Master’s & Doctoral Programs in Global Studies
The Graduate Program in Global Studies emphasizes inquiry into global processes in the contemporary world and their historical antecedents. Its English-taught curriculum combines the perspectives and methods of academic disciplines with cross-cultural understandings of Japan and other world regions. Through mentoring and coursework, students master the skills to conduct research on topics tailored to their individual academic interests and career goals.
The thirty-two faculty members have advanced degrees from leading universities and are internationally active researchers. The curriculum is supported by affiliated professors from other graduate programs in the university as well as adjunct professors. These instructors represent over a dozen nationalities, ensuring a diversity of viewpoints and experiences.
Each semester up to fifteen applicants are admitted to the MA degree programs and one or two applicants admitted to pursue a Ph.D.degree. The student body consists of international students and Japanese nationals with varied cultural backgrounds. Additionally, a few students are admitted each year as MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Science Technology) research students, with the expectation that they will apply for the MA or Ph.D. degree programs. The small number of students encourages close student-faculty interaction.
Curriculum
Five degrees are offered. The M.A. and Ph.D. in Global Studies focus on the study of global issues from social science and humanities perspectives. Courses and student research cross disciplines and include topics such as Japanese politics, climate change, international relations, democracy and media, human rights, religion, racial discrimination, health, gender, sexuality, emotions, and food studies. The M.A. in International Business and Development Studies emphasizes the acquisition of analytical skills to deal with a range of contemporary global business and development problems, with a strong focus on Japan and Asia. The M.A. and Ph.D in Japanese Studies offer an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to the study of both historical and contemporary aspects of Japanese history, literature, religion, art history, society, and culture.
After completing the MA degree, students find employment in a wide range of fields inside and outside of Japan, including public and private sectors, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations.
The master’s degree has two tracks each having different graduation requirements. Students in the thesis track write a research thesis while those in the credit track complete a graduation project. The selection of the track takes place after a student matriculates in the program. Those who seek to enter the thesis track need to apply for it, typically at the start of the second semester, with entry contingent upon academic performance, availability of a mentor for the proposed topic, and successful defense of a thesis proposal.
The program’s small scale, and the broad experience and research interests of faculty members enable flexible course selection. In consultation with faculty members, students select courses designed to meet their individual interests and to further acquisition of specialized knowledge in their chosen fields.
Program Features
Japanese language courses
While English is the language of instruction, graduate students may take advantage of the Japanese language courses offered through the undergraduate program as well as two advanced Japanese courses taught within the GPGS. Graduate students with a sufficient level of Japanese language proficiency as determined by a language placement examination may also take courses offered in Japanese elsewhere in the university as part of their studies.
A wide variety of research materials and connections
Students have access to the university library system, which contains more than one million volumes and 11,000 periodicals. The library has an especially rich collection of English-language books and journals related to the study of Japan. Digital resources include extensive databases and e-journals. Holdings from other universities can be obtained through inter-library loan, while the university’s location in central Tokyo provides easy access to the National Diet Library and other institutions.
Students have access to research opportunities inside and outside the GPGS. Graduate students may work as research assistants on faculty-led project. Student-run research groups host academic events supported directly by the GPGS. In addition, the Graduate School of Global Studies (GSGS), of which the GPGS is a part, provides support for students to host symposiums, publish articles or work as GSGS research assistants. Students may also participate in events spponsored by the Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture. The Institute’s lecture series features leading scholars from around the world. It also sponsors research projects such as “Feminism and Female Empowerment in the 21st-Century Academy” and the“Global Japanese Cuisine Project”. These activities are an opportunity for graduate students and faculty members to come together in fruitful exchanges.
Excellent support system
The program has its own computer facilities and provides students with on-campus lockers and space for storing materials. Graduate students can also use the university computing facilities, cafeterias, athletic facilities, and medical and counseling centers. University dormitories are available off-campus.
Selected Thesis Topics of Students
Master’s Thesis
Global Studies
- Knitting Post-Conflict Identities: Indigenous and Minority Crafting in Colombia, Wayùu Mochila, and Japan, Ryukyuan Bingata（2021）
- Between Two Worlds: Acculturation Strategies and Religious Identity of Second-generation Muslim Adolescents in Japan（2021）
- Analysis of convictions regarding inequality by the British prime ministers Thatcher, Blair, and Cameron（2021）
- The Generational Divide of Climate Change: Defining and Describing the “Grown-ups”（2021）
International Business and Development Studies
- Conceptualizing the Gaps in the Sustainable Food Supply Chains: An Analysis of the Banana Supply Chain（2020）
- What are the Factors Hindering and Supporting Japanese Companies Investing in Vietnam?: A Study of Employees Working for Japanese Companies with Investment in Vietnam（2021）
Japanese Studies
- Technical Intern Training Program – Its Reality and Challenges: A Case Study of Vietnamese Technical Intern Trainees（2020）
- Manzai : Tradition, Product, Contest（2020）
- The Legacy of the Russian Superfluous Man in the Oeuvre of Dazai Osamu(1909-1948)（2020）
- Beauty Beyond the Naked Eye: A Study of Kawabata Yasunari’s Sensory Poetics（2021）
- The Reprint of Poxieji and the Mito Anti-Christian Discourse（2021）
Doctoral Thesis
Global Studies
- “Policy Experts and Contemporary “Ishin”: Going Beyond the Leadership Paradigm in Japanese Policymaking”（2021）
- ACTORS AND PROCESSES OF INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: A CASE STUDY OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRACTICES IN BRAZIL（2020）
- Take My Land: A Comparative Study of Global Automotive Industry, Greenfield FDI, and Mexican Communities（2020）
Japanese Studies
- (Re)framing the Photograph: External Texts in 3.11 Documentary Film（2020）
- Voices of the Desert and the Sea: Literature and the Environment in Abdel Rahman Munif’s (1933-2004) Cities of Salt (1984) and Ishimure Michiko’s (1927-2018) Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow (1969)（2022）
Educational Policies
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Master’s Program in Global Studies
The Master’s Program in Global Studies sets standards for the skills and knowledge students will acquire as described below. Those who fulfill the requirements and have passed the thesis defense will receive the diploma.
