The Faculty of Humanities Pledge

We at the Faculty of Humanities on the ideals and goals we have set base our daily research and educational activities. These ideals and goals form the basis of our commitment to students joining us and to wider society. Our admission policy outlines in concrete terms just how we educate and develop students entering the Faculty in accordance with these ideals and goals, while our graduation policy reflects the type of graduates we seek to send out into the world.

The Faculty of Humanities’ Philosophy, Purpose and Objectives

“Where have I come from, and why am I living like this?” “How does this world I live in work?” “How should I live my life?” To search for answers to these questions is as fundamental a human desire as the desire to live.

This type of inquiry forms the essence of academic work in the Faculty. The Faculty of Humanities is the place to tackle these questions head on.

As well as preparing our students for participation in modern society and for interaction with other cultures, the Faculty fosters the insight and wisdom needed to approach such scientific, technical and cultural issues as environmental destruction, regional and ethnic conflicts, nuclear power and genetic engineering.

Philosophy and Purpose

To cultivate individuals who can create a better future by questioning what it means to live, examining the past and the present, and probing how the future should be.

Objectives

To ask what it means to be human and pursue an understanding of the foundations of human life.
To understand the essence of culture seen as the fruit of human experience and thereby develop humankind.
To enable individuals to develop themselves by identifying their own research topics, researching them and presenting the results in small group learning formats.

The Faculty of Humanities: Educational Philosophy and Objectives

To cultivate individuals who can create a better future by together asking what it means to be human, examining the past and present of our world, and probing how the future should be.

In order to realize this, The Faculty cultivates individuals who:

(1): can read and understand information that transcends time and place, and express themselves fluently and clearly.
(2): make a real difference in advancing society by acquiring deep knowledge, both general and specialist, regarding humankind and society.
(3): gain a rich understanding of Japanese and international society so as to be able to contribute to cross-cultural exchange.
(4): are able to identify issues, investigate them and reach conclusions for themselves through our small-group learning formats.

What kind of people do we hope to attract to The Faculty of Humanities? (Admissions Policy)

We are always searching for those with open minds toward other people and cultures, and have a grasp of the basic rules and expectations of social life. Those who feel that it’s the richness of human life that is important, and those who want to learn about both the humanities as a subject and about the flexible wisdom required for modern life: These are the people we seek.

We want individuals who:

①: are drawn to fundamental questions such as “who am I?” and “what is existence?”, and want to forge an ability to probe and interrogate all sorts of issues independently.
②: want to grapple with questions about why we are here and where we are going using skills acquired through reading and analyzing historical materials.
③: aspire to investigate, using the research and analysis techniques they’ve learned, how modern society is changing and where in fact it ought to be heading.
④: want to find a systematic understanding of the characteristic of languages of diverse period and places and probe the essence of language.
⑤: Have a keen interest in diverse cultures and their manifestations and want to take a long, hard look at humanity and society, by way of a thorough appreciation of art and literature.

What kind of people graduate from the Faculty of Humanities? (Graduation Policy)

The Graduation Policy, outlined in the Educational Philosophy and Objectives, clarifies the attributes required of each graduate.