Graduate schools in Japan today are faced with the need to carry out systematic improvements in the training of top-level academic professionals and the maintenance of cutting-edge research facilities. These improvements, however, should depart from the traditional organizational frameworks of graduate school education if we are to continue producing innovative researchers, specialists with advanced skills, and other professionals capable of supporting the intellectual community and achieving global recognition.
Recent trends in humanities studies have become increasingly compartmentalized and insular. Consequently, there is an urgent need to nurture students who have a panoramic outlook and who do not limit themselves to one specific discipline or specialization. In the Graduate School of Arts and Letters, the Interdisciplinary Approach to History and Interdisciplinary Approach to Literature (masters programs) and the Advanced Seminar in Ancient Cultural Heritage and Management (doctoral program) allow students to work across different fields such as history and literature while spanning different regions of both Japan and other countries. Our program intends to carry on the eminent achievements of this Institute in the area of studies of ancient Japan while adopting a multi-disciplinary approach that effectively halts the trend towards insularity and compartmentalization in graduate school curriculums.
By ancient Japan we refer to the social structure, ideology and culture of the Japanese archipelago from the Yayoi period to the Heian period. Our objective is to provide a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of Japan throughout these eras, together with an awareness of the global context. For this our multifaceted approach is very effective. Our programs reach across the limits of traditional disciplines such as history and literature, and even geographical boundaries. We are committed to the training of researchers of ancient Japan who have significant knowledge and skill, not only in their field of specialization, but also in the evaluation of documents, artifacts, and works of art. This training ensures that our researchers have a flexible mindset that can rise beyond the conventional social values and politics of the modern world that tend to hinder studies of ancient Japan.
We have compiled a system of clear steps in our curriculum for the masters and doctorate degrees which together take a total of 5 years to complete. To ensure superior quality in the contents of doctorate theses and the overall process of earning these degrees, we offer the following programs:
