Master’s (Doctoral) Program in History
The Master’s (Doctoral) Program of History, which has three areas of Japanese, Oriental, and Western history, provides specialized education to cultivate internationally acclaimed educators and researchers while promoting close interaction between each area.
The major characteristics of this program are its specialized education based on foreign language education and an understanding of foreign and Christian cultures, which are the hallmarks of Sophia University, and its emphasis on the study of political, social, and cultural history, which is a particularly comprehensive branch of history. Through these studies, the Master’s (Doctoral) Program of History promotes transnational historical research un-bound by conventional historical images.
Curriculum
The Master’s Program offers specialized courses in various areas and courses common to all areas of study. This is in order to foster broad knowledge and flexible thinking skills, and to develop the ability to write a high-level master’s thesis. In addition, full-time faculty members who are active on the front lines of research are assigned to the program. And Depending on the research situation, students may request guidance from faculty members of other departments or affiliated research institutes of Sophia University to provide substantial research guidance.
In the Doctoral program, students are given a doctoral dissertation seminar and individual guidance to obtain their degrees. We also encourage graduate students to submit their outstanding research results to academic journals, including “Sophia Shigaku” (Sophia Historical Studies), an academic journal published by the Sophia University Historical Society.
Granted Degree
- Master’s Program: MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY
- Doctoral Program: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY
Available Teaching Licenses and Subjects
- Junior High School Specialized Teacher (Social Studies)
- High School Specialized Teacher (Geography and History)
*Only available in Master’s degree programs. Also, it is only available in subjects in which a Type 1 license has been obtained or the requirements for Type 1 have been fulfilled. Not all subjects are available.
Program Features
Commit Auditing Student System
We offer Commit Auditing Student System with Aoyama Gakuin University, Chuo University, Kokugakuin University, Kokushikan University, Meiji University, Rikkyo University, Senshu University, Komazawa University, Tokai University, and Toyo University. Students can attend lectures at these universities upon request and earn credits.
Study Abroad for Further Advancement
To promote trans-disciplinary research, we encourage students, including Master’s program students, to study abroad and conduct in-depth research in the field of Eastern and Western history, as well as Japanese history.
Graduates are at the Forefront of their Field.
While deepening their expertise in the fields of Japanese, Eastern, and Western history, students are active in cross-disciplinary research activities. Our graduates are highly regarded both inside and outside Japan and are active at the forefront of their fields as high school and university professors.
Journals in which Graduate Students can also Publish
The Master’s (Doctoral) Program in History in the Graduate School of Humanities encourages graduate students to actively contribute to “Sophia Shigaku” published by the Sophia University Historical Society and to journals of academic societies and research groups outside the university. In addition, graduate students in the Department of History and graduate students from other departments at Sophia University have established an on-campus graduate student research group, Sapientia Society, which voluntarily publishes an interdisciplinary graduate student academic journal, Kioi Ronso.
Selected Thesis Topics
Master’s Program
- Tema Cubilaiotai in the Macedonian Period
- The Appearance of “Sigils the Firvnir Killer” in Medieval Norwegian Cathedral Sculpture
- Theresa DeJesus’s “Letters,”
- A Study of the Ruling System during the Dorfussian Regime
- The Transition of the German National People’s Party
- The House Orders and Household Institutions in the First Half of the Eighth Century
- About the Ashikaga Shogun’s Uknoe no Daisho Worship
- “Oide” and Written Oath on the Kuzu River in the Early Medieval Period.
- Alessandro Valigano’s tour of Japan (1580 and 1592)
- The Role of Meisho Zukai in the Late Edo Period
- A Reconsideration of the Monetary System and Mining Administration in the Early Meiji Period
- Measures against the Qiang in the Later Han Dynasty and the Birth of the Eastern Qiang
- Reexamination of the 1944 “Henan Popular Uprising
- Image of Chinese Women from the Outside
Doctoral Program
- Research on Local Terminal Administration in the Song Dynasty
- Worker Integration of Catholicism in Germany at the Turn of the 19th/20th Century
- China’s 1949 Revolution and the CCP Media
- Reconstructing the Political History of the Late Qing Dynasty
- Siegfried Kracauer’s Thought from the First World War Period to the End of Weimar
- Meiji Japan as Depicted by Diplomat Alexander von Siebold
- A Historiographical Study of Social Research in Modern Italy
- Research on the History of Gagaku in the Northern Song Dynasty
Dissertation
- History of Transmission of Smoking Culture and that at the Global Level.
- Jesuit Missions in Japan in the 16th Century Ran by Francisco Cabral (1570-1580)
Educational Policies
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Master’s Program
The Master’s Program in History sets standards for the skills and knowledge students should acquire before graduation as described below. Those who earn the required credits and receive research guidance, submit their thesis and pass their thesis defense shall be deemed to have acquired these qualities and will be awarded a diploma.
- The ability to determine a theme based on explicit concerns regarding an issue and to contribute to the enhancement of knowledge in historical research
- The ability to consider and examine past research and properly cite and provide sources
- The ability to conduct demonstrative research based on historical and reference materials
- The ability to structure an academic paper properly and give it a consistent and logical composition
- The ability to use appropriate language and compile a paper in an organized manner
Doctoral Program
The Doctoral Program in History sets standards for the skills and knowledge students should acquire before graduation as described below. Those who earn the required credits and receive research guidance, submit their dissertation, pass the dissertation defense shall be deemed to have acquired these qualities and will be awarded a diploma.
- The ability to determine a theme based on explicit concerns regarding an issue and to discover new historical facts or present new interpretations regarding historical facts already known.
- The ability to exhaustively consider and examine past research and to properly cite and provide sources.
- The ability to conduct demonstrative research based on historical and reference materials.
- The ability to structure an academic paper properly and give it a consistent and logical composition
- The ability to use appropriate language and compile a paper in an organized manner
- The ability to pursue research as an independent researcher, through unique and state-of-the-art research
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Master’s Program
In accordance with the diploma policy, the Master’s Program in History encourages students to pursue broad and deep historical knowledge, and to foster sharp analytical and critical abilities; and thus constructs its curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes:
- Have faculty members assigned to specific fields, identified by region (Japanese history, Eastern history and Western history) and time (ancient, medieval, premodern and modern times) provide research guidance to students researching the most similar theme.
- Offer seminars for students to improve their ability to read and understand historical material on the specialized fields mentioned above and gain a historical overview of the discipline.
- Offer a Specialized Research Course that invites students from various regions and age groups to engage in comprehensive studies or extensive discussions on history, therefore developing an objective attitude towards one’s field of expertise.
- Offer a Thesis Seminar where students report their progress in compiling their thesis and acquire techniques to complete their thesis.
- May allow students to take courses offered at other Graduate Programs, Graduate Schools or Universities with which Sophia has concluded partnership agreements, provided they meet given requirements.
Doctoral Program
In accordance with the diploma policy, the Doctoral Program in History constructs its curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes:
- Offer Research Guidance by the research advisor specializing in fields that the student finds closest to his/her research theme.
- Offer “Dissertation Seminars” for students to read historical material and study the history of the discipline under the guidance of a faculty member and to compile their dissertation, reporting progress during the process.
- In addition to classes offered in the Graduate Program, students will seek to improve their skills as researchers through study abroad and research presentations at academic meetings and workshops.
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Master’s Program
The Master’s Program in History seeks students with the following qualities:
- Students who are eager to use the outcomes of historical studies in the areas of research, education and social enlightenment, thus contributing to the development of society
- Students with basic historical knowledge and capabilities (language skills, research skills, and critical skills) required to understand their research subjects
- Students who can identify problems from the perspectives of a long time frame and a comparative viewpoint.
Doctoral Program
The Doctoral Program in History seeks students with the following qualities:
- Students who are eager to use the outcomes of historical research in the areas of research, education and social enlightenment, thus contributing to the development of society
- Students with precise and adequate basic knowledge of history in general and the skills (language skills, research skills, critical skills, etc.) required to understand their research subjects
- Students with the ability to discover new historical facts, build new interpretations of historical phenomena, and link such discoveries with a high insight into society
Faculty Members
Shinzo KAWAMURA Professor
Yuji SASAGAWA Professor
Aki NAKAGAWA Professor
Eri NAKAMURA Associate Professor