understanding of the relationships between society, media, people, institutions and how they function as agents of maintaining the status quo or for fostering change -Learn about the transformative faculties and social implications of quotidian applications of technology -Gain deeper understanding of the academic disciplines Topics will include (but are not limited to): -representation of human-computer interaction in culture -regional, transnational and international ecosystems of information technology -artificial intelligence and algorithmic bias -representation of race, ethnicity and gender and other minorities -technological advancement and implementation in everyday life and the powers at play

This course aims to raise awareness on the critical role of space technology in our daily lives and the important implications it has on domestic policymaking and international relations. The first part of the course, titled “Space and Society”, provides an overview of major space technologies and their applications. It then demonstrates how space assets have become a critical infrastructure on which advanced societies are over-reliant, and the hazards and threats that they are facing. The second part of course delves into political science and international relations. It addresses the various approaches to space policymaking, the structure of international relations in outer space and the major challenges ahead for the space sector. This course will be a part of the global effort to map threats and consequences for space sustainability conducted by the United Nations Institute of Disarmament Research.

The development and diffusion of science innovative technologies is indispensable for modern society. However, despite its benefits, the development of science and technology is not without various risks and social problems. So far as we are going to make societal decisions for the use of science and technologies with diverse social implications that encompass both risks and benefits, sometimes involving values implications, there is a need for mechanisms of decision making and management of the development and utilization of science and technology. Decisions can be different depending on environmental, institutional and cultural conditions. In addition, innovative policy instruments/ mechanisms to deal with rapidly changing science and technology, including regulatory measures, are required for implementing decisions. This course will deal with wide range of issues from local to global levels faced at the interface areas between science, technology and public policy from comparative perspective of Japan, the US and Europe. It offers key theoretical issues surrounding Science and Technology and provides students with the tools and frameworks, such as risk assessment/ management and transition management, to analyze them. This course invites students from both natural science backgrounds (i.e. the graduate school of engineering, new frontier science and so on) and social science backgrounds (graduate school of public policy, law and politics, and economics and public policy). We expect students to acquire interdisciplinary perspective in addition to their primary major, which is one of the critical skill in analyzing complex social technical issues posed by science and technology.

Modern societies face an urgent challenge: how to design human systems that operate within the limits of the Earth’s ecosystems. Natural ecosystems have evolved over millions of years as complex, self-organizing systems that maintain stability through diversity and feedback. In contrast, many modern production systems simplify ecological complexity, often leading to environmental degradation. This course explores how insights from ecology can inform the design of more resilient human systems. Beginning with the ecological foundations of forests and tropical peat ecosystems, the course examines how human land use has transformed landscapes from carbon-rich peat forests to industrial oil palm plantations. We then explore emerging alternatives, including permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and systems-based ecological design. Throughout the course, students engage in systems thinking, learning to analyze complex environmental problems and to imagine regenerative futures. In parallel, students develop academic writing skills in English, focusing on how scientific arguments are structured in research papers. ーーー 現代社会は、地球の生態系の限界の中で機能するように、人間の社会システムをどのように設計するかという緊急の課題に直面している。自然生態系は、数百万年という長い時間をかけて、多様性とフィードバックによって安定性を維持する複雑な自己組織化システムとして進化してきた。これに対して、多くの現代の生産システムは生態系の複雑さを単純化してしまい、その結果として環境劣化を引き起こすことが少なくない。本授業では、生態学の知見が、よりレジリエントな人間システムの設計にどのような示唆を与えるのかを探究する。 まず、森林や熱帯泥炭生態系の生態学的基盤を出発点として、人間の土地利用がどのように景観を変化させてきたのかを検討する。具体的には、炭素を豊富に蓄える泥炭林が、工業的なオイルパームプランテーションへと転換されてきた過程などを取り上げる。そのうえで、パーマカルチャー、再生型農業（regenerative agriculture）、システムに基づく生態学的デザインなど、新たな代替的アプローチについても考察する。 授業を通じて学生は、システム思考（systems thinking）を用いて複雑な環境問題を分析し、再生型の未来を構想する方法を学ぶ。また同時に、英語によるアカデミック・ライティングの基礎を身につけ、研究論文において科学的議論がどのように構築されるのかを理解する。

