2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Social and Human Sciences Graduate major in Social and Human Sciences
Graduate Methodologies in Politics, Law and Administration S1B
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Social and Human Sciences
- Instructor(s)
- Takeshi Nakajima
- Class Format
- Lecture (Livestream)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Thu
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- SHS.P464
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
I have been doing fieldwork in India from the 1990s to the 2000s. The target is a group called RSS (National Service Society), which is leading a political, cultural, and religious movement called "Hindu nationalism" and "Hindu fundamentalism." Currently, the ruling party in India is the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), which is supported by the RSS as a subordinate organization, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also deeply involved with the RSS. I have been researching why religious right-wing political movements are expanding in modern India, which is experiencing rapid economic growth. In this class, based on my own fieldwork experience in India, I would like to discuss issues of subjectivity and representation of others that have been explored in cultural anthropology, political science, and contemporary thought from both a theoretical and practical perspective. .
Course description and aims
Understand the basic characteristics and techniques of the research method called fieldwork. Understand the problem of representation of others.
Keywords
Everyday practice, agency, resistance, gaze, subalternity, orientalism
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Basically, the instructor (Nakajima) gives a lecture, followed by a discussion among the participants. We will prepare your resume (or slide materials) and send it to you in advance.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Class orientation | Understand how the class will proceed |
| Class 2 | Agency, everyday practice, and resistance | Understanding agency |
| Class 3 | Politics of gaze and subjectivity: from the perspective of tourism anthropology | Understand how the gaze of others promotes cultural transformation. |
| Class 4 | Politics and subjects: From the case of Delhi's slums | Learn about fieldwork examples |
| Class 5 | Representations of the Weak - Subaltern Studies | Thinking about the representation of the subaltern |
| Class 6 | Representation of culture and tradition - Orientalism theory | Understanding Edward Said's "Orientalism Theory" |
| Class 7 | summary | Reflect on what you have learned in previous classes |
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)
Not required
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Not required
Evaluation methods and criteria
comment(30%) and report(70%)
Related courses
- Graduate Lecture in Politics, Law and Administration S1A
- Graduate Lecture in Politics, Law and Administration S1B
- Graduate Lecture in Politics, Law and Administration F1A
- Graduate Lecture in Politics, Law and Administration F1B
Prerequisites
Not required