Department Features

Q&A

Q: Is it only for potential teachers?

A: Of course, this is a department where those who wish to become teachers can learn deeply about the fundamental issues of education, but it is not a department whose exclusive purpose is to train teachers. Rather, it is a department where students can learn about various problems, issues, and strategies for nurturing and developing people, and build a foundation for becoming people who can play  active roles in various facets of society.

Q: What kind of license is available?

A: If you register for the teaching and curatorial programs and obtain the necessary credits, you can receive a junior high school teacher’s (social studies) or high school teacher’s (geography, history, and civics) license and a curator’s license.

Curriculum

Educational Objectives and Policies

Education and Research Objectives

To investigate various problems surrounding education and human existence using comprehensive, multi-faceted approaches grounded in the discipline of education studies, and to cultivate a capacity to realize education that values human dignity.

Human Resource Development Objectives

To train educators and researchers with outstanding expertise and human qualities founded on respect for human dignity, and to produce individuals with educational expertise and independence to play active roles internationally

Diploma policy

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

1. The ability to acquire broad knowledge of pedagogical studies and associated studies, understand what it means to observe the various issues associated with humans and education in Japan and overseas from a pedagogical perspective, and to envision a rich and practical education that respects human dignity
2. The ability to pedagogically interpret educational efforts made in schools, societies, households and companies in Japan and abroad and the phenomena and issues that occur in association with such efforts, using the knowledge and methodologies of philosophy, history, sociology and psychology as well as to comprehensively and multifacetedly pursue pathways to realize education with respect for human dignity and appropriately express one’s views.
3. The ability to actively and friendlily collaborate with a diversity of other people to persistently engage in solving educational issues and achieving an education founded on human respect with an international perspective founded on human dignity and through incessant self-reflection

Curriculum policy

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

1. As with other departments of the Faculty of Human Sciences, the curriculum comprises university wide General Courses, Language Courses, and Departmental Courses (General Departmental Courses, Specialized Departmental Courses) with an aim to achieve a harmonized combination of broad cultural knowledge and profound expertise
2. Courses are categorized into three areas in order to have students understand the various fields covered by the extensive discipline of education and systematically acquire the unique academic 21 features: “Basic Areas” (Educational Philosophy, History of Education in Japan, History of Education Overseas, Educational Sociology, Educational Administration, etc.); “Practical Areas” (School Education, Clinical Sociology of Education and Schooling, Educational Methodology, Lifelong Education, etc.); “International Areas” (International Education, Comparative Education, International Education Development, etc.). Some courses offered under “International Areas” will be taught in English.
3. In the spring semester of the freshman year, students take the Introductory Seminar in Educational Science as a compulsory course to learn basic matters and skills necessary for pursuing undergraduate study. In the freshman and sophomore years, students take introductory courses as compulsory and elective compulsory courses to learn basic matters, perspectives and research methodology. In the spring semester of the junior year, students will chose a Seminar based on what they have learned as freshmen and sophomores and learn how to approach issues involving humans and education from various professional positions and acquire the required basics of thought, judgment and expressive skills. In the fall semester of the junior year, students will focus on their Seminars, where they will deepen their expertise, determine their individual research themes and engage in research, thus fostering the ability to interpret phenomena from an educational perspective and to seek pathways toward resolution, as well as an aspiration for human dignity and international perspectives. In the senior year, through compiling their thesis, students will comprehensively and multifacetedly pursue pathways to achieve education with respect for human dignity and become capable of presenting their views, as well as acquire the qualities and ability to persistently engage in solving problems through continued self-reflection.
4. Students may systematically acquire pedagogy through three-dimensional learning comprising the three areas and take courses from a variety of associated course categories, including those offered by other faculties and departments in line with individual interests and concerns and future prospects. Also, many English-taught courses have been listed with consideration of nurturing fundamental capacities to acquire an international perspective.
5. Creative learning methods have also been introduced to achieve more autonomous and dialoguebased learning. At lectures, students are required to complete reaction papers to which the instructor will provide comments at the following class or offer a summary of reactions based on which students will engage in further debate. Seminars will be centered on individual or group presentations and debates, but may also involve exchange with Seminars of other universities in and outside Japan or fieldwork in Japan and overseas. The final thesis defense will be open to other students and faculty, and is a forum to give a creative and effective presentation to a large audience.
6. The individual progress and status of learning of each student will be evaluated by combining 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 exams given in mid-term.
7. The Internship Course is added to the curriculum as an elective course to develop students’ abilities to envision a practical image of human-oriented education and persistently tackle issues from a 22 global perspective by collaborating with diverse people.

Admissions policy

The Department of Education welcomes students who are interested in the various issues associated with humans and education and are capable of addressing them flexibly and multifacetedly. We seek inquisitive students with a broad interest in the international community and different cultures.

1. We seek students who are interested in the various issues associated with humans and education and are eager to find solutions to them. We especially welcome inquisitive students with a broad interest in the international community and different cultures.
2. The basic academic competence commonly required across all entrance exam types include the ability to think and present logically in Japanese and basic English communication skills. We seek students who can use these skills to openly express their own ideas and at the same time accept the ideas of others, flexibly come up with ideas and think multifacetedly.
3. We welcome a diversity of students with different personalities and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, in the Special Exams, we will admit students that bear an interest in and understanding of various current affair-level educational issues covered by newspaper and other media, as well as the basic competence to organize and present one’s own thoughts about them

Faculty Members

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