General Education and Major Subjects

The curriculum of the School of Letters is composed of general education subjects for the first and second year and major subjects for the second to the fourth year.

A minimum of 42 credits (40 credits of required courses and two credits of elective courses) must be obtained for general education subjects. The 40 credits in required courses mainly consist of 18 credits of Language and Information Education, 16 credits of which are for Foreign Language Education. Moreover, students are required to acquire 16 credits selected from Liberal Arts Education; that includes four categories: Introductory Liberal Arts, Modern Liberal Arts, Advanced Liberal Arts, and Global Liberal Arts. Four credits can also be obtained from the Specialized Introductory Educational Course. This course contains approximately 50 subjects such as “Introduction to Philosophy,” “Introduction to Asian History,” “Introduction to English Linguistics,” “The Beginning of Art,” and“Introduction to Japanese Studies.” There are also categories that include Health and Sports courses, along with introductory seminars.

Large Percentage of Foreign Language

Foreign language occupies a large portion of the general education subjects. Students are required to obtain eight credits of a first foreign language, four credits of a second foreign language, and four credits of an elective foreign language. As a general rule, the first foreign language is English. The second foreign language can be selected from the choices of German, French, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Italian. Elective foreign language courses can be selected from English, German, French, Russian, Chinese, Latin, and Greek.

Deciding One’s Specialization

Students determine their specialization in the second semester of their first year. The “General Orientation to the School of Letters” is held during the first semester of the first year for reference. It is similar to a guidance course, and about 30 teachers of the school take turns introducing their research and specializations. Specializations are decided on as requested by the students, but an exam is held if the number of applicants exceeds the standard number allowed.

Beginning in their second year, students will divide into their specializations and focus on their major subjects. At the School of Letters, students must obtain a total of more than 88 credits, composed of 30 credits of required courses, 48 credits of elective courses, and ten credits for their graduation thesis.

Major subjects are held in either lecture or seminar form.

Writing the Graduation Thesis

A graduation thesis is not only a summary of a student’s four years at the university but also a monument to their student life. To write a graduation thesis, students must decide on a theme under the supervision of their teacher in charge and collect, organize, and analyze data, discussing the issue from their unique perspective. Lengthy and difficult work is necessary for its completion, but we hope students will enjoy this struggle. You will come to realize who you are and what ideas you have.