Faculty of Law: Educational Objectives and Human Resource Development Objectives

The principle of education in the Faculty of Law is to foster the development of active citizens who are equipped with specialized knowledge that enables them to work proactively to build a society of freedom, equality, and respect for the Other, meaning especially the disadvantaged. This in accordance with the tradition of Christian education that is the founding spirit of the university. Our starting point is the belief that studies of law and political science conducted under this educational principle are aimed at peace in society and happiness among human beings. We continually revisit this starting point and carry on teaching and research in this Faculty from a stance of respect for human beings and help for the disadvantaged, which we also intend as a means of addressing the new problems that arise in present-day society.

Policy on Conferral of Degrees (Diploma Policy)
The Faculty of Law is organized according to its educational principle to have three departments (the Department of Law, the Department of Current Legal Studies, and the Department of Political Science). These profess their own respective educational objectives, and they organize and implement their own curriculum to realize their objectives.
Students in the Faculty of Law who are registered for the prescribed period of time, who acquire broad cultivation together with specialized knowledge of law and political science, and who further acquire practical competence, so that they have the capacity for multifaceted thought and judgment to deal with the problems that occur in society, are to be granted academic degrees. The bachelor’s degree requires the acquisition of 130 credits.

Academic Program Organization and Implementation Policy (Curriculum Policy)
In order to realize the philosophy and educational objectives of the Faculty of Law, the fundamental policy for the Faculty’s academic program is declared in common for the three departments as placing emphasis on the program for the first academic year, assuring small class sizes, providing a thorough educational grounding, specifying the academic year in which core courses are to be taken, and systematically building academic competence though phased learning.

Admission Policy
The student envisioned for the Faculty of Law is a person who will feel sympathy for the above educational principles and educational objectives. In common across the three departments, it is a student who is highly motivated to contribute to society, who has a strong sense of purpose and critical awareness, and who possesses the ability to think logically and judge matters aptly.

Department of Law

Educational Objectives and Human Resource Development Objectives

In accordance with the founding spirit of Meiji Gakuin University, the educational principle of the Department of Law is to train active leaders in civil society who have a grounding in the study of law together with a sense of morality and a sense of responsibility. Based on this principle, our educational objective is to train true people of the law (meaning sound citizens with legal knowledge who are capable of fulfilling their responsibility to society, regardless of their occupation or status) who cultivate character, who make use of their specialized knowledge of the law, who engage actively with society, and who take every opportunity to contribute to society.

Policy on Conferral of Degrees (Diploma Policy)

Students in the Department of Law are expected to demonstrate flexibility of thought and a serious commitment to social issues based on their own individual beliefs and position in society. To that end, it is necessary that they acquire accurate knowledge of the law and then develop their ability to use that knowledge to deal with the variety of different problems arising in society. In other words, it is necessary that they develop the abilities required of a true person of the law.

As a guideline for them in acquiring these abilities, we have students take 24 credits or more in Meiji Gakuin core courses, 20 credits or more in 10 courses required by their department, 50 credits or more in required elective courses together with other elective courses for a total of 84 credits or more in elective courses. Students who have earned a total of 130 credits or more in this way will be awarded the academic degree of Bachelor of Arts in Law.

Academic Program Organization and Implementation Policy (Curriculum Policy)

The Department of Law curriculum is configured to establish an accurate knowledge of legal studies and to develop the ability to think legally using that knowledge. For courses in positive law, this is done by providing for systematic, phased learning that proceeds from introduction to foundation, then to fundamentals, and finally to development and establishment.

First, introductory courses (Introduction to Civil Law, Introduction to Criminal Law, Foundation Seminar in Law, etc.) held from the time of admission, before students have any knowledge of society or the law, are conducted in small groups.

In order to establish a foundation, certain required courses (20 credits) are arranged primarily for the first and second year: Constitution 1-1 and 1-2, General Provisions of the Civil Code 1 and 2, Outline of Obligations 1 and 2, Law of Realty 1 and 2, Outline of Criminal Law 1 and 2.

Apart from courses that are situated at the introductory and foundation stages, there are also courses on the six law codes that should in principle be taken. These courses are therefore placed in cluster 1 (12 credits or more from Administrative Law 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2; Corporation Law 1, 2, 3; General Provisions of Commercial Law; Commercial Transactions Law; Draft and Check Law 1, 2; Securities Law 1, 2), cluster 2 (4 credits or more from Civil Proceedings Law 1, 2; Criminal Procedure Code 1, 2), cluster 3 (10 credits or more from Constitution 2-1, 2-2; Contract Law 1, 2; Tort Law; Family Law; Law of Succession; Civil Execution Law 1, 2; Specifics of Criminal Law 1, 2).

