2026-2027 Elective Courses

You’re used to the challenging academic standards and probing critical thinking that characterize a liberal arts education. And you’ll find that abroad with AKP. AKP mirrors its thirteen consortium institutions in disciplinary diversity and commitment to excellence among its courses. Thanks to the Visiting Faculty Fellows program, AKP recruits some of the finest professors from the consortium, allowing you to take classes that will foster a deeper understanding of Japan’s long and complex cultural history.

AKP students will take two elective courses per semester during the afternoons. The credit amount for each course will be equal to one standard semester-long course in the US.

In addition to the AKP elective courses listed below, AKP students may, if interested, take one of their two electives each semester by cross-registering for a course offered by the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS), also housed at Doshisha University. Courses taken at KCJS will receive the same credit as AKP electives and will appear on your AKP grade report. Note that the ability to cross-register may be affected by class size limitations, time conflicts, or conflicts with class-related field trips. Enrollment in a desired course is not guaranteed.

For information about KCJS electives, see their elective course page. For more information about cross-registration, please contact the AKP US Office.

Fall 2026 (tentative)

AKP-Doshisha Joint Seminar
Professor Linus Yamane, Pitzer College, RD

 

This seminar, which is open to both AKP and Doshisha students, focuses on issues in comparative culture. The class format includes panel presentations, discussions, group projects, and a series of guest lectures by Japanese and foreign experts from the Kyoto area who will address various aspects of American and Japanese culture from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

Environmental Politics in Japan
Professor Mary Alice Haddad, Wesleyan University

 

This course uses environmental politics as a window to understand the Japanese political system and Japan’s political culture. After a brief overview of the Japanese political system and the history of environmental politics in Japan, the bulk of the course will focus on different contemporary environmental issues and examine how Japan, and Kyoto in particular, is addressing them.

Kyoto and the Visual Arts of Japan
Professor Catherine Ludvik, Kyoto Sangyo University

 

This course takes students on an exploration of the magnificent visual arts of Japan, from the enigmatic excavated works of the prehistoric period, through the imposing Buddhist arts and breathtaking sliding screen paintings defining traditional architecture, to the vibrant contemporary art scene. Through a sweeping historical survey highlighting the forms and functions of representative artworks in their respective contexts, you will examine such issues as the relationship of Japanese art to Chinese and Korean art, patronage, the ritual and visual functions of Buddhist icons, the translation of concepts into artistic forms, as well as representational strategies and modes of viewing.

Medical Anthropology: Japan in Comparative Perspective
Professor Jennifer Hamilton, Bates College

 

This course explores the intersection of health, illness, and culture within the context of Japanese society. Drawing on the principles of medical anthropology, students will examine how cultural beliefs, social structures, and historical processes shape the understanding and practice of health and medicine in Japan. While the course attends to similarities and differences between Japan and “the West,” especially the United States, it also looks at medicine as a global phenomenon, one that does not always stay within national borders. Topics include a comparative investigation of death and dying, reproduction, manga and medicine, mental health, the global politics of fat and obesity, and organ transplantation.

Spring 2027 (tentative)

Japanese Economic History
Professor Linus Yamane, Pitzer College, RD

This course begins with economic conditions during the Tokugawa period, and the process of economic growth since the Meiji Restoration. It examines the high rates of growth in the post WWII period, along with the economic slowdown in the Heisei period. Participants will discuss the character of Japanese economic policy making as well as on the behavior of Japanese enterprises, financial institutions, labor force and households. Topics include macroeconomic growth, monetary and fiscal policies, international trade, industrial policy, labor markets, savings and investment. With the collapse of the Bubble economy, and the Lost Decades, the course will end with a discussion of Japan’s recent economic conditions.

Japanese For the Professions
Professor Hisae Kobayashi, Connecticut College

This course is designed to have students develop professional-level Japanese language skills for use in professional contexts. Topics include interpersonal communication, interpretive listening and reading, as well as presentational speaking and writing. 

Religion, Tradition, and Temple-Tourism in Kyoto
Professor Catherine Ludvik, Kyoto Sangyo University

Filled with over two thousand temples and shrines, the ancient capital of Kyoto provides the ideal setting for the study of Japanese religions. Temples and shrines, however, are not only sites of faith, but locales where religion, tradition, culture, and tourism intersect. Against this vibrant and complex background accommodating diverse modes of religious practice and sightseeing, this course explores selected aspects of Shinto, Buddhism, and the New Religions of Japan in historical as well as contemporary context. We will examine present-day attitudes to religion, lived by many as inherited tradition, in conjunction with the enormous popularity of the city’s temples and shrines that function as promoters of cultural identity and World Heritage tourism.

Zen Buddhism in Japanese History and Culture
Professor Ankeney Weitz, Colby College

This course introduces Zen philosophy, history, and religious practice, with an emphasis on its historical connections to Kyoto and its survival in today’s city. After an introduction to Zen’s origins in India and China, we will study its impact on the art and culture of Japan from the
twelfth century to today, surveying a number of different art forms. We will make frequent field trips to temples, museums, theaters and other cultural sites where we will witness and analyze Zen’s lasting impact on the aesthetic outlook and artistic production in Japan.

Interested in our past offerings?

Thanks to AKP’s Visiting Faculty Fellows program, each AKP term is unique in terms of its electives. While it’s hard to predict what might be offered next, you can click on the button below to see what kind of faculty and specialities we’ve brought to AKP in the past!

Past elective courses