Graduate School
Graduate Program Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Master of Arts Programs and Doctor of Philosophy Programs
The Graduate School offers opportunities for specialized academic research to students with outstanding abilities and the intention of becoming either scholars in special fields of study or specialists in highly professional careers.
Six Master of Arts Programs and three Doctor of Philosophy Programs are offered. Each program provides an independent and distinctive curriculum.
Master Courses
English Language and Literature
This Program aims to nurture individuals who will contribute to contemporary international society by acquiring deep academic knowledge of English linguistics, English literature, and contemporary society and journalism, as well as broad knowledge of related fields and the ability to conduct advanced research based on this knowledge.
The program aims to nurture individuals who can independently carry out high-level research, acquire advanced English language skills, and after completing the program, utilize these skills to play an active role in their respective fields.
Japanese Language and Literature
This program consists of three fields of study: (1) Japanese Linguistics, (2) Japanese Literature, and (3) Japanese Language Teaching. These subjects are studied not only to deepen the students’ understanding of them, but also to consider the nature of language and literature in general. To consider what is Japanese Language or Japanese Literature, and how to teach them to foreigners, it may sometimes be necessary to see the object of research in relation to the languages and literature of the world. A wide variety of courses and leading faculty make it possible for students to attain their goals.
Philosophy
The Master of Arts Program in Philosophy is subdivided into three disciplines: Philosophy/ History of Ideas, Christian Studies, and Aesthetics.
The discipline of Philosophy/ History of Ideas comprises ancient philosophy, modern epistemology and ontology, contemporary ethics and analytic philosophy.
The discipline of Christian Studies comprises Christian theology, and conflicts between Christianity and modern/ contemporary thought.
The discipline of Aesthetics comprises philosophical aesthetics, principles of the history of art and particular issues in aesthetics.
Students specialize in one of the three disciplines. In addition, they are encouraged to attend courses in the other two disciplines in order to acquire both specialized knowledge and interdisciplinary understanding.
History
The Graduate Program in History has three major areas of study: Japanese History, Oriental History, and Western History. The program provides students with a solid foundation in analytical skills to address issues surrounding modern society, as well as to investigate the historical facts.
Courses being offered in our program include those on ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern Japan, as well as those on Western Asia, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe.
Socio-Cultural Studies
There are two areas in the master’s program: Human Relations Studies and Studies of Comparative Culture. Human Relations Studies takes a multifaceted approach to society and humans from the perspectives of Social Psychology, Sociology, and Cultural anthropology. Studies of Comparative Culture conducts research on various issues facing the international community from the perspectives of language, culture, and society. In Human Relations Studies, it is also mandatory to learn the methodology of social research, and we have introduced a curriculum to acquire Certified Social Researcher qualification.
Human Sciences (Psychology and Education)
This program offers four special areas of study: Developmental Psychology (mechanisms of lifespan development); Clinical Psychology (mental disorders and intervention); Cognitive Psychology (cognitive mental processes); and Educational Research (studies on education practice, lifelong learning and international education). Students choose one of the four areas of study and they are also encouraged to acquire basic knowledge about philosophy, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology to supplement their studies in their chosen area.
Doctoral Courses
Humanities
This program is subdivided into four fields: (1)English Linguistics/English Literature, (2)Japanese Linguistics/Japanese Literature, and (3)Philosophy/Aesthetics, and (4)History.
These fields have various areas of study in common, such as language, literature, philosophy, and art. The goal of this program is not only to deepen the student’s knowledge of their chosen field but to enable their to gain new insights in the areas of human thought and culture.
Socio-Cultural Studies
In the doctoral program, students further enhance their expertise based on either Human Relations Studies or Studies of Comparative Culture of the master’s program. In Human Relations Studies, while applying various social research methods we pursue research themes related to social phenomena and realize the application and practice of theory. In Studies of Comparative Culture, we aim to develop professionals who will contribute to promote international mutual understanding and international communication.
Human Sciences (Psychology and Education)
This program offers three special areas of study: The Basic Research in Psychology Program (to deepen the understanding of mechanisms of cognitive mental processing), the Developmental and Clinical Program (to deepen the understanding of lifespan development, mental disorders and intervention), the Educational Research (to deepen the studies on education and lifelong learning from a wider perspectives).
Licenses and Certificates
Teaching Certificate Programs (Undergraduate Certificate)
| Certificate | Subject | Major |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Teacher’s Specialized Certificate for Junior High School | English | English Language and Literature |
| Japanese Language | Japanese Language and Literature | |
| Social Studies | Philosophy, History, Socio-Cultural Studies,Human Sciences (Psychology and Education) | |
| Religion | Philosophy | |
| Ordinary Teacher’s Specialized Certificate for Senior High School | English | English Language and Literature |
| Japanese Language | Japanese Language and Literature | |
| Geography and History | History, Human Sciences (Psychology and Education) |
|
| Civics | Philosophy, Socio-Cultural Studies, Human Sciences (Psychology and Education) |
|
| Religion | Philosophy | |
| Ordinary Teacher’s Specialized Certificate for Primary School | Human Sciences (Psychology and Education) |
|
| Ordinary Teacher’s Specialized Certificate for Kindergarten | ||
Other License and Certificate-Related Programs
- Certified Clinical Psychologist
- Certification for “Certified Social Researcher”
Graduate Degrees
| Master Courses | M.A. in English Language and Literature |
|---|---|
| M.A. in Japanese Language and Literature | |
| M.A. in Philosophy | |
| M.A. in History | |
| M.A. in Socio-Cultural Studies | |
| M.A. in Human Sciences (Psychology and Education) | |
| Doctoral Courses | Ph.D. in Literature |
| Ph.D. in Socio-Cultural Studies | |
| Ph.D. in Human Sciences (Psychology and Education) | |
| Ph.D. in Psychology |