Environmental Policy & Rural Development Studies

Division :
GSA GSE
Partners :
  1. Wageningen University
  2. University of Gottingen
 

Topics →

Overview

The social sciences are strongly expected to respond to increasing concerns about environmental and food security by providing a basis for knowledge, practices and governance in sustainable development. Sustainable development is a process that requires a holistic way of looking at ourselves and the world around us, i.e. our relationship with each other, with the ecosystem, and with future generations. We are faced with complex problems, which require complex solutions. We therefore need to study and acquire multidimensional and multidisciplinary approaches. Globalisation demands that issues be tackled using international perspectives, but at the same time actual problems are quite likely to arise at the local level. We therefore need to nurture a sense of reality on the ground. These approaches and perspectives are crucial especially in environmental, agricultural and food-related social sciences and policy studies.

Objectives

The objective of this module is to provide an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and processes of sustainable development in the environmental, economic, social and political spheres with a keen focus on the governance of energy, food and natural resources.

Area of Study

This module covers the field of environmental, agricultural and food-related social sciences and policy studies. It is designed for any and all graduate students with an interest in the globally pressing issues of environmental, agricultural and food governance from a wide range of social scientific perspectives, including environmental policy and governance, international political economy of agriculture, international relations, food policy, rural sociology, environmental sociology, development sociology, economic geography, and environmental economics.

Students of this module will be encouraged to take an exchange programme at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, one of the centres of excellence in the field of environmental, agricultural and food-related sciences.

Learning Goals

Students participating in this module are expected to acquire the knowledge and skills to analyse the complex and dynamic processes of environmental management, agricultural production and food consumption. It is our educational goal that our students enhance their understanding and critical sense of reality of ecological, economic, social and political systems from a multidimensional and multidisciplinary perspective.

Examples of Courses

  1. Comparative Business Ethics (GSE)
  2. Comparative Development Studies (GSE)
  3. Critical Consumption Studies (GSE)
  4. Critical Food Studies (GSE)
  5. Environmental Economics (GSE)
  6. International Agribusiness Studies (GSE)
  7. International Agri-food Studies (GSA)
  8. International Development Assistance Policy (GSE)
  9. International Political Economy of Agriculture (GSE)
  10. Qualitative Research Design and Analysis (GSA)
  11. Sustainable Industry Development (GSE)

Core Teaching Staff

HISANO, Shuji
(Module Leader, Professor, GSE)
AKITSU, Motoki
(Professor, GSA)
FEUER, Hart
(Junior Associate Professor, GSA)
FONTE, Maria
(Adjunct Professor, American University of Rome)
JONGERDEN, Joost
(Associate Professor, Wageningen University)
JUSSAUME, Raymond,Jr.
(Professor, Michigan State University)

Business History & Industry Policy Studies

Division :
GSE
Partners :
  1. University of Glasgow

 

Topics →

Overview

The core driving forces of today’s globalised economy are enterprise and innovation. Business history is one of the most powerful approaches to explain the dynamics of firms, industries, local, national and global economies and transformation of societies. Business history is not just about studying the past, but about how knowledge of the past shapes our understanding of the present and sets our expectations for the future. In other words, history is the most insightful source for strategy and policy making. It also provides a framework by which the limits and effectiveness of generalisation and theorisation are set. Hence, in this module, we bridge historical study and a wide variety of social sciences.

Objectives

The objective of this module is to nurture a comprehensive capability to contextualize the significance of actors, events, and institutions in the past and present systematically.

Area of Study

This module covers a wide array of disciplines based on the historical approach, such as Business History, Socio-economic History, and History of Economic Thought. Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a growing call for integration of history into organisation studies, along with repercussions in the related disciplines of strategy, entrepreneurship, international business and a variety of policy studies. Thus, this module combines history and organisational studies including management.

Learning Goals

While mastering the essential analytical tools of Business History and Industry Policy studies, students are also expected to learn the basic approaches used in the foundational disciplines of Economics, Management, and History. On completion of the module they should have acquired:

  1. Capability to understand and apply basic concepts of broadly defined social science, especially Management and Economics.
  2. Skills to position individual cases in wider social and historical contexts.
  3. Capability to use historical research methods and case studies.
  4. Capability to understand time- and location-specific actors, events and institutions from comparative perspective.

