Minor

Example Courses

Global Studies III: Japanese Arts and Aesthetics

In this class, students learn about Japanese art and aesthetics culture from a Christian perspective. Students will focus on Ghibli animation as an art form in which contemporary Japan influences the world. Ghibli works also depict Japan's native natural religions, such as the worship of spirits in the forest. They will see some of Ghibli's most important works in class, discuss them, and study them. Students will read "Miyazaki World: A Life in Art". by Professor Susan Napier, a researcher at Ghibli, as a textbook and learn about contemporary Japanese art from an international perspective, together with appreciating the works.

Global Studies VII: Religion and Society in Japan

This course aims to understand and analyse how religions function as social systems in contemporary Japan. Although Japan is considered as one of the least religious countries in the world, it can be argued that religion still plays a significant role in Japanese people’s public and private lives. This can be observed in the intersections of various themes such as Shinto and politics, Buddhism and views of life and death, New Religions and social engagement, and the Aum Affair and violence. Through readings, lectures, student presentations, weekly discussions, and field trips, students are expected not only to gain knowledge about relationships between religion and society in Japan and achieve a necessary familiarity with the religious landscapes in the contemporary Japanese society, but to develop critical skills for examining their own views of religion itself.

Global Studies XⅥ : Japanese Culture and Society

This course introduces Japanese culture and society through studying forms, patterns, and expressions of life in Japan today. Students will get a broad overview of Japanese forms of government, economic life, family and community life, Japanese religions and worldviews, and forms of education. While the focus will be on contemporary Japan, students will also learn about historical forms and expressions of Japanese culture that have led up to the present day. Students will learn through classroom lectures, readings, and discussions, of course, but also through meeting and interviewing local Japanese people about their own understanding and experiences in various areas of life, and through reflecting together on what they have seen and learned during their experiences in daily life. Throughout the course, students will have many opportunities to reflect on what it means to live as a Christian in Japan today, whether as a Japanese citizen or as an expatriate. The course's broader aims are for students to learn how to become critically minded and compassionate interpreters of their own and other cultures to live and act in ways that lead to the flourishing of life both locally and globally.

Example Courses

Global Studies I: Intercultural Communication

The need to acquire knowledge and skills in intercultural communication is growing in the globalized word. Developing ability and competence in cross-cultural communication is not simply relevant but crucial today. This course aims to introduce the basic knowledge and skills necessary for developing healthy intercultural relationships. To achieve this goal, this course will explore the fundamental concepts and variables in cross-cultural communication. In addition, students will learn cultural patterns that help them to identify both their own and other cultural methods of communication in order to foster healthy intercultural relationships. The cultivation of positive attitudes towards different cultures is essential. The necessary components and basic skills for effective intercultural communication will be discussed. In this course, a special emphasis will be given to the intercultural communication in the Japanese context. This specific emphasis is intentional and it aims at helping students for their cultural adjustment in Japanese culture and society.

Global Studies II: Introduction to Global Studies

This course is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary understanding of the complexities of our interconnected world. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities, students will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the historical, cultural, economic, political, and social dynamics that shape our world.
This course will examine current global issues and themes such as environmental degradation, food security, global health, and international migration. The goal of the course is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives necessary to become informed and active citizens in a rapidly changing world and to encourage critical thinking and informed decision-making. Throughout the course, students will engage in a multi-modal self-reflection process designed to help them locate themselves in both the local and global community by understanding links between history, ideology, and behavior, or the local- global (glocal) continuum.They will also develop the ability to identify and question theories and structures that are used to frame global processes.

Global Studies IX: International Development

This course aims to introduce a basic concept of poverty and development with a special emphasis on a biblical perspective. The first part of the course will examine the nature of poverty and existing perceptions of global charity, while focusing on the emerging roles of entrepreneurship as an alternative to alleviating world poverty. In addition, the course will also explore social and political dynamics of development including the neocolonial power mechanism and paternalism reinforcing the predominant ways of doing development and aid. The second part of the course will focus on the biblical understanding of human flourishing, entrepreneurship, justice for the poor, and the important role of church to bring the eternal solution to human nature, the transformative power of the Gospel. The course will also address some key biblical concepts and practical strategies to promote the global Christian partnership and entrepreneurial solutions to poverty.

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