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.

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.

Is there such a thing called Japanese philosophy? While there is a tendency to think of philosophy as uniquely Western, with some developments having sprouts and branches in Indian and Chinese history, what is not as well-known is that there was an original philosophy that emerged out of 20th Century Japan. What we will look at in this course is one strand of Japanese philosophy: the Kyoto School philosophy (京都学派). The Kyoto School is a name given to a philosophical movement that took place around Kyoto University that both assimilated and challenged the foundational claims within Western philosophy by drawing on its own intellectual heritages and ideas and used them to reformulate religious, political, and moral viewpoints that are unique to the East Asian cultural tradition, and perhaps to the rest of the world, while maintaining a dialogue with its Western counterpart. What makes this school important and relevant to contemporary philosophy is the fact they took a bipedal stance between the East and West. The goal for many of these philosophers was not to advance a particular Eastern philosophical standpoint as such, but to put forth a vision of dialogue among a multiplicity of worlds. In this sense, the Kyoto School appears rather cosmopolitan when compared with other European or American schools of thought at that time. Given the increasingly global context we currently live in, it is becoming certain that we need other philosophical discourses that are not Western grounded to further understand the pressures, diversity, and problems of contemporary life. This course will discuss the major figures, principles, and historical controversies of the Kyoto School philosophy and bring these thinkers into conversation within Western philosophy in order to engage the problems of today’s global world. These thinkers shared cosmopolitan visions of the future, seeking to address issues related to colonialism, social conflict, and self/cultural identity; and if we read these thinkers more hermeneutically, we can find that their work touches on issues that afflict us today as well: issues, such as environmental degradation, military escalation, and excess capitalism. Finally, note that this is part I of a sequence of courses I call “The History of Japanese Philosophy” (with part II focusing on the social philosophy of Japanese history and part III on the Marxist tradition within the history of Japanese thought). Ultimately, what this course aims to do is to have students exercise their analytical and critical thinking skills in English by deploying these authors or texts in the service of demonstrating their relevance to the sustainable development goals that is the center of Global Liberal Arts classes (or students can do the opposite, as an option—to disprove their relevance!). In this course, the students will: a) know who the major figures of the Kyoto School are; b) learn the fundamental arguments proposed by leading Kyoto School thinkers; c) understand and discuss the controversies around the Kyoto School; d) explore the personal, social, and political issues raised by the Kyoto School; e) and theorize the possible connections or relevance the Kyoto School has to contemporary problems or issues related to the sustainable development goals

Is there such a thing called Japanese philosophy? While there is a tendency to think of philosophy as uniquely Western, with some developments having sprouts and branches in Indian and Chinese history, what is not as well-known is that there was an original philosophy that emerged out of 20th Century Japan. What we will look at in this course is one strand of Japanese philosophy: the Kyoto School philosophy (京都学派). The Kyoto School is a name given to a philosophical movement that took place around Kyoto University that both assimilated and challenged the foundational claims within Western philosophy by drawing on its own intellectual heritages and ideas and used them to reformulate religious, political, and moral viewpoints that are unique to the East Asian cultural tradition, and perhaps to the rest of the world, while maintaining a dialogue with its Western counterpart. What makes this school important and relevant to contemporary philosophy is the fact they took a bipedal stance between the East and West. The goal for many of these philosophers was not to advance a particular Eastern philosophical standpoint as such, but to put forth a vision of dialogue among a multiplicity of worlds. In this sense, the Kyoto School appears rather cosmopolitan when compared with other European or American schools of thought at that time. Given the increasingly global context we currently live in, it is becoming certain that we need other philosophical discourses that are not Western grounded to further understand the pressures, diversity, and problems of contemporary life. This course will discuss the major figures, principles, and historical controversies of the Kyoto School philosophy and bring these thinkers into conversation within Western philosophy in order to engage the problems of today’s global world. These thinkers shared cosmopolitan visions of the future, seeking to address issues related to colonialism, social conflict, and self/cultural identity; and if we read these thinkers more hermeneutically, we can find that their work touches on issues that afflict us today as well: issues, such as environmental degradation, military escalation, and excess capitalism. Finally, note that this is part I of a sequence of courses I call “The History of Japanese Philosophy” (with part II focusing on the social philosophy of Japanese history and part III on the Marxist tradition within the history of Japanese thought). Ultimately, what this course aims to do is to have students exercise their analytical and critical thinking skills in English by deploying these authors or texts in the service of demonstrating their relevance to the sustainable development goals that is the center of Global Liberal Arts classes (or students can do the opposite, as an option—to disprove their relevance!). In this course, the students will: a) know who the major figures of the Kyoto School are; b) learn the fundamental arguments proposed by leading Kyoto School thinkers; c) understand and discuss the controversies around the Kyoto School; d) explore the personal, social, and political issues raised by the Kyoto School; e) and theorize the possible connections or relevance the Kyoto School has to contemporary problems or issues related to the sustainable development goals

The purpose of this course is to examine how Japan’s transformation into a modern nation was shaped and represented through visual culture. Great emphasis is placed on group work, as students are expected to actively collaborate with peers to analyze visual materials, share perspectives, and co-construct knowledge. Through these interactive and cooperative activities, students will also have the opportunity to enhance their English communication skills and connect with a community of internationally minded peers. この授業では、日本が近代国家へと変化していく過程を、当時の絵画や写真、広告などの「視覚資料」を通して学びます。授業では、オンライン教材やビデオ講義、歴史資料を用いながら、ディスカッションや課題に取り組みます。特にグループワークを重視しており、視覚資料の分析やプレゼンテーションなどを通して、学生同士が協力しながら学びを深めていきます。これらの活動を通して、視覚的リテラシー、歴史的思考力、異文化理解力を養うとともに、英語によるコミュニケーション能力の向上も目指します。国際的な視野を広げたい方や、英語を実践的に使って学びたい方に適した内容となっています。

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.

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 explores modern human rights movements through the lenses of culture, psychology, and law, focusing on non-violent activism. We will examine various case studies to understand how political activists build coalitions, how local groups and individuals resist conflict, and the legal frameworks that support the sustained implementation of human rights. The course is organized around key sociological categories, including political engagement, gender, ethnicity, disability, and nationality. To achieve this, we will analyze historical and contemporary examples from the United States, Japan, Ireland, Uganda, and Israel-Palestine, among others. The course will deal with the following SDGs: 5: Gender Equality 10: Reduced Inequality 16: Peace Justice and Strong Institutions

This course explores modern human rights movements through the lenses of culture, psychology, and law, focusing on non-violent activism. We will examine various case studies to understand how political activists build coalitions, how local groups and individuals resist conflict, and the legal frameworks that support the sustained implementation of human rights. The course is organized around key sociological categories, including political engagement, gender, ethnicity, disability, and nationality. To achieve this, we will analyze historical and contemporary examples from the United States, Japan, Ireland, Uganda, and Israel-Palestine, among others. The course will deal with the following SDGs: 5: Gender Equality 10: Reduced Inequality 16: Peace Justice and Strong Institutions