For the Cultural and Regional Studies course, the most pressing issue is to deepen understanding of the culture and society of Asia while articulating the dynamics such as friction, discord, and transformation that occur when different cultures come into contract with one another. This course emphasizes the need for a precondition for international cooperation and development assistance and careful examination of primary and local sources. The Cultural and Regional Studies course particularly leverages approaches including rural economics, cultural anthropology, and regional studies in an attempt to gain an organic understanding of the societies being researched. Through such approaches, this course endeavors to train the students who can contribute to various areas of international cooperation particularly such as global environmental issues and peace building in contemporary world.

+ Rural Economics; issues related to agriculture economy and rural dynamics
+ South Asian Studies; issues related to socio-economy of South Asia

+ Cultural Anthropology of Globalization and Social Development
+ Area Studies of Southeast Asia; Transformation of Community and Identity in the Process of Development

+ Social Studies of Science and Technology; The Relationship between Culture and Technology in Developing Societies
+ Area Studies of South Asia; Environment and Society in Contemporary India

+ The “Development & Cultural Change” Forum, started since 1998, is a place to exchange various ideas on the issues of development including livelihood, environment, religion, and peace.