keio

Keio University
Tokyo, Japan

Founded in 1858 by Yukichi Fukuzawa, a highly respected intellectual leader and visionary, Keio University is Japan’s oldest private comprehensive research university. Keio has 6 major campuses across the greater Tokyo area with 14 graduate schools, 10 undergraduate faculties, and a university hospital. In 2014, in recognition of its outstanding commitment to education, research and medicine, Keio was selected as one of Japan’s Top Type (Type A) universities for the government’s Top Global University Project.

Keio University is home to over 33,000 students and 5,300 faculty and administrative staff, with a rapidly growing international community. In 2017, Keio had a total of 1,677 international students from over 70 countries, including those enrolled in the Student Exchange Program and the Japanese Language Program, as well as short-term and research programs. Keio offers more than 800 courses, 29 double degree programs and 24 degree programs conducted entirely in English, with more being developed year after year. Furthermore, Keio is particularly proud of its strong alumni network, which has active branches throughout the world. Notable alumni include many CEOs of Japan’s most successful companies, alongside numerous world class-athletes, 3 prime ministers and 2 astronauts.

Keio University is continuously seeking to expand its international profile, with six overseas offices and centers and over 300 international partners with which it actively engages in both educational and research collaborations. The university is a member of many international university associations, including the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) and the Top Industrial Managers for Europe (T.I.M.E.).

Website: https://www.keio.ac.jp/en/

VSE Season 1, 2022-23: Courses offered by Keio University


Important - Read Before Applying

Before applying, please make sure you understand the following enrolment restrictions set by the course offering university:

Applicants to courses offered by Keio University at VSE Season 1, 2022-23 are required to upload their OFFICIAL transcript when making an application through the VSE application system. They are also required to complete an additional Keio University registration form immediately after submitting the VSE application. The deadline for submitting the Keio registration form is the same as the VSE application deadline..



Application Deadline

Students must submit an application to the VSE Central Office before:
Aug 18, 2022 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)



Course Information

Course information posted on this page are provided by the course offering university and may be changed or updated anytime without prior notice.

Click on the course titles to reveal full course details:

Number of Credits2
Offering DepartmentInternational Center
Course TeacherSUGIURA, Kazunori
Language of InstructionEnglish
First Day of ClassOct 7, 2022
Last Day of ClassJan 27, 2023
Course ComponentLecture
Mode of TeachingSynchronous
Meeting TimeFri 1445-1615
Time ZoneUTC+9
Course Description"Anime", "Comic", and "Game" are some of the aggressive and innovative forms of popular culture spreading throughout the world. Japan is one of the major countries influencing this unique popular culture with its creativity. Enthusiast of such popular culture are defined as “Otaku”. It also delivers a new sense of atmosphere in terms of "Kawaii", and "Moe". These so called “Otaku” cultures are now focused throughout the globe and giving Japan an important role to enhance its innovative creativity. These contents and subcultures distributed from Japan have created transnational cultural boom referred to as “Cool Japan” and now creating an inevitable cultural influence. Furthermore, political strategy suggests favorable international competitiveness to claim these cultural deliverable as the seeds of creativity influencing its national branding. Objective of this course is to understand how the roots of these Otaku cultural activities in Japan have expanded internationally as one of Simulacra with creators, and activists of the fields: How the technology has been created and knowing its real motivation to drive these subcultural activities.

This course will first address the backgrounds and characteristics as well as its innovative expansion of “Otaku” culture recognized internationally, that were once born in the age of competing creativity that comes from Social Darwinism inherent during the phase of its economic growth and development of Japan. We will share the history of “Otaku Culture” and its technology in Japan from three perspectives. 1) Potential of expression process 2) Digital Content technologies that are being applied 3) Breakthrough of “Otaku Culture” influenced by Trans-nationalization and Internationalization. We will learn the creation process of media contents, games, and expressions for the next generation, especially learning and understanding technologies and methods to become a representative of “Otaku Culture creator and producers”. We will discuss with participants, the next generation evolving reinvented, recreated animation, games, and expression contents produced internationally outside of Japan, especially from Asia. This course will also introduce you to get use to the views, methodologies, and ideologies based on “Otaku” with practical evidence, together with knowing the route in psychological process of satisfying desire and greed with its Otaku creativity.
Course Outline82344
Course Prerequisites/RestrictionsN/A
Points to Note for StudentsN/A
Number of Credits2
Offering DepartmentInternational Center
Course TeacherOKUGAWA, Ikuko
Language of InstructionEnglish
First Day of ClassOct 3, 2022
Last Day of ClassJan 30, 2023
Course ComponentLectureDiscussion
Mode of TeachingAsynchronousSynchronous
Meeting TimeN/AMon 1045-1215
Time ZoneUTC+9
Course DescriptionThis course is an introduction to Japanese linguistics in sociocultural context. We will be reading scholarly articles in areas such as conversation analysis, cognitive linguistics, discourse analysis, functional linguistics, interactional linguistics, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics, thinking about them critically, and formulating our own opinions. This course is primarily aimed at international students interested in the sociocultural aspects of the language, as well as at native speakers of Japanese who aim to research Japanese linguistics or to teach Japanese as a second language. We will cover a wide range of theoretical and empirical perspectives and many examples of each phenomenon. Classes will consist of lectures, discussions, presentations, and a final paper.
Course Outline89372
Course Prerequisites/RestrictionsJLPT N3 or above
Points to Note for StudentsN/A
Number of Credits2
Offering DepartmentInternational Center
Course TeacherSHAULES, Joseph
Language of InstructionEnglish
First Day of ClassOct 4, 2022
Last Day of ClassJan 31, 2023
Course ComponentLecture
Mode of TeachingSynchronous
Meeting TimeTue 1445-1615
Time ZoneUTC+9
Course DescriptionThis course focuses on the deep cultural learning and personal growth that can result from adjusting to life in another country. We will learn about the psychology of adjusting to foreign experiences. We will see that experiences abroad can be either deep or shallow. We will learn about the impact of living abroad on our values and identity. Each student will interview someone about their intercultural experiences and analyze and present the results. The ultimate goal is for students to get the most out of intercultural experiences.
Course Outline92595
Course Prerequisites/RestrictionsN/A
Points to Note for StudentsN/A
Number of Credits2
Offering DepartmentInternational Center
Course TeacherSUZUKI, Rie
Language of InstructionEnglish
First Day of ClassOct 7, 2022
Last Day of ClassJan 27, 2023
Course ComponentLectureDiscussion
Mode of TeachingAsynchronousSynchronous
Meeting TimeN/AFri 1445-1615
Time ZoneUTC+9
Course DescriptionTo communicate well with others, especially in cross-cultural settings, it is crucial to have a good vocabulary and grammatical knowledge of the language used there, but this is not enough. We still misunderstand each other unless we correctly understand what they mean through their speech, which is sometimes not so easy. This course thus aims to explore Japanese everyday interaction from various socio-cultural aspects that may affect speakers’ ways of interacting with others. By analyzing it in detail, comparing it to practices in other languages, and sharing experiences and opinions with classmates, you will gain more insight into how people select their words and expressions and thereby perform social actions. You will see socio-cultural phenomena of Japanese communication from a wider perspective, while observing and analysing your own language use and its possible impacts on others.
Course Outline95044
Course Prerequisites/RestrictionsN/A
Points to Note for StudentsN/A


Before Making an Application

Make sure you have thoroughly read the information on this page and the Academics page before making an application. If you have a question, email us at [email protected] or contact the VSE Coordinators at your home university or course offering university,