School of Letters
School of Letters
Program Overview
The Faculty of Letters consists of eight majors: i) Philosophy and Ethics; ii) Aesthetics and History of Art; iii) Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, and Socio-Cultural Studies; iv) Psychology; v) History and Archaeology; vi) Linguistics and Linguistics of Modern Japanese; vii) Japanese Linguistics and Literatures; viii) Chinese, English, French, and German Linguistics and Literatures.
The first academic year consists of introductory courses in humanities, freshman seminars, classroom discussion, along with more specialized courses. This ensures student’s familiarity with the fundamentals of the humanities and social sciences.
Following first year, students are expected to take courses designed to bring them to the forefront of their chosen academic field. Throughout their courses, students acquire familiarity with various research methods. These can then be applied to the more advanced level research courses, eventually culminating in a graduation thesis. Students can also deepen their understanding of the humanities subjects by taking a multitude of courses covering a wide range of subfields within the humanities, or by studying abroad. Our goal is for students to develop the essential skills necessary to identify and solve the complex issues that they may encounter in their futures.
Profiles of Exemplary Candidates
We welcome all students who are able to apply their knowledge, in order to identify and solve a variety of issues in a clear, concise, and logical manner. We are particularly interested in:
- Students who are interested in philosophy, logic, and the fine arts; and show interest in the related literature.
- Students who have an avid interest in the relationships between the environment, human thought and behavior, and society and culture, as well as their regional variations. Students who can collect the related data and information required to substantiate their discussions and debates concerning those relationships.
- Students who are interested in Japanese, as well as other histories and cultures; those who wish to further collective understanding and apply newly acquired knowledge to a variety of contemporary issues.
- Students who are interested in the structure and the history; the differences and universal principles; regional, cultural and social class variations of language; and wish to acquire the skills necessary to undertake scientific research related to those topics.
- Students who desire to proactively contribute to contemporary society. Students who do this by virtue of self-reflective investigation concerned with humanity and our world, as well as a nurtured sensitivity towards literature, philosophy, and culture.