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 race, ethnicity and gender and other minorities -regional, transnational and international ecosystems of information technology -artificial intelligence and algorithmic bias -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 race, ethnicity and gender and other minorities -regional, transnational and international ecosystems of information technology -artificial intelligence and algorithmic bias -technological advancement and implementation in everyday life and the powers at play

This is a course on the hegemonic power struggles that play out in leisure, with a particular emphasis on the role of media technology. This course will start with a brief introduction to leisure studies as a discipline followed by the bulk of the semester spent on reading specific studies on leisure and media in the 20th and 21st century. 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 leisure and media in various regions of the world including Japan. The course objectives are the following: - Gain insight into the significance of leisure as a central concept for academic inquiry - Gain a deeper understanding on how power is institutionalized in society through leisure, such as in the form of regulatory structures, normative mechanisms, and representation - Gain insight into the mechanisms of inculcation through everyday media - Gain insight into the impact that globalization has had on leisure and media Topics will include the following among others: racial, ethnic and other social minorities; gender; class; tourism; cinema; television; representation; serious leisure; volunteerism; regional, transnational and international ecosystems of leisure culture; leisure and technology.

This is a course on the hegemonic power struggles that play out in leisure, with a particular emphasis on the role of media technology. This course will start with a brief introduction to leisure studies as a discipline followed by the bulk of the semester spent on reading specific studies on leisure and media in the 20th and 21st century. 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 leisure and media in various regions of the world including Japan. The course objectives are the following: - Gain insight into the significance of leisure as a central concept for academic inquiry - Gain a deeper understanding on how power is institutionalized in society through leisure, such as in the form of regulatory structures, normative mechanisms, and representation - Gain insight into the mechanisms of inculcation through everyday media - Gain insight into the impact that globalization has had on leisure and media Topics will include the following among others: racial, ethnic and other social minorities; gender; class; tourism; cinema; television; representation; serious leisure; volunteerism; regional, transnational and international ecosystems of leisure culture; leisure and technology.

In this lecture, cognitive processing of multimedia information by human brains and technical processing of multimedia information on machines are explained and compared. Then, a focus is put on the fact that a large difference still remains between them. This lecture enables students to consider deeply what kind of information processing has to be implemented on machines if they want to create not seemingly but actually “human-like” robots, especially, the robots that can understand spoken language.

In this lecture, cognitive processing of multimedia information by human brains and technical processing of multimedia information on machines are explained and compared. Then, a focus is put on the fact that a large difference still remains between them. This lecture enables students to consider deeply what kind of information processing has to be implemented on machines if they want to create not seemingly but actually “human-like” robots, especially, the robots that can understand spoken language.

This course aims to provide an overview of space governance from the perspectives of space policy and law. For this purpose, lectures are to be given by academia, practitioners and specialists in outer space activities and utilization. The course requires students to explore the possible solutions/proposals on specific themes through joining group work and writing individual report. Space governance and space policy are interrelated and the key terms in understanding how space missions need to cope with the existing regulatory framework and how to identify pressing issues/challenges that all space actors need to go through. Such knowledge is beneficial not only to traditional actors (e.g., government and national space agencies) but also to New Space actors (e.g., private entities) or new space-faring nations (e.g., UAE) who started space missions recently. With the increasing number of space actors, due to growing interest in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), various space applications both by government and private sector are flourishing to support societal needs. Considering such a crowded situation in Earth orbit and the limits of resources available in outer space, this course provides comprehensive lectures that help students to explore the possible and practical solutions necessary for pursuing further space activities. In FY 2025, before dealing with the latest topics including space traffic management (STM), space resources exploration, and space x SDGs, the course provides introductory lectures on space policy and law, governance of various space activities, the role of space actors (i.e., space agencies, industry, international organizations) and the process/forum of rule-making for sustainable space activities.

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.

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.