2022 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences24:History of Social Thought 2
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Kenji Hatanaka
- Class Format
- Lecture (HyFlex)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Wed (W541)
- Class
- 2
- Course Code
- LAH.S502
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2022
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
We discuss and examine important topics on the history of social thought.
This course focuses on utopianism in the early modern age in Japan. Students will be able to understand the utopian imagination in the era, and its social and cultural backgrounds.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Explain social and cultural characteristics of each era that produced various utopian works.
2) Obtain practical skills required in studying on cultural and intellectual history.
Keywords
utopia, intellectual history
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
lectures with slides and video. Group discussion.
*This class will be carried out as remote lectures via Zoom (live streaming) with the PDF materials.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction: Historical Approaches to Utopia | Thomas More, Utopia, 1516. Francis Bacon, New Atlantis, 1627. |
| Class 2 | India: A magician Tenjiku Tokube aims to conquer Japan (1763) | Chikamatsu Hanji, Tenjiku Tokube Sato-no Sugatami, 1763. |
| Class 3 | Popular Religion: People dance "Ejanaika" (1867) | Edgerton Herbert Norman, "Okage-Mairi," 1945. |
| Class 4 | Peer-review activity and discussion | Edit own paper 1 based on the peer-review. |
| Class 5 | utopia and dystopia | |
| Class 6 | Unbeaten Tracks in Japan: Isabella Bird discovers an Eden in Tohoku (1878) | Isabella Lucy Bird, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, 1880. |
| Class 7 | Southern Islands: Yanagita Kunio finds a coconut on the Irago shore (1897) | Yanagita Kunio, "Kaijo-no Michi," 1961. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Hand out lecture materials
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Course materials are provided during class.
Evaluation methods and criteria
paper 1: 40%, paper 2(final paper): 60%
Details will be explained in the first class.
Related courses
- LAH.H307 ： Special Lecture: Intellectual History in Japan
- LAH.S420 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences20:Western Thought
Prerequisites
Nothing required
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
hatter[at]ila.titech.ac.jp
Office hours
As needed
Other
This course is 500-level course. Tokyo Tech’s “wedge-shaped style education” enables students to pursue liberal arts education in a phased manner throughout undergraduate and graduate programs. Students are encouraged to take courses in the sequence of 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 levels. As such, master's students must begin from 400-level Humanities and Social Science courses in 1Q and 2Q of the first year, then proceed to 500-level courses. And master's students entering in September must begin from 400-level Humanities and Social Science courses in 3Q and 4Q of the first year, then proceed to 500-level courses. Students can register for 500-level Humanities and Social Science courses six months after their entrance (i.e. students admitted in April can register in 3Q and 4Q, and those admitted in September can register in 1Q and 2Q).