Educational Policy of the School of Letters（Bachelor's Degree Courses）
Fundamental Educational Goals
The School of Letters aims to cultivate the ability to approach the fundamental question of “What is humanity?” from various fields of the humanities. We emphasize identifying societal issues, learning from a rich intellectual heritage and diverse cultures, and applying this knowledge to contemporary society. Our objective is to foster individuals who possess rich cultural literacy and humanity, and can thrive in diverse fields, through active promotion of collaboration and dialogue with a variety of people both within and beyond the school and university.
Exemplary Students
The School of Letters nurtures individuals who possess a well-rounded education and a deep sense of humanity. Through specialized knowledge and skills in the humanities, students are encouraged to discover various issues and pursue knowledge to solve them.
Explorers of humanities knowledge who tackles various challenges
We will foster individuals to develop the following five abilities:
〇Implementation ability to engage creatively in activities aimed at solving diverse issues related to humanity.
〇Inquiry ability to identify and explore various issues related to humanity from multiple perspectives.
〇Communication ability to engage in discussions and collaborate with others.
〇Specialized ability to engage with various fields of the humanities.
〇Liberal arts ability to acquire a broad perspective.
Policy for Graduation Certification and Degree Awarding (Degree Policy)
In order to train exemplary students, the School of Letters awards degrees to students who have studied for the prescribed period of time, acquired the following competences and earned the credits required for graduation.
Abilities acquired: Implementation Ability, Inquiry Ability, Communication Ability, Specialized Ability, Liberal Arts Ability
【Implementation ability】The Implementation ability to act creatively to solve various issues related to humanity.
Based on a diverse understanding of humans and the world, this ability entails acting towards solving problems and creating a new era.
【Inquiry Ability】The inquiry ability to identify and explore various issues related to humanity from multiple perspectives.
The ability to identify and explore contemporary issues related to humans in various domains, particularly society, thought, culture, history, the mind, region, and language, through logical thinking.
【Communication Ability】The communication ability to engage in discussions and collaborate with others.
The ability to collect necessary information, objectively analyze and evaluate it using appropriate methods, and share and discuss the processes and results with others to collaborate effectively.
【Specialized Ability】Specialized ability in various fields of the humanities.
The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills in diverse fields of the humanities, including the capacity to read and interpret texts, analyze materials, and conduct experiments and surveys.
【Liberal Arts Ability】The liberal arts ability to acquire a broad perspective.
By learning methods for identifying and solving problems based on humanities, students can acquire a rich sensitivity, fair thinking unswayed by preconceptions, and the ability to objectively understand themselves, thereby acquiring a broad perspective throughout their lives.
Policy for Curriculum Planning and Implementation (Curriculum Policy)
In order to train individuals to master the abilities set out in the Policy for Graduation Certification and Degree Awarding (Degree Policy), the School of Letters organizes and implements curricula based on the following educational policies and principles:
Education Implementation Policy
The School of Letters provides education that cultivates students' ability to continue learning independently from the viewpoint of humanities to solve problems in contemporary society.
Education Principles
The following educational content is provided, from the perspective of profound in the humanities, with emphasis on what students have become able to do, rather than what has been taught.
【General Education】
General education aims to develop the multifaceted general knowledge and skills required of all students, and provides practical activities for learning with other students, while maturing and creating together.
The curriculum provides the knowledge and skills necessary to enable interaction and collaboration with people whose ideas differ from their own.
【Specialized Education】
Specialized Education provides students with opportunities to acquire deep academic knowledge by systematically studying the content of specialized fields in the humanities, as well as broad interdisciplinary knowledge by learning from various specialized fields from multiple perspectives.
The curriculum provides students with the opportunity to deeply learn the foundational and systematic knowledge and skills of their own specialized fields, while also broadly studying various areas outside their specialization, thereby enabling a comprehensive understanding of the humanities through collaboration with others.
To comprehensively explore ideas, arts, society, culture, regions, psychology, history, language, and literature deeply related to humans, five educational fields have been established: “Philosophy and Arts,” “Geography, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, and Social Cultural Studies,” “Psychology,” “History and Archaeology,” and “Language and Culture Studies.”
【Language Education】
Language education is provided to enhance the multifaceted language abilities necessary for living in a global society and to offer opportunities for multilingual education.
The School of Letters provides students with the opportunity to continuously develop their Japanese language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) from the first-year course “Invitation to the Humanities,” which serves as the foundation for all learning. Additionally, students can study various foreign languages, including English, along with their cultural and historical backgrounds from multiple perspectives. Seminars teach techniques for reading foreign languages, classical Japanese, and Chinese texts. General courses offer opportunities to learn a variety of foreign languages, such as English, German, French, Greek, Latin, Russian, Dutch, Korean, and Chinese. International students are given the opportunity to develop comprehensive and advanced Japanese language skills based on an understanding of Japanese culture.
Educational Methods
In the first year, students learn the foundational knowledge and methods necessary for university-level study and research through courses such as “Invitation to the Humanities” and “Introduction to Humanities.” From the second year onwards, students can take “General Study of Human Sciences,” which covers the basic structure of each academic field; “Topics on Human Sciences,” which explains the latest academic research in each field; “Seminars,” where students learn research techniques in each field; and “Research Seminars,” which provide hands-on guidance for writing their graduation thesis. Small group education is emphasized in seminar courses to help students acquire practical knowledge through discussions and other interactive methods.
The School of Letters has introduced a program system, offering the Major Program, Integrated Humanities Program, and Advanced Programs (Psychology Training Program, Curator Training Program, Foreign Language Acquisition and Study Abroad Program, Research Skills Development Program).
First-year students, with the support of academic advisors and mentors, independently plan their four-year study plan, deciding which courses to take and what knowledge and skills they aim to acquire by graduation. This plan is continually adjusted with ongoing support from advisors, academic advisors toward their graduation thesis. The creation of the graduation thesis in the fourth year integrates the implementation ability, inquiry ability, communication ability, specialized ability, and liberal arts ability developed over the four years, culminating the students' learning experience in the School of Letters.
Academic Performance Evaluation Policy
Regarding the evaluation of course grades, the criteria and methods (such as class participation, presentations, reports, exams, etc.) will be clearly specified in the syllabus or other documents in advance, and student performance will be rigorously assessed based on these criteria.
For graduation theses, the evaluation criteria and methods will be clearly specified, and the thesis will be rigorously assessed through review and oral examination by at least two examiners, including the primary and secondary examiners.
Extracurricular Education Policy
Students are provided with extracurricular activities to seek knowledge and interact with others widely beyond classroom learning.