1. Objective
This is an educational program intended to produce area researchers equipped with advanced language abilities by providing opportunities to utilize their special characteristics along with our human resources and curriculum. The program targets two majors (Language and Culture Studies and Area and International Studies) in the Master’s Degree Program and the Area and Culture Studies in the Doctorate Program of our graduate school.
2. Contents
2.1 Master’s course
- Subjects including Archival Studies, History and Civilization, Politics and Economy, Literature and Culture, and Global Studies will be further expanded in order for students to acquire the sophisticated expertise and extensive knowledge essential for area studies.
- Common subjects including Basics of Language and Culture Studies, Methodology of Language and Culture Studies, Basics of Area and International Studies, and Methodology of Area and International Studies will be expanded in order for students to acquire the ability to research each discipline from an interdisciplinary perspective.
- Academic presentation of various languages will be further enhanced in order for students to cultivate the advanced language ability necessary for writing theses and making presentations at international conventions/workshops. Students can improve practical language skills through managing language classes for local citizens (summer school) by cooperating with students in the doctorate course.
2.2 Doctorate course
- Assistant groups of three instructors each will be formed to oversee research progress and provide students with continuous support for writing their thesis and obtaining their degree.
- Both domestic and foreign travel for academic research will be supported by expanding fieldwork in Regional Studies to encourage on-site data collection and fieldwork. A new independent study of Regional Studies program will be established to cultivate independent research skills.
- Interdisciplinary Studies, established in 2007, will be further enhanced to deepen students’ interdisciplinary and specialized knowledge through direct discussions by inviting researchers from various fields.
- International workshops and seminars will be held for students to practically apply their skills and improve interdisciplinary/specialized knowledge, technical research skills, and language ability. Small seminars will be held by inviting distinguished researchers from institutions such as partner universities.
As well as enhancing knowledge and skills in their own discipline and subject of their research, students can acquire basic knowledge in other related fields and cultivate technical research skills so as to apply their expertise in interdisciplinary subjects. In the age of globalization, Japan and international society have a strong demand for area researchers who can independently study issues from both specialized and interdisciplinary perspectives based on the advanced language ability cultivated by our program.
3. Management System
3.1 Program staff
| Name | Discipline / Post |
| Tadahiko Wada | Modern Italian literature Representative |
| Takashi Narita | German Linguistics Educational project, linguistic ability development |
| Yasuo Soma | Modern German and European history Fieldwork |
| Toshio Nakano | History of Social Philosophy International workshop/seminar |
| Seiichi Murao | Classical Japanese Literature Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Toshie Awaya | Modern South Asian History Independent Study |
| Toshiyuki Chiba | Medieval German History Assistance for students’ academic research |
3.2 For smooth implementation and management of the program
- A program organizer will support the management, planning, and smooth implementation of the overall program through close collaboration with the program staff.
- Academic presentations (particularly those in English) will be enhanced through fixed-term employment of assistant professors.
- Employment of students as teaching/research assistants will be expanded and they will be provided with financial assistance in order to improve their educating/research skills.
4. Implementation Plan
4.1 Characteristics of this implementation
The education of area researchers equipped with advanced language ability forms the core of our human resource development. In order to produce these researchers, we aim to reinforce education by improving the curriculum, teachers, evaluation methods, study assistance, and self-evaluation.
4.2 Plans by fiscal year (starts in April and ends in March)
(1) Fiscal 2007
- Curriculum planning and improvement
- Improve and expand the following subjects in the Master’s Program: Basics of Language and Culture Studies, Methodology of Language and Culture Studies, Basics of Area and International Studies, Methodology of Area and International Studies, Global Studies, and Archival Studies.
- Improve Interdisciplinary Studies, which was introduced as a subject in the Doctorate Program in April 2007.
- Expansion of the education and research system, faculty development (FD), evaluation criteria
- Employ a program organizer and provide training classes for teachers held by the FD committee (three times a year).
- Review the current evaluation criteria.
- Student assistance, students from other universities/companies, and career path
- Expand employment of students as TAs/RAs and manage language classes for local citizens (summer school).
- Encourage independent research, on-site data collection and fieldwork by sending students in the Doctorate Program to domestic and foreign areas to conduct academic research.