In addition to the above, the following courses are also assigned for the development and establishment of knowledge: Cluster 4 (8 credits or more from Fields of International Law, Fields of Social and Economic Law, Insolvency Law), cluster 5 (12 credits or more from developmental and advanced fields, special lectures and seminars in basic courses), cluster 6 (4 credits or more from Foundational Law, Fields of Foreign Law).

As guidelines for taking courses in these clusters, the Department of Law provides model course enrollment plans matched to typical post-graduation career paths ((1) legal profession or law-related profession, (2) aspirant to civil service or public service activity, (3) private enterprise)

Admission Policy

The Department of Law hopes to admit applicants who approve of the department’s educational objectives and who are motivated to realize their own dreams. Specifically, this includes the following:

  1. Students who are strongly motivated to contribute to society
    Meiji Gakuin University proclaims the philosophy of "Do for Others” and the Department of Law therefore seeks applicants who are highly motivated to actively interact with society and seek every opportunity to contribute to society using specialized knowledge of the law.
  2. Students with the ability to judge matters aptly
    The feeling of repudiation of clear violations of the law and of behavior going counter to social ethics or justice is crucial in terms of compliance with laws and ordinances. The Department of Law therefore has as its purpose the development of students with a grasp of the law who, when they go out in the world and witness things that they cannot agree to because those things are against the law or justice, will have the courage to speak out and say that something is wrong, they oppose it, and who also have the ability and the heart to assert themselves with reason when they think they are right. In other words, our purpose is to develop students who have a legal mind. For that purpose, we seek applicants who possess common sense and the ability to judge matters aptly with reference to the law and justice when they think they are right.
  3. Students with a strong sense of purpose
    The history of the law is old, and since present-day law came into being by the accumulation of judicial precedents and learned commentary, the study of law cannot be accomplished in a short time. Applicants who aspire to study law, therefore, need to have a clear awareness of their purpose as well as the perseverance and strength of will to achieve their goal.

Department of Current Legal Studies

Educational Objectives and Human Resource Development Objectives

In order to realize the principles of justice and fairness that are at the root of the law, it is essential for people to have consideration for the others around them as well as for the environment, and a perspective that includes the disadvantaged. The purpose of studying law at this university, which declares“Do for Others” as its educational principle, is to employ the legal knowledge and information technology acquired here in the service of helping people who are involved in legal disputes, protecting the environment that is essential to our survival, and improving the circumstances of people who are disadvantaged in society. The educational objective of the Department of Current Legal Studies, therefore, is to train talented people who have practical competence and the ability to take up legal problems faced by present-day society in cutting-edge areas as occasions for deriving appropriate solutions in light of legal principles, and who can make effective use of information technology to deal appropriately with the variety of different problems arising in society today.

Students in the Department of Current Legal Studies must have the practical competence to take up legal problems faced by present-day society in cutting-edge areas as occasions for deriving appropriate solutions, and who can make effective use of information technology to deal appropriately with the variety of different problems arising in society today.

As a guideline for their acquisition of these abilities, students will take 24 credits or more in Meiji Gakuin core courses, 20 credits or more in 10 courses required by their department, 42 credits or more in required elective courses together with other elective courses for a total of 76 credits or more in elective course. Students who have earned a total of 130 credits or more in this way will be awarded the academic degree of bachelor of arts in law.

The basic policy of instruction in the Department of Current Legal Studies is to foster the knowledge, cultivation, and ability to take an active role in present-day Japanese society and international society. This is done by basic learning about law in combination with coursework in cutting-edge legal areas and acquisition of fundamental information processing skills. The curriculum of the Department of Current Legal Studies can be divided largely into Meiji Gakuin core courses and department courses, and it is organized so that learning in both can take place in stages. The department courses have as their foundation the department basic course cluster for teaching information processing skills and the foundational law course cluster to give an understanding of basic law. This foundation for study is built upon with course clusters that make up the three main pillars of consumer law, corporate law, and environmental law. Further courses are also organized to instill abilities for practical application of knowledge about law and information processing, including special seminars, seminar-type courses, and the graduation thesis. In addition, a wide range of specialized courses are provided in each course cluster to provide specialized study that increases in depth with the advance in years.

  1. Students who have a deep and keen interest in the problems of present-day society
    In the Department of Current Legal Studies, students work with legal issues that arise in cutting-edge areas in present-day society. This requires students who are interested in the movements of society today, and who have been regularly reading books and newspapers for some time, deepening their critical awareness. In order for this department to provide education that is significant, we seek students who have a deep and keen interest in and concern for the problems of present-day society
  2. 2. Students who are able to communicate their own thoughts in a logical manner
    No matter how splendid the thoughts one may have, they will be a wasted treasure and meaningless in society if they stay only inside one’s mind. Naturally it is important to have one’s own thoughts and opinions, but it is necessary also to express them actively and persuasively, in writing and in discussion, to the world at large. This department looks for students who are able to communicate their own thoughts logically and reasonably.
  3. Students who are able to look after other people
    As already stated above, consideration for other people and for the environment, and a perspective of protection for the disadvantaged can be considered essential for putting the principles of law into practice in resolving real-life problems. This department looks for students who have that kind of consideration and perspective and who are able to look after others.
  4. Students who are motivated to tackle new problems without flinching
    New problems that would be impossible to resolve by following past precedent are occurring in the areas of consumer law, corporate law, and environmental law, which form the focus of studies in this department. Computer technology, which is used as a tool for problem-solving, is also evolving day by day. In this department, we use the most up-to-date computer technology to study applied law in cutting-edge areas, and so we seek students who have the motivation to use new technology to address these new problems.

Department of Political Science

Educational Objectives and Human Resource Development Objectives

The Department of Political Science takes as a premise the recognition that actions taken on the spot to resolve the problems that occur in human society in general, ranging from familiar, near-at-hand societies to international society, with the members of society participating in the decision-making, is politics. In this recognition the Department declares its educational principle of imparting the specialized knowledge of the comprehensive field of learning known as political science, and training cultivated political citizens who possess comprehensive judgment and critical faculties. The Department’s educational objective, therefore, is to train talented people who understand this educational principle, who have the knowledge and ability to put it into practice, who are highly motivated, who possess the courage to argue for what is right and the imagination to think of other people, and who intend to involve themselves actively in society as dignified members of civil society.

Policy on Conferral of Degrees (Diploma Policy)

Students in the Department of Political Science must acquire the cultivation and the ability to take an active role in Japan and the international community. They do this through research into the principles of political science as well as through practical training and by the acquisition of knowledge with an international dimension concerning institutions, political circumstances, and other aspects of countries around the world. It is also necessary for them to acquire a grasp of scientific approaches for clarifying the essence of political phenomena, an understanding of the historical background of political phenomena, and an ability for philosophical and intellectual conceptualization. In other words, they need to have a solid grounding as “cultivated political citizens.”

As a guideline for them in acquiring these abilities, we have students take 24 credits or more in Meiji Gakuin core courses, 6 credits or more in 3 courses required by the department, 32 credits or more in foundational courses, 36 credits or more in developmental courses, and 20 credits or more in elective courses. Students who have earned a total of 130 credits or more in this way will be awarded the academic degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Academic Program Organization and Implementation Policy (Curriculum Policy)

In order to train cultivated political citizens who possess comprehensive judgment and critical faculties together with courage and the ability to imagine the Other, the Department of Political Science organizes a diverse and highly flexible curriculum of courses conducted in small groups.

In the first year, students take a political science foundation seminar that involves surveys, workshops, readings in the literature, discussion, and so on, and a course on principles of political science that teaches the fundamental principles and terminology of political science. These are required courses that are positioned as common foundational courses, and they are held in groups of about 13 students under a single full-time faculty member. As students advance to higher years, they develop their own individual interests in and concerns regarding the questions involved from foundational courses, developmental courses, and elective courses. A cluster of courses in the three fields of governance, global politics, and the media and politics is positioned to provide more specialized study according to how the students’ individual interests and concerns have broadened. Model course enrollment patterns are provided so that students can pursue their study in the three specialized fields in a developmental and systematic manner.

Further courses are arranged that deepen the students’ learning on their individual topics in seminars, the graduation thesis, fieldwork, internships, special political science lecture courses, a general lecture series, and readings in specialized literature.

Admission Policy

The Department of Political Science hopes to admit applicants who approve of the above educational objectives and who have the potential to become leaders in contributing to society.

  1. We are seeking applicants who understand the philosophy of "Do for Others”and who are fully endowed with the intelligence and the motivation to put it into practice. We are looking for talented people who do not just have good grades in school, but who also have a record of volunteer activity or a wealth of international experience.
  2. We are looking for talented people who sympathize with the educational principle of the Department of Political Science, which is to train “cultivated political citizens,” and who intend to involve themselves actively in society as dignified members of civil society both while they are at university and after graduation. We seek applicants with the motivation and the ability to engage with what is happening in the world, whether in Japan or elsewhere, and regardless of the magnitude of the matter, always bringing to it their own fresh interest in and concerns regarding the questions involved.
  3. What “cultivated political citizens” means, specifically, is human beings who can say what needs to be said when it needs to be said, as well as the courage to speak out on behalf of people whose circumstances prevent them from saying what needs to be said, and who have the imagination to consider the circumstances of the Other. We are looking for applicants who can share in the hope that by supporting what is at the center of society, people like this will guide Japanese society in a better direction.