This seminar, taught at University of Tokyo, with students from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, focuses on developing an understanding of contemporary Japanese and Chinese societies - their histories, cultures, politics, and economies - through lectures, readings, discussions, and tours in Japan and Hong Kong. Excursions include an overnight trip to rural Japan to examine the role of population aging and rural depopulation on peripheral regions and a three-day trip to Hong Kong to experience a rapidly changing Chinese cultural setting.

Equal parts art, programming, and statistical reasoning, data visualization is critical for anyone who seeks to analyze data. Data analysis skills have become essential for those pursuing careers in policy evaluation, business consulting, and research in fields like public health, social science, or education. This course introduces students to the powerful R programming language and the basics of creating data-analysis graphics in R.