- Self-evaluation, third-party evaluation, information providing system
- Conduct and summarize the results of self-evaluations and questionnaires, implement the education program, and disclose the results of self-evaluation on the website.
(2) Fiscal 2008
- Curriculum planning and improvement
- Expand the following subjects: History and Civilization, Politics and Economy, and Literature and Culture in the Doctorate Program.
- Expand academic presentation of various languages.
- Establish subjects named “Independent Study of Regional Studies” and “Methodology of Independent Research.”
- Invite researchers from institutions such as partner universities, and manage international workshops and small seminars.
- Expansion of the education and research system, FD, evaluation criteria
- Promote fixed-term employment of assistant professors in charge of academic presentations in English and part-time researchers who support/are in charge of projects, and provide training classes for teachers held by the FD committee (three/year).
- Student assistance, students from other universities/companies, and career path development
- Expand employment of TAs/RAs and utilize summer school.
- Utilize Fieldwork in Regional Studies and Independent Study of Regional Studies in the Doctorate Program to financially support students and encourage them to conduct independent research, on-site data collection, and fieldwork.
- Self-evaluation, third-party evaluation, information supply system
- Conduct and summarize self-evaluations and questionnaires, implement the education program, give teachers feedback regarding the previous fiscal year’s results, and disclose self-evaluation results on the website.
(3) Fiscal 2009
- Curriculum planning and improvement
- Dispatch students to the liaison office overseas managed by the Center for Advanced Education Studies.
- Assess subjects expanded/established in the past two years and make final adjustments to the overall curriculum.
- Expansion of the education and research system, FD, evaluation criteria.
- Assess and make final adjustments to the education system that was expanded in the past two years.
- Provide training classes for teachers held by the FD committee (three/year), and assess and make final adjustments to FD activities.
- Evaluation criteria (Master’s and Ph.D.) for our faculty.
- Student assistance, students from other universities/companies, and career path development
- Maintain employment of TAs/RAs, and assess and make final adjustments to student assistance, various interactions among students, and career path development.
- Utilize Fieldwork in Regional Studies and Independent Study of Regional Studies in the Doctorate Program to financially support students and encourage them to conduct independent research, on-site data collection, and fieldwork.
- Self-evaluation, third-party evaluation, information supply system
- Conduct and summarize self-evaluations and questionnaires through the self-evaluation and committee evaluation of our faculty, implement the education program, give teachers feedback on the previous fiscal year’s results, and assess and make final adjustments to the self-inspection system.
- Assess and make final adjustments to self-evaluation, third-party evaluation, and the information supply system.
5. Expected achievements and our vision of the program post-completion
5.1 Expected achievements
Efforts to reform graduate schools have continued in recent years throughout Japan in order to reinforce graduate-level education to attract international students. In this context, our faculty has continued educational reforms with the clear objective to produce people who can act creatively in society at large, including in research/education fields with advanced language ability and technical research skills, and through possession of critical insights, expertise on language and culture of various areas, and extensive knowledge based on global perspectives.
We will implement this educational program to integrate a series of reforms with intent to build a systematic educational organization (including curriculum, teachers, and an inspection/evaluation system) that is perfectly consistent with our educational objectives.
While the world is changing with the advent of multi-linguistic/cultural societies and the shift to a knowledge-based society, there is an immediate need to cultivate area researchers with advanced language ability and profound understanding of the multi-linguistic/cultural international society.
This is essential for Japan to contribute to the global community. For these reasons, we expect that our educational program will greatly influence the implementation of graduate school reforms.
5.2 Our vision after the completion of the program
Our program is consistent with the objectives of the human resource development of our faculty and the university as a whole. Area researchers with advanced language abilities are one of our ideal human resources, along with language education researchers who contribute to peaceful coexistence in a multi-linguistic/cultural society, advanced experts who engage in peace building and conflict prevention, and professional interpreters. In addition, they can contribute to solving problems and deepening research through world-wide and nationwide collaboration.
Therefore, we will continue our endeavors to reinforce the education system of the graduate school and, with the assistance of the whole university, maintain and develop what we achieve in our program, including the curriculum, development of teaching materials, teachers, information supply systems, student career paths, and cooperation with foreign universities.
