Meiji Gakuin University
JPEN

Department of Art Studies

Department of English
Department of French Literature
Department of Art Studies

 

Department of Art Studies

Developing human resources with a love for the arts and the skills to communicate their appeall

Students in the Department of Art Studies learn information, theories and history related to “the arts” and “art”, gain a keener perspective on artistic traditions and transformations, and explore a wide range of topics such as the ideal form of communication about the arts. Our Department values and nurtures students’ interest in the arts, responding to their resolute eagerness to learn with a high level of specialized knowledge. We seek students who are enthralled by the arts.

Department of Art Studies

Key Features of the Department of Art Studies
Program Structure
Topics
Admission Policy

Key Features of the Department of Art Studies

Point 01

1st year

Students develop basic skills in the arts and explore their own interests and orientation through introductory lectures that provide overviews and general histories of fields such as music, film, visual arts, fine arts, artistic media, and theater.

Requirements for each course
Introductory lectures
Meiji Gakuin core curriculum classes
Participation in on- and off-campus events

Point 02

2nd year

Students select courses from amongst Musicology, Film Studies, Art History, Media Studies, Theatre and Performance Studies, and Comprehensive Art Studies. We also offer lecture courses that incorporate the reading of literature and documents in small groups, practical exercises, and seminars in which students give presentations.

Basic seminars for each course
Hands-on and experience-based classes

In addition to opportunities for participating in off-campus events, we provide students with authentic experiences in a variety of settings, including symposiums, lectures, concerts, and theater performances by on-campus artists and researchers.

Point 03

3rd and 4th year

Students receive closer and more detailed guidance in the five specialized courses that require a graduation thesis. In the Comprehensive Art Studies Course, students can engage in cross-sectional learning by selecting from among the subject groups offered by the five specialized courses according to their own interests.

Exercises and research emphasizing specialization
Specialized classes in a wide range of fields
Curatorial and museum training courses (4th year)
Varied special lectures and seminars
Graduation seminar
Graduation thesis

Program Structure

In their first year, students gain a broad understanding of the arts through classes in many fields and explore what interests them and the direction in which they are drawn. In their second year, they choose their area of specialization from amongst six courses and begin in-depth studies. From their third year onwards, students in the five specialized courses receive closer and more detailed instruction as they prepare to write their graduation thesis, which is a requirement of these courses. In the Comprehensive Art Studies Course, students can engage in cross-sectional learning according to their own interests by selecting from among the subject groups on offer.

Topics

General History of Film (for first-year students)

Nowadays we take our enjoyment of films for granted, but as an artistic genre it has a much shorter history than the fine arts and music, for example. However, the world of film is truly diverse. This class gives students a deeper understanding of film by tracing artistic and technological experimentation, from the earliest silent films of the late 19th century that emerged in the West, Japan and Asia against a backdrop of science and technology, to the era of the talkies.

 

Introductory Seminar on Musicology (for second-year students)

Students learn the fundamentals of musicology in this course. They learn to think more deeply as they tackle assignments and engage their fellow students in discussion. They also then gain experience in expressing themselves by writing reports and giving oral presentations. They can also learn a lot from their fellow students’ presentations. This course gives them the necessary skills to carry out research based on their own interests.

Introductory Seminar on Musicology (for second-year students)

Where Our Graduates Are Now(2021-2023)