The Department of Global and Transcultural Studies offers an extensive selection of classes in English and Japanese. These lecture courses cover a range of academic disciplines and learning levels, and they are taught by professors from both of the Faculty’s departments. Since English is the primary language of instruction in GTS, its curriculum is structured around courses in this language, but GTS students with sufficient skills have the opportunity to study in Japanese as well.
The GTS curriculum consists of four major areas of study. GTS students are free to follow their interests and choose courses from all areas, and in keeping with the Faculty’s interdisciplinary approach to learning, we encourage them to explore and integrate knowledge from different fields.

Culture

Sample courses: Global History, Modern East Asian History, Transcultural Studies, Buddhist Culture, Japanese Popular Culture, Japanese Culture, Japanese Literature

Our courses respond to the growing need to understand how various processes of globalization shape human communication and knowledge production. We reconsider culture through the lens of the burgeoning field of Transcultural Studies that questions Eurocentric narratives, draws attention to inter-Asian referencing, and exposes the constructed nature of concepts such as civilization, culture, nation, and society. Transnational and transcultural traffic, global media flows, global community, belief systems, and fandom are just a few examples of the themes we examine to comprehend how people interact in an increasingly interconnected world.
Focusing on Japan, we study various processes of creative adaptation of ideas from earlier periods and other geographical regions pertaining to artistic, linguistic, literary, and religious practices to reevaluate the country’s contribution to global culture. Our courses offer a balanced exploration of premodern and modern Japan to equip students with solid knowledge about the country’s rich culture and history. How can knowledge about the aristocratic, warrior, and commoner practices that developed between the tenth and the nineteenth centuries deepen our insight into contemporary popular culture? How does understanding the social functions of the supernatural over the centuries shed light on attitudes toward gender, race, and nationalism in Japan? Why has Japan’s shifting place on the global stage led to the production of cultural icons? These are some of the questions we address by considering how culture constantly evolves and is shaped by dynamic interactions and negotiations across perceived boundaries.

Economics

Sample courses: Labor market in the Global Economy, Behavioral Economics, Regional Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

Economic Globalization and development have significantly transformed the ways in which people work, consume, socialize, interact, and transact with each other. Our Economics and Business courses provide insights into the underlying foundations of people’s behavior, their choices, the changes, and the inequalities therein. Changing work patterns reflect broader shifts in economic structures and labor markets, influenced by globalization and technological innovation. These changes often result in diverse employment trends such as the rise of gig economies, remote work, and the polarization of job opportunities. In our courses on Labor Economics, we explore these dynamics in depth, examining how labor markets adjust to economic shocks and policies, and how these adjustments affect wage structures, employment rates, income inequality, and labor mobility. In the realm of Behavioral Economics, we focus on the cognitive biases and decision-making processes that influence consumer behavior and economic decision-making. Behavioral economics offers insights into why individuals often make irrational choices that defy traditional economic predictions, exploring how they value gains and losses, deal with risk, and how social norms and identities shape their economic actions.
Economic Globalization has also increased the race among corporations for bigger profits and markets. In our business courses, we discuss some of the most competitive and innovative strategies pursued by companies to outperform their market rivals, or even carve new markets. Further, while businesses focus on delivering maximum value to consumers, both sides at times inflict irreparable damage to the environment, to people, to cultures and geographies. Our courses also address such social issues, creative yet sustainable solutions to them, through experiential projects.

Source:"GTS in Numbers"

Society

Sample courses: Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Social Anthropology, Gender and Society, Gender and Body, Contemporary Japanese Society, Japanese Minority Groups

We can often observe some convergence among regional/local societies that are because of globalization.  On the other hand, societies still maintain their individual identities with unique characteristics that resist globalization. To understand the impact of globalization on these societal processes, our classes in sociology and anthropology give students the opportunity to consider issues and problems faced by regional and local communities. The perspectives offered by these classes range from vital perspectives of sociology and social anthropology to close studies of issues facing minorities who have long been pushed to the margins of society.
Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Social Anthropology provide vital concepts and perspectives for the study of societal trends and changes at the local and regional levels. Gender and Society provides perspectives to understand not only various gender issues of contemporary Japanese society but also global gender issues, such as women’s disproportionate share of unpaid work. Our course Gender and Body focuses on how people globally evaluate and construct their appearances. It also considers how some aspects of beauty standards converge globally and how they have maintained local characteristics.