Examples of Courses

  1. Business History & Industry Studies Readings A (GSE)
  2. Corporate Strategy and Organization (GSE)
  3. Economic & Business History (GSE)
  4. Economic History Readings A (GSE)
  5. Historical Approaches to Business and Economics A (GSE)
  6. Historical Approaches to Business and Economics B (GSE)
  7. Industries and Global Competition (GSE)
  8. International Business and Nation States (GSE)
  9. Multiple Perspectives on Management (GSE)
  10. Readings in Global Economic History (GSE)
  11. Readings on Institutional Economics (GSE)
  12. Strategic Management (GSE)
  13. Sustainable Industry Development (GSE)

Core Teaching Staff

KUROSAWA, Takafumi
(Module Leader, Professor, GSE)
COLPAN, Asli M
(Professor, GSE/GSM)
TANAKA, Akira
(Professor, GSE)
WATANABE, Junko
(Professor, GSE)
IVINGS, Steven Edward
(Associate Professor, GSE)
FERNANDES PEREZ, Paloma
(Professor, University of Barcelona)
ROSS, Duncan
(Professor, University of Glasgow)
WADHWANI, Daniel
(Professor, University of Southern California)
WUBS, Ben
(Professor International Business History, Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Developing & Emerging Economies Studies

Division :
GSE GSA
Partners :

  1. Chulalongkorn University
  2. Renmin University of China
  3. University of Göttingen
 

Topics →

Overview

Economic Development in less developed countries and transition from planned economy to market economy are essentially same trials in that they both entail a struggle to create a well-performing market economy. Economics is obliged to contribute to the trials with appropriate policy suggestions, informed by scientific tools and analysis which are based on sound empirical evidence with external validity.

Objectives

m5-img1

This module aims to raise experts in developing and transition economies studies with sophisticated knowledge and skills in Economics, including Econometrics. Furthermore, an ideal expert in developing and transition economies studies, as envisaged by this module, should have excellent skills to obtain insightful findings through field surveys.

Area of Study

  1. Development Economics as a discipline
  2. Comparative Economics as an interdisciplinary approach within Economics
  3. China, Vietnam, Laos, India and other transition and developing economies as field sites
  4. Developing economies such as Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, etc.) as field sites
  5. Transition economies such as Russia and eastern European countries as field sites

Learning Goals

Students participating in this module are expected to become the following types of professionals:

  1. Professional researcher in development and/or comparative Economics
  2. Expert in international development aid
  3. Entrepreneur playing an active role in developing and transition economies
  4. Public servant playing an active role in developing and transition economies

Examples of Courses

  1. Agricultural and Environmental Policy (GSA) 
  2. Development Economics: Advanced (GSE)
  3. Development Economics: Core (GSE)
  4. Econometric Analysis of Asian Economies (GSE)
  5. Econometric Analysis of Developing Economies (GSE)
  6. Geopolitical Economy of Development (GSE)
  7. International Development Assistance Policy (GSE)
  8. International Rural Development (GSA) 
  9. Introduction to East Asian Economies (GSE)
  10. Regional Environmental Economics (GSA) 

Core Teaching Staff

YANO, Go
(Module Leader, Professor, GSE)
LU, Wanxue
(Program-specific Assistant Professor, GSE)
ITO, Junichi
(Professor, GSA)
KONO, Hisaki
(Associate Professor, GSE)
YU, Xiaohua
(Professor, University of Göttingen)

International Trade & Financial Studies

Division :
GSE
Partners :
t.b.a.

Topics →

Overview

International trade and international finance are two major fields of study in international economics. In the era of globalisation, it is very important for both business persons and public officials to understand how countries are connected with one another through trade in goods and services and financial transactions. International trade and financial studies investigate various issues in the fields of international economics from both theoretical and empirical points of view.

Objectives

The objective of this module is to provide essential knowledge in international economics and to develop students’ research skills in international economics and related fields. Emphasis is placed on the advanced level of theoretical and empirical studies in international trade and finance.

Area of Study

This module covers the fields of international trade theory, empirical studies in international trade, international finance, and international macroeconomics. Topics addressed in this track include theories of international trade, international trade policy, globalisation strategies of firms, foreign direct investment, trade and the environment/natural resources, various issues in international finance, international monetary system, prices and monetary policy, real exchange rates, economic

Learning Goals

Students participating in this module are expected to acquire skills in applying economic theory and econometric method to various issues in the real world related to international trade and finance. It is our educational goal that our students enhance their understanding of economic activities and policy issues in the international markets through the track’s course work.

Examples of Courses

    Under construction

Core Teaching Staff

Under construction

Business Management & Accounting Studies

Division :
GSE
Partners :
t.b.a.
 

Topics →

Overview

Business management has become one of the critical elements of contemporary economic society. At Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Economics we arrange the systematised curriculum that will be instrumental in learning updated approaches to behavioral aspects (corporate strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship), structural sides (organisational behavior and processes) and administrative factors (managerial and financial 12 accounting, and corporate governance) in an integrated fashion. Holding its scope to be both global in geographical coverage and flexible in theoretical and technical methodologies, the uniqueness of this programme lies in its characteristic combination of academic disciplines and practical applications.

Objectives

This module on business management and accounting sets its ultimate goal to educate students to be well equipped with the latest knowledge in business management and accounting that suits their individual and different carrier goals. Students aiming at start working for an established business enterprise should value knowledge on strategic management and organizational behavior. For others who plan to found their own businesses the familiarity with entrepreneurship and innovation could be more valuable. Students aspiring to become an academic should be able to receive rigorous training in a scholarly discipline on which they would concentrate.

Area of Study

This module on business management and accounting includes the following areas of study:

  1. Strategic management (corporate strategy, international management, entrepreneurship)
  2. Organisational behavior (organisational behavior and processes, human resource management, networks and alliances)
  3. Innovation (innovation management, innovation and technology, service innovation)
  4. Marketing (marketing management, distribution channel and management)
  5. Accounting (financial accounting, managerial accounting, management control, corporate governance)

Learning Goals

Given the ever-changing business dynamics of the global economy, the educational goal of the module on business management and accounting is to teach the latest and comprehensive knowledge on management and accounting disciplines.

Further, responding to the current societal demand for specific expertise in professional management, students are expected to master the state-of-the-art techniques in their specialized subjects.

Examples of Courses

  1. Comparative Business Ethics (GSE)
  2. Corporate Strategy and Organization(GSE)
  3. Firms & Industrial Organization in Japan (GSE)
  4. International Agribusiness Studies (GSE)
  5. International Business and Nation States (GSE)
  6. International Human Resource Management (GSE)
  7. Multiple Perspectives on Management（GSE）
  8. Organization Theory (GSE)
  9. Strategic Management (GSE)

Core Teaching Staff

COLPAN, Asli M.
  (Professor, GSE/GSM)
SEKIGUCHI, Tomoki
  (Professor, GSE/GSM)
YAMAUCHI, Yutaka
  (Professor, GSE/GSM)

Asian & Transcultural Studies

Division :
GSL
Partners :
    1. Heidelberg University
    2. University of Strasbourg

 

Topics →

Overview

The module focuses on training in the use of primary sources (i.e. reading original material) and in conducting field research to enable students to develop their studies on Asian philosophy, society, history, culture and literature through comparative and transcultural perspectives in a global frame.

Objectives

This Module aims to：

  1. Prepare students to conduct research by relativizing their research objects beyond the boundaries of conventional thinking in their communities or cultures.
  2. Train experts and scholars who will take the lead in the field of Global Japanese Studies.

Area of Study

This Module emphasizes the study of philosophy, sociology, history, culture and literature throughout Eurasia from a global point of view, centred on Japan and other Asian regions as platforms for research.

Learning Goals

On successful completion of the course, students will gain:

  1. Access to methods and theories for conducting field research, using primary sources to develop original studies and position their own research objects in the global context.
  2. The ability to use at least one primary resource written in an Asian language.
  3. Skills to express themselves effectively using an international academic language such as English in communication and public speaking.
  4. Comparative perspectives derived through multiple-cultural studies such as research on Asia and Europe.
  5. Skills in writing at a high level of originality with clear substantiation, based on the foundation acquired through the Module.

Examples of Courses

  1. Advanced Skills for Humanities Research in English: Reading, Writing, and Discussion (GSL)
  2. Fieldwork and Qualitative Research of Japanese Society (GSL)
  3. Introduction to Transcultural Studies (GSL)
  4. Japanese Academic Reading: Bungobun & Kanbun (GSL)
  5. Japanese Contemporary Popular Culture: Media Practices in a Global Context (GSL)
  6. Social Science Research on Education: Japanese schools, culture and society from comparative perspectives. (GSL)
  7. Transcultural Asian Cinema (GSL)
  8. Welfare Regime and Cross-Border Migration (GSL)

Core Teaching Staff

WADA-MARCIANO, Mitsuyo
(Module Leader, Professor, GSL) Cinema Studies
VASUDEVA, Somdev
(Professor, GSL) Indian Philosophy and Religion; Sanskrit Poetics
ASATO, Wako
(Associate Professor, GSL) Sociology
KAMM, Björn-Ole
(Junior Associate Professor, GSL) Sociology/Japanology
Kjell David ERICSON
(Junior Associate Professor, GSL) History of Science and Technology

Voices from Faculty Members

Since its foundation in 1906, the Faculty of Letters of Kyoto University has been an important hub in Japan in the field of Asian studies, which includes philosophy, history and literature.

East Asian books, journals, documents and maps owned by the Library of the Graduate School of Letters and other facilities of Kyoto University are regarded as one of the most prominent world collections.

We encourage our students to make best use of such excellent primary sources to conduct great research.

In addition, through our long established partnerships with leading universities in other Asian countries, our departments offer students excellent opportunities to receive direct advice from professors of the partner universities or to conduct field research in collaboration with them.