Major of Art Studies

(Master's and Doctoral Program)

Studying specialized academic fields to acquire flexible approaches and broad horizons that suit the modern world

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, film and other visual arts are deeply interconnected 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.

TOPICS

Welcome to the Musicology Course!

Everything related to music is considered a suitable subject for research in this course. Themes include music and musicians, the history of music in a particular country or region, how composers and works were received, the relationship between music, its times and society and with ideas and philosophy, and music education. A distinctive feature of this course is a seminar style where students learn together regardless of which year they are in, or whether they are on the master’s or doctoral degree program. Lively discussions among students, and between students and faculty members, are opportunities for students to learn how to proceed with research, and also expose them to various perspectives and ways of thinking.
We respect the interests of our students, and bear their themes in mind when inviting lecturers to give classes, a stance that is of tremendous help in adding greater depth to their specialization in their individual research. The TOYAMA Kazuyuki Memorial Archives of Modern Japanese Music, which is affiliated with the university library, is of huge importance to researchers of modern and contemporary Japanese music. The Major of Art Studies offers a number of courses, making it the ideal environment to research movie and theater music, the performing arts, and music in modern society. Students can take classes in other courses, and can easily access specialized documents. There are also opportunities to come into contact with live art and the latest research at the symposia and other events frequently held by the various courses.
If you want to engage with a music-related theme, and think more deeply about it, we would love to welcome you here.

Scholarships and Grants

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.