Politics

Sample courses: Introduction to International Relations and Comparative Politics and Policy

Politics is how a group of people make decisions that affect them all, whether that group be everyone on earth, a nation, a city, or a classroom. Globalization means political developments throughout the world matter more for us all, whether it is the politics about how to respond to a global pandemic, a major military confrontation, or a tariff war.
There are three major sub-fields of Political Science. 1. Political philosophy is about what politics and policies should be, and how to make the world a better place. 2. Comparative politics is about the study of national political systems, including in Japan, the United States, Norway, China, India, etc. Comparative Politics and Policy addresses what kind of policies governments implement in various policy areas and how they affect the country, society, and the lives of citizens. Policies we study include those in areas of macroeconomy, education and skill formation, labor market, family support, welfare, and economic growth strategies.   3. Finally, international politics is about politics among states and non-state actors under anarchy, or a lack of government above them to settle disputes. Introduction to International Politics exposes students to the major approaches for understanding international politics, especially the “big three:” realism, liberalism, and constructivism. It also introduces feminist, human rights, human security and environmental approaches to international politics. While this course focuses on states, it also considers the roles of non-state actors, including international organizations, NGOs, multinational corporations, and individuals. Our other courses on comparative and international politics expand on these themes.

Other Lecture Courses

These classes center on academic skills, and life and career development.

The educational process for any academic discipline begins with learning basic concepts, information and study methods and then advances to more sophisticated ideas and complex topics. Therefore, the Faculty’s lecture classes are organized into two levels that guide students in their studies. GTS separates its lecture classes into Lower and Upper Divisions.

Lower Division Elective Classes

GTS students have many required courses in their first year, but they gradually have more opportunities to choose Lower Division electives.
As suggested by the many “Introduction to _______” titles, courses in this division are the gateway to studying economics, politics, cultural and society.
While the contents will vary by discipline, students will read fundamental texts, grapple with key concepts, and begin to gain basic research and analytic skills.
These courses help students to lay the foundation of their education at GTS.

Upper Division Elective Classes

In contrast to the Lower Division choices, these courses examine specific themes and topics in greater detail.
The readings are at higher level, and the assignments will often include a research paper or activity.
In these classes, students enhance their knowledge in a particular discipline, and they acquire advanced skills for data analysis.
Whereas Lower Division classes start the educational process in GTS, Upper level courses give 3rd and 4th year the skills and intellectual background required for the Graduation Project. Furthermore, students from our world-wide network of exchange partnerships often enroll in our advanced English lecture classes.
As a result, they offer multicultural study experiences right here on the Yokohama campus.

Suggested classes

Although some Upper Division electives have no requirements, students should gain Lower level knowledge and skill before they attempt to take a number of important Upper Division classes.
Therefore, the GTS faculty strongly urges students to enroll in certain “prerequisites” in order to prepare for specific Upper Division electives.
In some courses, professors may not accept students if they feel the student does not have sufficient background preparation.

Lecture Electives in Japanese

Up to 14 credits of courses in Japanese will count toward graduation requirements

GTS students with sufficient Japanese language skills are encouraged to enroll in the Faculty’s Japanese lecture courses.
These classes are primarily taught by professors in the Department of International Studies, but some GTS faculty also offer courses in Japanese.

Market Failure: Externalities 外部性と市場の非効率性

The following video introduces you to the experience of taking a GTS class taught in English. The teacher is Prof. Prajakta Khare and the topic of her lecture is “Market Failure: Externalities.”