The course of peace and coexistence aims for seeking ways and means of conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, human security, and coexistence through cooperation in international and regional societies. For these purposes, this course provides opportunities for field studies in post-conflit areas, and researches through cooperation with related international agencies.

+ Studies on efforts for establishing durable peace in conflict-affected countries/regions by both international and local communities

The objectives of the course are (1) to learn various activities of peacebuilding; (2) to understand the evolution of peacebuilding theories; and (3) to deepen the understanding of peace through reflection on peacebuilding.

The course covers a number of areas/issues in peacebuilding, which presents potentials, effects and challenges of peacebuilding activities. Each conflict has its own features and thus one-fit-all approach is not the solution in peacebuilding. However, learning the efforts and discussion in the area to date would prepare us in tackling the newly arising situations.

+ Understanding challenges on peace and conflict in the current global era in light of security, global governance, and peacebuilding

This course will provide academic knowledge for the understanding of contemporary armed conflicts and ways and means of conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and conflict prevention through showing major theoretical perspectives categorized in Security Studies, Peace Studies, and Conflict Studies in International Relations (IR). For your deep understandings and correct comprehension of reading materials that should be offered in this class, participants are recommended to take basic knowledge on International Relations and International Law at the undergraduate level or to study it by yourself from the relevant textbooks in advance.

+ Studies on the nuclear damages, focusing on Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl

There are two purposes of this course. One is to enhance the understanding of the theoretical introduction of peace studies. The second is to examine the global nuclear damages, focusing on Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl from the viewpoint of peace studies. We also consider “Fukushima” in this class. The discussions are the most important for this class.

+ Foreign policy of Japanese old school

Through the analysis of the various issues surrounding the postwar Japanese politics and diplomatic, I explore the clues to solve the current problem.

+ Studies on foreign and security policy with emphasis on nuclear non- proliferation and disarmament, and the prevention of weapons of mass destruction proliferation

This course is designed to help deepening participants' understanding on the problem of peace and security, by shedding light on the most destructive aspects of global politics. This course purports to consider (1) the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) including nuclear weapon, (2) the security issues in East Asia, and (3) new security challenges in the age of globalization from various perspectives. Through lectures and discussions, this course aims to help participants (a) to understand more clearly about the traditional interstate security concerns as well as "non-traditional" security issues such as climate change, natural disaster, cyber warfare and transnational terrorism, and (b)to develop the skills to express their own opinions persuasively from the theoretical and historical viewpoints.

+ Understanding the making and development of global political order and its impact on the political orders in Asian regional worlds

Making of the global world political order and its development will be analyzed in which the relationship with political orders of the regional worlds in Asia will be duly considered. Special attention will be given to the political orders in East as well as South Asia which will be compared by focusing on several issue fields. Problems of democracy in developing countries are also analyzed. Each participant is expected to give presentations about the reference materials relating to the subject at least once in a whole period of the lecture. A class of the day will be divided into two and the second half will be for the presentation and discussions thereafter by participants.

+ Understanding conflict resolution mechanisms and their challenges.

Each conflict has different contexts and causes. Thus, conflict resolution tools and goals should be varied in every case. In this course, we will study the basic theory of conflicts resolution and the causes of conflict, then look at various cases to consider factors for the successful conflict resolutions. 

+ War as a bargaining failure, and war as a bargaining process

Why do armed conflicts ever occur? Given the otherwise unnecessary human and material costs of fighting, why do disputants in some situations fail to strike a war-avoiding bargain? Why do some conflicts terminate within months while others last for years? What determines when and how conflicts end? The bargaining theory of war sees conflict onset, continuation, and termination as a part of a political bargaining process. This course approaches these questions on the causes and dynamics of armed conflicts, with a particular focus on the pre- and intra-war bargaining.