Social Studies

Global Geography (Grade 9)
For students arriving at Keio in the ninth grade, it is required that they take World Geography. The goal of this course is to provide students with an introductory understanding of the geography and basic characteristics of various countries and regions. From this course students will have gained a foundation upon which future politics, history, area studies, and economics classes can build upon.

World/Japanese History (Grade 10)
History for the 10th grade is truly a bilingual and bicultural course. Students take World History taught by an English speaker and at the same time take Japanese History taught by a Japanese speaker.
World History
The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the historical development of various countries and civilizations. Students will learn to understand major historical themes that can be applied to future areas of study. Emphasis is placed on Western Civilization with the course beginning with Ancient Greece and ending in modern times. In this course there is an emphasis on cause and effect as an applied method of studying and analyzing history.
Japanese History
At the same time that students are taking World History, they are also taking Japanese History. This course provides students with a basic understanding of Japanese History from pre-history to late 18th century to the end of the Edo Era. (At 12th grade, students resume studying Japanese history from the Meiji Restoration.) Learning Japanese history outside of Japan with friends of various backgrounds is itself very meaningful. That broadens our view and encourages us to reconsider Japan and Japanese history constantly. Then, students could think Japan and Japanese history based on not only basic knowledge but also their own worldwide experience.

Cultural Studies (Area Studies) (Grade 11)
This course is designed to develop a multicultural perspective, anthropological, sociological, geographical, political and historical approaches to examine the different cultures of the world. The course will examine the cultural traits, cultural diversity, and cultural conflicts which exist in the world. The students will be expected to write a paper/project in each quarter about the topic presented. Areas of the world that will be studied during the course are China, India ,The Middle East, and Africa/Latin America.

United States History and Government (Grade 11)
The aim of this course is to provide students with an understanding of democratic institutions and processes, the rights and obligations of the individual within a democratic political system, and the informal and formal components in a functional, democratic political system. Significant periods and events in U.S. history will be highlighted.
本コースは、民主的な制度やプロセス、民主的な政治システムにおける個人の権利と義務、さらには、機能的で民主的な政治システムにおける、公式的（フォーマル）な要素と非公式（インフォーマル）な要素について理解することを目的にしている。アメリカの歴史上の重要な時期や事件についても焦点をあてる。

Social Studies A: Modern Japanese History (Grade 12)
This course is designed to study the history of Japan chiefly from the Meiji Restoration (Meiji Ishin) to the present. Students will begin by reviewing Japanese history before the Meiji Restoration in order to realize what was changed by the Meiji Restoration. Students will understand the means by which traditional Japan rapidly changed and joined the modern world. Modernization of Japan has been remarkable with many excellent results. On the other hand, some events in Japan’s modern history have been detrimental to both Japan and the world’s best interests and provide a basis for study and analysis.
本コースでは日本史の中でも明治維新から現代までの、いわゆる近現代史を重点的に学習する。明治維新によって何が変わったかを明らかにするため、維新以前の歴史についても要点的に概説する。日本がいかに急激に変化し、当時の国際社会の一員になっていったか、その方法・過程を理解する。日本の近代化は多くのめざましい成果をもたらしたが、その反面、日本自身や世界に多大な損失を与えたことも少なくない。これらの学習は現在の日本をより深く知ることにも通ずるだろう。

Social Studies C: Economic and Business (Grade 12)
This course will teach students about the world of business and of economics. In the first semester, students will learn the three main tasks of running a business: how to make, finance and sell something. A major project is the preparation of a marketing plan for a new product. At the same time, the first half of the course focuses on selected microeconomic topics. This is the study of businesses, workers, and the interactions of supply and demand. Students will also pick stocks in the stock market. In the second semester, we look at macroeconomic topics: the study of how the economy of an entire country works. Comparisons between the U.S., Japan, and China are emphasized. Projects will focus on international trade and globalization.

Social Studies D (Honors) and Social Studies D-1 (Non-Honors): Political Thought (Processes and Policies) (Grade 12)
The purpose of this course is to help students better understand different political systems. We will study the works of great political thinkers, such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, Marx, Hobbes, and Locke, and will examine some of the political systems that these people helped create, such as communism and democracy. We will also examine some of the important problems facing governments today, such as terrorism, globalization, war, hunger, and poverty. We will ask how governments, working alone or with other governments, can try to solve these problems. This question will lead us to the United Nations. The United Nations, while far from perfect, has helped solve some of the problems facing the world and, hopefully, will help solve others. Students in Political Thought will take part in a “Model UN”, which is a simulation of how the United Nations actually works. Students in this class may also have the opportunity to attend a Model UN in New York City. Thousands of students from all over the world attend this Model UN and students from our Political Thought class have won writing awards at this prestigious event. An important part of this course will be applying what we study to current events. Students will be asked to read several articles from newspapers or newsmagazines each week that relate to this course and may be assigned to write about them. Students may take either the Honors Political Thought class or the regular Political Thought class. Honors students are assigned more papers and readings than students in the regular class and will have more challenging quizzes and exams.

Advanced Cultural Studies Research (Advanced Area Studies Research) (Grade 12)
This course provides students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the world by developing writing and research skills. This course builds on the 11th Grade Area Studies course by focusing on worldwide themes, rather than specific areas. The themes are Politics and Economics of the Environment, Political Violence, Democracy, and Globalization. Each theme is presented to give students a better understanding of cultures and current events from around the globe. This course is designed to develop writing and research skills, and students can expect to complete several writing assignments. Individual research topics will be the main component of the class. Each quarter, students will be assigned a new research project based on the theme. Students will be able to develop their project to meet their interests and concerns.

Japanese Civics and Philosophy (Grade 12)
The purpose of this elective course is to promote a deeper understanding of current Japanese society. Besides learning about the Japanese political system, students will research and make presentation about topics which they are interested in. Each quarter includes the following topics: 1) What is Law? -Law as one of the social norms-, The Constitution of Japan, the feature of the parliamentary cabinet system, Election systems and their influence on political parties-LDP predominant party system-, 2) The year cycle of the Japanese diet (KOKKAI) and session system, The process to establish laws-cabinet bills and private member’s bills-, The bureaucracy and politicians, The flaw in the Japanese Bicameralism and “NEJIRE”-lame duck parliament-, 3) the brief history of Economic Thought, Development of capitalism and Ideological Conflict, Cold-War structure and the 1955 regime, The public goods and free rider theory, 4) Reading various works on Japan including Fukuzawa Yukichi where students are encourage to think how they relate to Japan in the future.
本コースでは、日本の政治制度の学習を通して，現代日本社会への理解を深めていくことを目的とする．各クオーターで次のような内容を学習しながら，生徒は自分の関心のある社会現象についてのリサーチとプレゼンテーションを行う．１）法とは何か，日本国憲法と議院内閣制の特徴，日本の選挙制度と自民党一党優位体制，２）国会の１年と国会運営，内閣提出法案と議員立法，, 官僚と族議員, 二院制とねじれ，３）経済学史，資本主義の発達とイデオロギー対立，冷戦構造と55年体制，公共財とフリーライダー，４）福沢諭吉やその他の文献を読みながら，日本という国との関わりを各自で考えてもらう．