Faculty introduction

The Faculty of Letters is a place where we dream about freedom. We may do it by reexamining our own interior, or by going out to what lies outside us. Either way is all right. In the mediocrity of every day, there is a place to escape from the stifling present-day and breathe fresh air, and that place is the Faculty of Letters. It is an enormous museum of humankind’s cultures, and it is also a microcosm that enfolds the feelings of various different eras like countless stars. At first, it may naturally seem to be filled with puzzles at every turn. With a little bit of patience, however, you are bound to encounter a brilliance that somehow entrances and draws you in. We do not want you to just learn little tricks to keep turning out tomorrows that are just like today, but rather to develop the strength to live and create tomorrows that are different from today.

Hidehiko Yuzawa, Director, Faculty of Letters

Educational Objectives and Human Resource Development Objectives

The objective of the Faculty of Letters in terms of education is to impart basic and specialized knowledge across a variety of fields of human expression, as well as practical competence in them, to foster understanding of literature, arts, and culture in a variety of different languages, and to cultivate powers of expression in both spoken and written language. In doing so, our objective is to cultivate the capability and the individuality to contribute to society while thinking about what it is to be a human being, questioning what human beings should be and do, and dealing with the world’s diversity and change. Each department and academic program engages in this kind of development of human resources while upholding its own objectives and policies, without falling into unwanted uniformity, but all of them will place value on flexible thinking and they will guide students toward the ability to build human relationships between individuals. In this way we inherit the humanitarianism, the Christian spirit, and the concern for multiplicity of languages and cultures of J. C. Hepburn, and in this way we also share an attitude of openness to further expanding horizons.

Educational Objectives and Human Resource Development Objectives

Department of English | Department of French Literature | Department of Art Studies

Policy on Conferral of Degrees (Diploma Policy)

Students are to have a well-developed sensibility in language, literature, and the arts, and will have acquired the fundamental knowledge and practical competence in the specialized field of their department. Students are also to possess language skills and presentation skills based on a deep understanding of the thought, literature, culture, and various art genres of England, America, and France. Possessing such sensibility, understanding, and ability to express themselves, they will also be equipped to examine such fundamental questions as what the nature of a human being is, and who and what they themselves are in the world.

Policy on Conferral of Degrees (Diploma Policy)

Department of English | Department of French Literature | Department of Art Studies

Academic Program Organization and Implementation Policy (Curriculum Policy)

Each department determines the curriculum policy for courses of study in that department’s basic field of specialization.

In addition to this basic and specialized curriculum, the Faculty of Letters has also established a core curriculum for the department, including Japanese literature, Chinese literature, German literature, Western literature, intercultural understanding, philosophy, Greek, Latin, cultural history, and ethnology. By enrolling in these courses, students can deepen their knowledge and understanding of a broader range of language, literature, and the arts without falling into overly limited specialization.

Academic Program Organization and Implementation Policy (Curriculum Policy)

Department of English | Department of French Literature | Department of Art Studies

Admission Policy

We are looking for students who are oriented to literature, language, and the arts.
Students who have acquired basic academic competence demonstrated in general entrance examinations and National Center entrance examinations will be selected for admission.
Apart from basic academic competence, applicants will also be screened for competence and suitability in the specialized field of each department concerned, using the examination for admission based on self-recommendation (the admission office (AO) examination) in accordance with the departmental field.