Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Graduate School Section: daigakuin.c AT gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp

International Student Section: ryugakusei-g.c AT gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Website: https://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng_site/

Department of Language and Information Sciences

The aim of the Department of Language and Information Sciences is to conduct multifaceted research into language with reference to its role as the basis of human intellectual activity. The perspectives range from human/social scientific approaches aiming to understand languages in terms of human behavior in culture and society to natural-scientific/engineering approaches which explain languages in terms of their relationship to the operation of the human brain and computers. Research fields include literary thought, the media, the theory of translation, linguistic science, and language education. The department thus embodies the academic policy of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by offering an interdisciplinary education with language as its main focus.

Website: http://gamp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng/index.html

Required Japanese Level: Sufficient knowledge of the Japanese language is required for understanding lectures and reading academic literature.

Department of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies

This department pursues intellectual advancement through interaction between the University and society by presenting effective approaches to global cultural phenomena that span nations and societies and to cultural activities that extend across genres. The department comprises three courses. One course is Culture and Representation, which involves the theoretical and practical pursuit of the history, structure and functionality of versatile artistic representations ranging from folkloric performing arts to commercial design. Another course offered is Cultural Anthropology, which involves the observation, description and analysis of the heritages of present-day ethnic cultures and civilizations through empirical methodologies. The third course offered is Comparative Literature and Culture, which involves the investigation of varied cultural phenomena rooted in different cultural traditions with an awareness of mutually open comparisons and contrasts among such areas as literature, fine arts, thought and history.

Website: http://choiki.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ (Japanese)
The URLs of the three courses are as follows:
Culture and Representation Course: https://repre.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ (Japanese)
Cultural Anthropology Course: https://en.anthro.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/
Comparative Literature and Culture Course: http://fusehime.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ (Japanese)

Required Japanese Level: Sufficient knowledge of the Japanese language is required for understanding lectures and reading academic literature.

Department of Area Studies

The Department of Area Studies, which began its life as a department within the Senior Division of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1951 and became part of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1983, carries out advanced academic research in all areas of humanities and social sciences in line with the interdisciplinary approach of the Graduate School. The department, which comprises around 50 faculty members and 300 graduate students today, is made up of five divisions: European and Russian Area Studies, Mediterranean and Islamic Area Studies, North, Central and South American Area Studies, Asia Pacific Area Studies, and Multidimensional Analysis of World Structure. By encouraging its staff and students to apply an interdisciplinary and transregional approach to research on their regions of specialization, the department seeks to produce researchers capable of understanding their fields within a global context and thus to contribute to the development of a culture of coexistence that transcends ethnic, linguistic and religious differences.

Website: http://ask.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ (Japanese)

Required Japanese Level: Prospective applicants are requested to consult the department in advance, since the required level of proficiency in Japanese depends on the areas to be studied. Theses submitted for the purpose of obtaining degrees from the department may be written in languages other than Japanese.

Department of Advanced Social and International Studies

The Department of Advanced Social and International Studies was established in 1996 through the reorganization and improvement of the Department of International Relations Studies and the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. The current structure consists of two courses of study: Advanced Social and International Studies and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. The Advanced Social and International Studies course of study aims to take an interdisciplinary approach to elucidate many different international phenomena in fields such as international politics, international legal studies, international economics and the history of international relations. It serves as the key location of research and education in international relations within Japan. The Interdisciplinary Social Sciences course of study aims to comprehensively cover the fundamental social science disciplines including jurisprudence, politics, economics and sociology. It is an important node for transdisciplinary social science research and training in Japan.

Website: http://www.kiss.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng/

Required Japanese Level: A sufficient command of Japanese for undertaking research is required, since most of the lectures in the Graduate School are given in Japanese. Students may write their Master’s/Doctoral thesis in English.

Department of Multidisciplinary Sciences

The Department of Multi-Disciplinary Sciences conducts research that spans the sciences, with a broad research agenda which is unparalleled in Japan. The department offers an environment which is naturally conducive to interdisciplinary collaboration. It comprises three departments, each of which holds many faculty members: (1) the Sub-department of Basic Science, which covers mathematics, physics and science and engineering, ranging from quarks to intelligent materials; (2) the Sub-department of Life Sciences, covering psychology, physical movement and all aspects of life science, from DNA molecules to whole organisms, including humans; and (3) the Sub-department of General Systems Studies, which aims to study, analyze and solve complex phenomena and problems found in natural, artificial, and social systems, spanning everything from information systems to the global environment and to outer space.

Website: http://kouiki.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ (Japanese)

Required Japanese Level: A command of Japanese that permits the effortless understanding of lectures given in Japanese at the Graduate School is required. Students may write their Master's/Doctoral thesis in English.

