Educational Policy

Curriculum

Educational Objectives and Policies

Education and Research Objectives

The Department of Education aims to explore and understand various issues and problems relating to education and human development using comprehensive and multi-faceted approaches grounded in the discipline of education studies, and to enhance education that values human dignity.

Human Resource Development Objectives

The goals of teaching at the Department of Education are to prepare future educators and researchers with outstanding expertise and human qualities founded on respect for human dignity, and to educate the next generation of global and autonomous citizens with a broad knowledge of educational studies.

Diploma policy

The Department of Education sets standards for the competencies students should acquire before graduation. Those who fulfill the graduation requirements described below shall be deemed to have acquired these qualities and will be awarded a diploma.

1. The ability to understand what it means to consider various issues relating to education and human development from the perspective of educational studies as an academic discipline, and to envision educational practices respectful of human dignity. This requires students to have acquired a broad knowledge of educational studies and other relevant studies.
2. The ability to analyze and understand educational practices, phenomena and issues in schools, households, companies and society at large, using the knowledge and methodologies of educational studies informed by philosophy, history, sociology and psychology, as well as to comprehensively and multifacetedly explore pathways to realize education respectful of human dignity, and present their ideas clearly.
3. The ability to actively and respectfully collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds to solve educational problems, and achieving – through constant self-reflection – an education founded on respect for human dignity and imbued with an international perspective.

In addition to the above, the SPSF course sets the following abilities which students should acquire before graduation as common requirements across its six departments (Department of Journalism, Department of Education, Department of Sociology, Department of Economics, Department of Management, Department of Global Studies).

4. The ability to learn the basic knowledge on “Sustainable Futures,” to understand its importance, and to take action towards resolving challenges to the sustainable futures by drawing upon their academic discipline as well as from the other five disciplines in the SPSF course they learn.
5. The ability to understand and apply the interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies, learned in their academic discipline and in the other five disciplines of the SPSF course, when addressing issues and presenting their ideas.

Curriculum policy

In accordance with the Diploma Policy, the Department of Education offers its curriculum as follows:

1. As with other departments of the Faculty of Human Sciences, the curriculum comprises universitywide general courses, language courses, and departmental major courses with an aim to achieve a harmonious combination of a broad knowledge base and discipline-specific expertise.
2. In order to enable students to examine educational issues from an international perspective while understanding the unique academic features of educational studies as an academic discipline, the Department of Education offers sub-discipline courses dealing with international dimensions of education, such as Comparative Education, International Education, and Education and International Development at the core, as well as courses in Philosophy of Education, Sociology of Education, and Curriculum and Instruction.
3. During the freshman and sophomore years, students are expected to enhance their critical thinking and communication skills, which will serve as the foundation of academic research skills. They are also expected to acquire basic knowledge, perspectives and methodologies relevant to educational studies.
During the junior year, students select a seminar based on what they have learned during their freshman and sophomore years, in order to acquire basic research methods as well as further hone their critical thinking, judgment and presentation skills. Students also decide on and pursue their own research topic, develop skills to examine phenomena from the perspectives of educational studies, seek pathways to solve problems in educational settings, and cultivate an attitude respectful of human dignity.
During the senior year, students engage in thesis research or a project in order to comprehensively and multifacetedly explore pathways to realize education respectful of human dignity, present their ideas clearly, and acquire the qualities and skills to persistently engage in problem-solving through constant self-reflection.
4. While students systematically and holistically learn the curriculum of educational studies, they will also explore sustainability issues from multiple perspectives by taking courses from other SPSF departments and hone their skills in social and human science research. Furthermore, students will be able to develop the qualities of a global citizen by taking courses offered by faculties and departments outside SPSF, participating in a study abroad program, internship, and social engagement programs such as a study tour overseas. In addition, students with a certain level of Japanese proficiency may take Japanese-medium courses as electives, provided they observe
certain requirements, such as the maximum number of credits allowed.
5. In the Department of Education, creative teaching methods have been introduced to achieve more autonomous and dialogue-based learning. At lectures, students are often required to complete “reaction papers” to which the instructor will provide comments in the following class or offer a summary of students’ reactions to the lecture, based on which students will engage in further debate. Seminars will be centered on individual or group presentations and debates, and may involve working collaboratively with students and faculties of other universities in and/or outside Japan or conducting fieldwork in Japan and/or overseas. The final thesis defense and evaluation of graduation project outcomes will be open to other students and faculty, and is an opportunity to perform a creative and effective presentation to a large audience.
6. Learning progress and outcomes of individual students will be monitored and evaluated by using the combination of various evaluation criteria and methods, such as reaction papers and worksheets used in class, participation in and contribution to debates and group work, reports and examinations given at mid-term and end-of-term.

In addition to the above, the SPSF course constructs its curriculum in the following manner, for the purpose of achieving the common diploma policy across the six departments:

7. To enable the students during the first year to acquire a basic knowledge on “Sustainable Futures” and the relating issues through the SPSF General Studies Courses, drawing on the perspectives of six disciplines. Based on the acquired knowledge, the students will be able to deepen their understanding in various challenges related to the sustainable futures through Elective Courses in the University-wide General Studies Courses, and they will be also able to learn about the approaches, contents, and methodologies of the different disciplines through Specialized Courses offered by each department.
8. To enable students to gradually gain knowledge of the different disciplines of each Department and also acquire a wide range of knowledge through the courses offered by other faculties and departments which have been designated to offer Elective Compulsory Courses or Elective Courses. Thus, the students will be able to acquire the various perspectives, contents, and methodologies, as well as comprehensive approaches from the courses.

Admissions policy

The Department of Education welcomes students who are interested in the various issues associated with education and human development and who are willing to examine them flexibly and multifacetedly. We also seek inquisitive students with a broad interest in the global world and in different cultures.

1. We seek students who are interested in the various issues associated with education and human development and are eager to find solutions to them. We especially welcome inquisitive students with a broad interest in the global world and different cultures.
2. The basic academic competence required include the ability to think, present logically, and communicate in English. We seek students who can use these skills to clearly express their own ideas and, at the same time, accept the ideas of others, flexibly come up with new ideas, and always think multifacetedly

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