The Major of Art Studies program is composed of five courses: Musicology, Film Studies, Art History, Media Studies, and Theatre and Performance Studies. While carrying out in-depth research in their respective courses, students also have the opportunity to broaden their horizons by taking classes in other courses. For instance, visual arts such as film and video have deep two-way connections with fields such as music and fine arts. Consequently, specialized research cannot succeed without a broad and flexible perspective that encompasses related arts. In recent years artists frequently transcend existing concepts of genre, providing further evidence of the necessity and inevitability of this broad-ranging approach to research on the arts. The Major of Art Studies program is unique in that it offers outstanding classes in each course. This overall breadth and depth offer an ideal environment for those wishing to carry out specialized research in the arts. By offering a wide range of classes taught by faculty who are at the forefront of their fields internationally, we aim to develop human resources with broad horizons who are capable of building on their extensive knowledge to think independently about the arts. This flexibility opens up career paths not only in research and education, but also in fields ranging from museum curatorship and the artistic direction of concert halls and theatres to various types of planning and production, as well as broadcasting, publishing, and other media roles.
Established in 2021, this is the newest course in the Major of Art Studies. Theatre’s origins go back to the dawn of humankind. There are many research institutes in Japan and around the world that study theatre and its 2,500 years of history. Our course however, while insisting on a scrupulous focus on theatre studies as an academic discipline, develops human resources who experience live theatre at firsthand, are sensitive to the spirit of an era or society, and can capture that essence and leverage it in their research. We capitalize on the cosmopolitan spirit of the university and the distinctive characteristics of the Major of Art Studies and its diverse coexisting genres to produce researchers with wide-ranging perspectives and extensive knowledge who are capable of flourishing in the global arena. Students are able to acquire an extensive knowledge of the arts, and can also learn about specialized areas of theatre studies, such as criticism, contemporary Japanese theatre, and modern French theatre with a focus on symbolism. Space and place are essential elements of theatre which, if you think about it, are also factors that make Shirokanedai so very attractive. Our location in central Tokyo allows easy access to all kinds of theatres, but it also offers a quiet environment rich in history and greenery that provides a calm and relaxed base for research. The stage is set. We look forward to meeting you. Come and find fulfillment in studying alongside faculty and fellow students with a wealth of diverse experiences.
In principle, six students (primarily doctoral students) in the Graduate School of Arts and Letters are awarded scholarships of 100,000 or 200,000 yen each school year to partially fund overseas research and presentations (up to 50,000 yen when participating in overseas online conferences). In addition, grants of up to 30,000 yen per person are available to students in the Graduate School of Arts and Letters for travel to academic conferences within Japan.