Department of Sociology
Department of Sociology
Department of Social Work
Examining connections between people and society from various different angles
Sociology is a discipline that reveals the mechanisms at work in our society. The Department of Sociology develops our students’ ability to think flexibly and express themselves creatively via a curriculum that is based around small classes and face-to-face interactions. Our professors are prominent in their fields and watch over the efforts of each of our students as they explore various issues.
Department of Sociology
Key Features of the Department of Sociology
Program Structure
Topics
Admission Policy
Key Features of the Department of Sociology
Point 01
A structured sociology curriculum
Our curriculum provides students with a structured study of sociology. In their first and second years, students learn fundamentals through interactive small-group seminars such as Academic Literacy, Introductory Seminar in Sociology, and Intermediate Seminar, and through lectures such as Foundations of Sociological Theory. In their third and fourth years, students enroll in Advanced Seminar 1 and 2, where they learn more deeply within their specialization according to their research interests.
Point 02
A fieldwork-centered approach that nurtures the skills and spirit of social research
The heart of sociology lies in examining actual societies, understanding them more deeply through questionnaires, interviews, observations, and document analyses. Students learn professional social research methods and ethics from their first year. We also offer the Certified Social Researcher accreditation classes required by the Japanese Association for Social Research (JASR) for certification.
Point 03
Three specialization courses allow students to discover their own research topic
Students choose one of three specialization courses in their second year, allowing them to interact with others having similar study interests, deepen their knowledge and discover a topic for their own research. Our course system also permits students to take classes from other courses, allowing for flexible study plans that accommodate students as their interests broaden and change.
- Culture and Media Course
Students explore the production and communication of information and its impacts with the goal of understanding their own culture and that of others. - Life and Identity Course
Students gain an understanding of connections between human life and society to investigate the nature of contemporary societies built on advanced science and technology. - Environment and Community Course
Students gain an understanding of relationships between events in their everyday lives and communities, cities, and the world, while also developing the practical skills needed to create sustainable new communities.
Point 04
Instruction on expression and practical methods from media professionals
Research and writing papers are not the only ways we apply sociological practices to social phenomena and issues. Lectures and workshops from visiting lecturers active in media industries such as broadcasting, publishing, and advertising provide students with abilities to express their views through media.
Program Structure
In their first year, students learn basic knowledge and methods for sociology and social research through small group seminars and social research classes. In their second year, students choose one of the three specialization courses, concentrating on an academic area of interest. In their third and fourth years, students choose Advanced Seminars 1 and 2 to more deeply pursue their academic interests. Building on the knowledge and experiences gained through those Advanced Seminar 1 and 2 and the Practical Training in Social Research, they write a graduation thesis.
Topics
Practical Training in Social Research
In this course, students gather data via autonomous fieldwork and then utilize various methods to analyze and study those data. They leverage the social research knowledge and techniques they have learned since their first year to investigate their chosen theme and produce a written report. This process where, guided by specialist faculty members, they cooperate with classmates to gain a clearer picture of social phenomena is a precious opportunity to put sociology into practice.
Examples of themes
- Diversity in the expression of sexuality and commercialization
- The relationship between artistic events and local communities
- Awareness of people’s health and physical constitutions
- Sexuality and religion
Media Creativity Workshop
These practical classes are for students who wish to learn media expression skills or gain a deeper understanding of media mechanisms. The same content will create a very different impression depending on how it is expressed. Under the guidance of professionals who are active in the field, students acquire techniques via classes where they actually create videos or write articles and reviews.
- Learning visual expression
Students experience video composition at firsthand through the process of writing a scenario, then filming, editing and screening their video
- Learning written expression
In accordance with the special characteristics of each medium, students acquire the ability to read critically and write good quality prose
- Learning project planning
Students gain a deeper understanding of the media via their experience of the planning and editing processes for advertising and sales campaigns
