This graduate-level research seminar examines the entanglement of Japanese business culture, media representation, and the global circulation of cultural meaning. The course approaches capitalism not simply as an economic system but as a cultural formation shaped by narrative, aesthetics, ethics, and spectacle. Focusing on global media portrayals of Japanese corporations, artistic movements, and exported cultural concepts such as omotenashi or ikigai, students will analyze how business practices are framed, legitimized, aestheticized, and occasionally destabilized. Through sustained engagement with journalism, popular media, advertising, corporate communications, and contemporary art, the seminar investigates how capitalism acquires moral authority and cultural appeal. While the primary emphasis is on business and culture, broader ethical debates, including questions of responsibility, labor, sustainability, and social impact, will emerge through case studies and critical discussion. The syllabus will be adapted to reflect students’ research interests and thesis projects. This course requires a significant amount of reading.

斎藤幸平『人新世の「資本論」』