This course covers the framework of media technologies that enable Mixed Reality, including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). The course will be conducted in English. 本講義では，バーチャルリアリティ（Virtual Reality）や拡張現実感（Augmented Reality）を含む複合現実感（Mixed Reality）を実現するメディア技術の体系について講義をおこなう．講義は英語で行う．

Media Design is an exciting and relatively new discipline within the wider context of design. In it researchers and practitioners are interested in exploring new ways to use and deploy digital media technologies to have function, communicate information or present artwork. Designers from a Media Design background often work on or with web design, e-books, data-bases, big data visualisation, smartphone applications, film, animations, digital imaging, art installations, technology products and many other artefacts and systems. Such designers create their ideas utilising digital or electronic formats and the intention is often that the work is created from scratch to be accessed on a digital platform. This course is a first step introduction to Media Design, it is not intended to be a comprehensive class but rather a short and intense introduction to some processes and skills and you may wish to continue your exploration of this discipline in other classes or studies.

Media Design is an exciting and relatively new discipline within the wider context of design. In it researchers and practitioners are interested in exploring new ways to use and deploy digital media technologies to have function, communicate information or present artwork. Designers from a Media Design background often work on or with web design, e-books, data-bases, big data visualisation, smartphone applications, film, animations, digital imaging, art installations, technology products and many other artefacts and systems. Such designers create their ideas utilising digital or electronic formats and the intention is often that the work is created from scratch to be accessed on a digital platform. This course is a first step introduction to Media Design, it is not intended to be a comprehensive class but rather a short and intense introduction to some processes and skills and you may wish to continue your exploration of this discipline in other classes or studies.

　本講義の目的は、メディア・技術と人びとの活動・実践とのかかわりについて、経験的に研究を遂行していくための方法論を考察することである。講義は、以下のように、【1】指定テクスト購読、および【2】参加者自身の論文（草稿）――メディアや技術、コミュニケーションに関連する学術研究――の検討を中心に進めていく。 【1】「メディア論」のテクスト購読 　メディア・技術と人びとの実践、あるいは社会との関係について、「メディア論」と（日本語圏で）呼ばれる知的領域は、様々な知見を提示してきた。本講義では「メディア論」的と呼びうるような論理構成を持つテクストを、 ①そのテクストが何について（対象）、 ②どのような資料・データに基づいて（データ）、 ③どのような方法意識をもって人びととメディアとの関係性を記述し（記述の方法）、 ④①～③を通してどのような「社会学的」な知見を導入しているか（社会学的含意）、 という点に留意して購読・議論する。 　「メディア論」と呼ばれる知的方法において分析の対象となってきたのは、いわゆるマスメディアや情報メディアに限られない。日本における「メディア論」の重要な機縁となった加藤秀俊・前田愛『明治メディア考』では――マーシャル・マクルーハンのUnderstanding Media同様――新聞から文具、博覧会、建築に至るまできわめて多様なものが、人びとの社会的生を成り立たしめるメディアとして捉えられていた。本講義では、まず、一見「メディア」と見えない対象を、人びとの社会的実践を組織化するメディアとして捉えるさいの「対象選択」の原理を確認する（①）。続いて、テクストが、その対象を分析する際に、どのような資料・史料に基づいて議論を組み立てているかを精査し（②）、そのデータに基づいて、人びととメディアの関係性をどのような「メディア観（メディアとは何かということに関する明示的・暗示的な理論）」「コミュニケーション観（伝達や理解をどのように捉えているか）」「共同性・社会観（メディアによって達成される集合性をどのように捉えているか）」（③④）を考察する。 　参加者には、事前にテクストを精読し、①②③④の論点にそくしてレポートを作成し、講義前週の金曜日までに提出することが求められる。具体的なレポートの書き方、様式については初回講義の際に指示する。 【2】講義参加者の論稿の検討 　メディア・技術・コミュニケーションに関連する講義参加者自身の論稿をとりあげ、協働的に検討する。その際も、【1】と同じく、参加者には上記①～④の観点に留意した「コメント」を用意することが求められる。

画像・映像情報やパターン認識に通じる課題を網羅的に取り上げる．オンサイトとオンラインのハイブリッドでの実施を行う。 We will comprehensively cover fundamental topics related to image and video processing and recognition. Lectures are given in a hybrid format (on-site and online).