The Graduate Program on Human Security (HSP)

The program is intended to develop human resources that pursue the level of human security required by the international community. Students should have an in-depth understanding of human security issues while involving themselves in these issues. This program is intended to link on-site issues involving human security with language. Those who are experienced or interested in practice will study more theories and concepts. Those who are mainly familiar with academic aspects will learn about fieldwork and the resulting ideas. The organization welcomes the participation of competent people who wish to work in the field of human security and those who are already experienced in the field.

Website: http://hsp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

Required Japanese Level: A command of Japanese that permits the effortless understanding of lectures given in Japanese at the Graduate School is required. Students may write their Master's/Doctoral thesis in English.

Graduate Program on Global Humanities (GHP)

We are living in a complicated age in which the progress of globalization is leading to growing global unification. At the same time this process of globalization also reveals the pluralized nature of global society, characterized by differences in ethnicity, gender, social class and so on. In times like these the ability to understand and to communicate with others in an interactive way while positioning ourselves against the global background is of paramount importance. The goal of the Graduate Program on Global Humanities is to foster this kind of ability by educating people who can contribute to the realization of a pluralist global society.

Website: http://ghp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/index.html

Required Japanese Level: A command of Japanese that permits the effortless understanding of lectures given in Japanese at the Graduate School is required.

* The Graduate Program on Global Humanities has stopped administering entrance examinations for admission in both the M.A. and the Ph.D. courses.

Contact: contact AT ghp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp (Office of the Graduate Program on Global Humanities)

Graduate Program on Global Society (GSP)

Focusing on the theme of human existence in the age of globalization, this program seeks to provide the type of agenda-shaping and problem-solving leadership needed in a multipolar world. Emerging trends in globalization require us to assume new perspectives and reconsider the political, social, ecological, cultural and ethical dimensions of the changing human condition. To that end, the GSP offers highly relevant and in-depth approaches to the challenges of a globalized civil society. The program also enables the development of innovative forms of global governance that seek to better address the increasingly complex global issues we face today. Students from all over the world are welcome to participate in the GSP program, conducted in English, and work toward their M.A. or Ph.D. degrees in Global Studies.

Website: http://gsp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/

Required Japanese Level: None: Program is conducted in English.

Graduate Program on Environmental Sciences (GPES)

The organization for Programs on Environmental Sciences was established in May 2012 in order to conduct the Program on Environmental Sciences, which consists of an undergraduate course and advanced level degree program (offered at both Masters and Ph.D. level). All the lectures in the graduate program are delivered entirely in English by about 60 professors and associate professors of this organization, who are from a variety of departments in the university. The goal of this program is to provide students with a broad-based, inter- and multidisciplinary understanding of the complex topic of environmental sciences. To achieve this, the organization is designed to cover the following six basic areas in environmental sciences: (1) Environmental Principles, (2) Management and Policy, (3) Measurement and Evaluation, (4) Materials, Systems and Dynamics, (5) Energy and Resources, (6) Health and Security. Students develop a unique set of skills which will enable them to analyze, critique, propose and define environmental policy from economic, cultural and political viewpoints. Professional training in GPES is based on a platform of basic science and technology, which covers aspects from basic physics and chemistry to environmental processes such as ecological systems and methods for measuring global material circulation. Students choose their area of specialization from a wide range of relevant fields including natural and agricultural sciences, industrial technologies, and social sciences including economics, politics and other related disciplines.

Website: http://gpes.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/

Required Japanese Level: None: Program is conducted in English.

Integrated Human Sciences Program for Cultural Diversity (IHS)

The rapid advance of globalization has given rise to intercultural conflicts wherever one looks. The world of tomorrow requires leaders who are able to grasp the cultural roots of such conflicts and take action in order to establish a society where the peoples of different cultures can live together in peace.

The aim of our program is to nurture such leaders through mentoring them in the Integrated Human Sciences—a new academic discipline that focuses on developing lasting solutions for the numerous problems stemming from the challenges associated with the need for peaceful coexistence in our globalized society. Taking its cue from traditional liberal arts education, the discipline of Integrated Human Sciences unifies the various fields of study relating to human beings.

The education that we provide in our program encourages our students to be proactive as they learn about the globalized world of today and work to acquire the communicative and creative implementation skills necessary to take a leading role in the world of tomorrow. The students graduating from this program will be equipped not only with a high level of expertise and a broad perspective on matters relating to human society, but with the insight and integrative ability required for collaborating with others in locating the problems and solving them through the creation and communication of new values, and through concrete actions in society.

The Integrated Human Sciences Program for Cultural Diversity (IHS) will produce the leaders of the next generation who will utilize the knowledge and skills they acquire through their interdisciplinary study of the Integrated Human Sciences to contribute in a creative and concrete way towards the building of the multicultural society of the future. Through the development of Integrated Human Sciences as a discipline, the program also aims to present to the society a new vision of the way in which the traditional disciplines of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences should be cultivated and taught at the graduate school level.

Website: https://ihs.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ (Japanese)

Required Japanese Level: It is preferable that applicants have a good command of Japanese in order to participate in classes held in Japanese.

Contact: info AT ihs.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp