* This course is hosted by Professor Yu-Ting Lee, with the main lecturer being Professor Bruce Stronach, Dean Emeritus, Temple University, Japan Campus. Professor Stronach will share his decades-long experience and knowledge of contemporary Japan in terms of the designated subjects, and Professor Lee will coordinate and facilitate the functioning of the class.

Globalization is what we are all experiencing nowadays. Japan, while being a familiar neighbor of Taiwan, still remains behind a mysterious veil to a certain degree. Japan is a very interesting case study in globalization in that Japan is such a homogeneous country, and has had a history of isolation not only in the Sakoku (鎖国) days of the Tokugawa (徳川) Period but right up to now in some ways. However, it has also realized the need for globalization, and has been trying to do so through various efforts. This course will introduce students to the world of Japan and its contact with, and even merging into, the modern world. The problem of globalizing Japan mirrors the nature of globalization itself in that (1) if Japan is successful in globalization, it must do so in a number of interrelated sectors including politics, economics, education, finance, culture, society, and communication. (2) Moving this traditionally isolationist and inward-looking, homogeneous country toward globalization will need a coordinated effort from the top because the Japanese fear what many fear about globalization: loss of identity and what one can call “Native culture.” Therefore, if Japan can be successful in globalization, it will be a model for the rest of the world.