Graduate School of Humanities
The Graduate School of Humanities has carried on the traditions and academic legacy of the former Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University (Toritsu University) for half a century, has established new programs in fields of language sciences, representational culture studies, and Japanese language pedagogy, and has built a master’s level clinical psychology program that is separate from the psychology program.
In this way, meeting the needs of the times, it covers an extremely wide range of academic disciplines related to humanity, culture, and society and provides a full range of educational and research activities. The graduate school is comprised of four departments: (1) Behavioral Social Sciences, (2) Human Sciences, (3) Philosophy, History, and Cultural Studies, and (4) Intercultural Studies. However, the units into which students are recruited are broken down into more specialized “programs” or “classes.” The students who are admitted can conduct specialized research as they always have.
In the master’s program, admission is offered in September and February, with entrance exams offered twice a year (only once a year in February in the doctoral program).
Department of Behavioral Social Sciences
Sociology / Social Anthropology / Social Welfare /
Under the new conditions presented by contemporary society, such as urban globalization and the ubiquity of advanced information networks, there are growing needs and expectations in the fields of industry, transportation, and culture 1) to historically and theoretically explain social structures and how they are changing, 2) to conduct comparative research with other cultures and societies, and 3) to conduct research on policies to address various social issues associated with internationalization and aging.
This has led to an urgent need to achieve a fusion of and balance between survey research focused on fieldwork and the theoretical and historical research underlying it. To cultivate students who will conduct interdisciplinary inquiries into these issues, this department recruits students in three programs: Sociology, Social Anthropology, and Social Welfare.
Department of Human Sciences
Psychology / Clinical Psychology / Pedagogy / Language Sciences / Japanese Language Education /
This department comprises five programs.
The Psychology Program covers experimental psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology and psychological measurement, allowing students to research and study various aspects of human psychology.
At the master’s degree level, students are recruited to either the Psychology Program or the separately established Clinical Psychology Program. At the doctoral degree level, students are recruited to only one program, the Psychology Program, which includes coverage of clinical psychology. The Clinical Psychology Program, as an advanced, specialized training program at the master’s degree level, aims to cultivate researchers and help students acquire practical expertise in clinical psychology. The Pedagogy Program offers theoretical and practical research and education related to personnel development, such as educational policies and institutions, school education, social education and lifelong learning, preschool education, special education, and multicultural education. The Language Sciences Program offers research and education that clarify the inherent language functions of humans and their neuroscientific foundations through research on linguistics as a natural science and on language built on generative grammar. The Japanese Language Education Program offers research and education on Japanese linguistics and language teaching methods for Japanese as a native language and as a second or foreign language, language contact and acquisition, and the development of distance learning and multimedia teaching materials.
Department of Philosophy, History and Cultural Studies
Philosophy / History / Studies of Culture and Representaion /
This department is composed of three programs in Philosophy, History and Cultural Studies.
The Philosophy Program covers the two fields of philosophy and classics, including the various periods of western philosophy from ancient Greece to contemporary Britain and the US. Students conduct research on theoretical studies of world structures from the perspectives of language and science, ethical studies of values and norms, and theoretical philosophy, which has strong ties to mathematics. The History Program strives to cultivate professionals and researchers who have the ability to think historically and are equipped with broad knowledge by integrating the study of Japanese, Eastern, and Western history as well as archaeology. The Program in Studies of Culture and Representation addresses diverse topics in artistic and cultural practices from two methodological perspectives: theoretically informed analysis of visual culture, traditional and modern performing arts, music and sound culture, and literature; and critique of cultural representations in light of contemporary discussions on social order, power, the body, and media.
Department of Intercultural Studies
Intercultural Studies of Japanese and Asia / Intercultural Studies of European and American /
This department is composed of five specializations in two programs. Students are recruited at the ‘specialization’ level.
Intercultural Studies of Japanese and Chinese Cultures Program: The Japanese Class focuses on the major research themes of the Japanese language, representation theory of myths and oral literature, cultural studies of Japanese songs (waka), literature and culture of the Edo Period, the analysis of modern and contemporary literature, and contemporary Japanese language studies. The Chinese Class covers a wide range of fields and topics including Chinese language and literature from classical to modern times, as well as Chinese culture, customs, and subcultures, and topics related to Japan and East Asia.
Intercultural Studies of European and American Cultures Program: The English Class incorporates education and research on the English-speaking world, such as England and the US, including parts of Africa, and conducts classes covering a wide range of topics related to the history and linguistic cultures of these regions.
The German Class focuses on cultural and literary studies on the German-speaking world and the study of thought including cultural criticism and media theory. The French Class conducts research on the French language from medieval times to the contemporary period, covering French syntax, French literature and thought from the early modern to modern period, and contemporary French thought.
