Introduction to the Graduate School

The Departments and Courses at the Graduate School of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs

Correspondences between the Department of Humanities and the Faculty of Letters, Chiba University

The aims of the Graduate School

Three educational policies of the Graduate School of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs, Chiba University

The Graduate School of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs, Chiba University is an interdisciplinary and integrated graduate school, consisting of Master’s and Doctoral Programs, based on the Faculty of Letters and the Faculty of Law, Politics and Economics. The Master’s Program, comprising the Department of Humanities and the Department of Social Studies on Public Affairs, covers a wide variety of academic fields in the humanities and social sciences. In the program, we continue and promote the approach based on a public affairs perspective, which was a core value of the former graduate school. The Doctoral Program has only one department, the Department of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs, and focuses on solid interdisciplinary and integrated research and education based on the public affairs perspective. The Graduate School of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs delivers an educational curriculum that enables students to gain key public affairs perspectives (interdisciplinarity, internationality, practicality, and sociality), and thereby develop the ability to solve global and local social issues, identify problems based on a broad education and deep expertise, discuss and communicate with global and local societies, and find practical solutions to a wide range of issues. In sum, the Graduate School aims to develop next-generation global human resources who can solve the social problems of the future.

(1) Admission policy

The Department of Humanities in the Master’s Program seeks students who wish to acquire the problem-finding ability required to address new problems that the world’s societies are facing, with a deeply humanitarian outlook, and to develop the ability to discuss and communicate with global and local societies, while integrally studying humanities (a universal element) and social sciences (a versatile element). The Department of Social Studies on Public Affairs in the Master’s Program seeks students who have both expertise and creativity, wish to gain knowledge to accurately understand a dynamically changing global society, and will be able to play a leadership role in future problem solving. The Department of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs in the Doctoral Program seeks students who wish to be active in the global, knowledge-based society, by acquiring knowledge aimed at developing a keen sense of ethics and publicness, a high level of expertise, and practical research ability.

(2) Curriculum policy

To develop students’ problem-solving ability and expertise based on the aforementioned public affairs perspectives, the students benefit from a highly organized and systematic curriculum and a high quality of pedagogical expertise, which provide flexible education that can respond to rapid changes in social problems.

The Department of Humanities in the Master’s Program has three courses: Foundational Cultural Sciences, Study of Multicultural Coexistence, and Advanced Skills of Education and Learning Support. The Department provides an education curriculum that can develop students’ interdisciplinarity, internationality, practicality, and sociality based on the corresponding public affairs perspectives, encouraging a sophisticated awareness of the integration of people and society. In addition it develops students’ ability not only to identify problems based on broad education and deep expertise, but also to gain critical social skills through experiences such as overseas internships. The newly established Course in Advanced Skills of Education and Learning Support provides a curriculum that enables students to acquire knowledge necessary for people involved in education and learning support in higher education, including student career paths and international exchanges.

The Department of Social Studies on Public Affairs in the Master’s Program has three courses: Studies on Public Affairs, Economics and Management, and Economics in English. The Department provides a systematic and organized curriculum in which students attend lectures and conduct exercises in advanced social sciences; develop interdisciplinarity, internationality, practicality, and sociality based on the aforementioned public affairs perspectives; and acquire broad education and fundamental knowledge by taking common courses with the Department of Humanities. The newly established Course of Economics in English provides lectures and thesis instruction in English to nurture highly professional graduates who can play an active role on a global scale.

The Department of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs in the Doctoral Program has three courses: Humanities, Studies on Public Affairs, and Social Sciences, chosen by students based on their research subject, diploma type, and career path. The Department provides a curriculum that enables students to acquire advanced expertise and practical ability to do research, through international internships, field work, and project research; and to benefit from common courses providing advanced public affairs perspectives.

(3) Diploma policy

The Master’s Program offers the Master’s Degree (Academics, Literature, Economic Science, Business Science, Political Science, and Public Affairs) to students whose research outcomes presented in their theses meet the standards of degree conferral designated by the Graduate School of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs; and have gained a broad education and advanced knowledge of specialized fields, the ability to explore and solve problems, and interdisciplinary, internationality, sociality, and practicality based on the public affairs perspective. The Doctoral Program offers the Doctorate (Academics, Literature, Juridical Science, Economic Science, and Public Affairs) to students whose research outcomes presented in their dissertations show academic expertise and creativity, and meet the standards of degree conferral designated by the Graduate School of Humanities and Studies on Public Affairs; and have shown advanced and practical ability to do research as an independent researcher based on the public affairs perspective.

Characteristics

• A multiple-supervisor system: We provide thorough education, with a team of two supervisors in the Master’s Program and three supervisors in the Doctoral Program. Students receive a customized education based on their individual needs and interests, such as theory and verification, history, or philosophy.
• Diverse specialty areas: Students can learn a wide variety of subjects in the humanities and social sciences in an integrated manner; the environment is suitable for interdisciplinary research.
• Joint research projects: Students can participate in joint research projects with researchers inside and outside the Graduate School, and fellow graduate students. Around 20 projects are launched every year.
• Fulfilling social experience: We incorporate domestic and international internships into education, to develop researchers and specialists with practical ability and advanced sociality.