- Acquisition of specialized knowledge and global cultural competencies.
- The master’s thesis or the graduation project is grammatically and linguistically correct, clear, concise, and written in appropriate expressions. It clearly shows the setting of the research theme, and makes convincing conclusions based on appropriate research.
- MA in Global Studies: Acquisition of concepts and methodologies for the study of global phenomena.
- M.A. in Japanese Studies: Acquisition of an integrated and interdisciplinary understanding of Japanese history, literature, religion, art history, society, and culture.
- M.A. in Japanese Studies: Acquisition of an integrated and interdisciplinary understanding of Japanese history, literature, religion, art history, society, and culture.
Doctoral Program in Global Studies
The Doctoral Program in Global Studies sets standards for the skills and knowledge students will acquire as described below. Those who fulfill the requirements and have passed the thesis defense will receive the diploma.
- Acquisition of specialized knowledge for a professional career.
- The doctoral dissertation is grammatically and linguistically correct, clearly, concise, and written in appropriate expressions. It clearly shows the setting of the research theme which is original and unique, and makes convincing conclusions based on a deep and appropriate research.
- PhD in Global Studies: Awarded on the basis of an original contribution in the area of Global Studies through mastery of relevant concepts and application of relevant methodologies.
- Ph.D. in Japanese Studies: Awarded on the basis of an original contribution in the area of Japanese Studies through mastery of relevant concepts and application of relevant methodologies.
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Master’s Program in Global Studies
In accordance with the university diploma policy, the Graduate Program in Global Studies constructs a curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes.
- Train global citizens who can function in English and other languages in multinational and multicultural social contexts.
- M.A. in Global Studies: Trains people who can fully participate in global society and take leadership roles in international organizations, governments, NGOs, and media, educational institutions, and other organizations.
- M.A. in International Business and Development Studies: Trains people to have a deep understanding of economic conditions in developed and developing countries and have specialized management capacities required in international organizations, governments, and businesses.
- M.A. in Japanese Studies: Trains people to have the Japanese language competency and scholarly knowledge for positions in educational institutions and other organizations requiring specialized knowledge of Japan.
Doctoral Program in Global Studies
In accordance with the university diploma policy, the Graduate Program in Global Studies constructs a curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes.
- Train students who have developed expertise in a specific area and have the cultural competencies for a global career.
- Ph.D. in Global Studies: Trains students with specialized knowledge of theories and methods in Global Studies who can assume academic positions in institutions of higher learning as well as positions in organizations requiring specialized understanding and analysis of global phenomena.
- Ph.D. in Japanese Studies: Trains students who have developed expertise in an area within Japanese Studies and who are capable of assuming academic positions in institutions of higher learning and pursuing innovative high level research in their area of expertise.
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Master’s Program in Global Studies
The Graduate Program in Global Studies seeks students who are qualified as described below:
- M.A. in Global Studies: Those who possess excellent ability in English, relevant academic accomplishments, a sense of purpose, expository writing ability, and who are highly recommended by former research advisors and/or other mentors with whom they have worked for a significant qualification
- M.A. in International Business and Development Studies:Those who possess excellent ability in English, relevant academic accomplishments, sense of purpose, expository writing ability, and who are highly recommended by former research advisors and/or other mentors with whom they have worked for a significant qualification
- M.A. in Japanese Studies: Those who possess ability in English and Japanese, excellence in relevant academic accomplishments, sense of purpose, expository writing ability, and who are highly recommended by former research advisors and/or other mentors with whom they have worked for a significant qualification
Doctoral Program in Global Studies
The Graduate Program in Global Studies seeks students who are qualified as described below:
- Ph.D. in Global Studies: Those who possess advanced mastery of concepts, methodologies, and a substantive area in Global Studies
- Ph.D. in Japanese Studies: Those who possess advanced mastery of concepts, methodologies, and a substantive area in Japanese Studies
Faculty Members
Global Studies
Tadashi ANNO Professor
Makiko DEGUCHI Professor
Yuka MINAGAWA Associate Professor
International Business and Development Studies
Akihito ASANO Associate Professor
Peter De MAEYER Associate Professor
Takuya HASEBE Associate Professor
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Naoto ISAKA Professor
Michiru SAKANE Associate Professor
Japanese Studies
Yen Yi CHAN Assistant Professor
Akiko FRISCHHUT Assistant Professor
Sven SAALER Professor
Matthew Carl STRECHER Professor
Mathew THOMPSON Associate Professor