Four years of learning Department of Contemporary Sociological Studies
Process of four years of learning
Curriculum
Students will examine past and modern societies from the perspectives of sociology, history and regional studies.
In their 1st Year, students will chiefly take seminar-format classes in small groups to learn basic academic approaches and methods. In their 2nd Year, they will freely take subjects from the three disciplines of “sociology domain,” “history domain” and “regional studies domain” in accordance with their individual interests. Then, starting from their 3rd Year, students will belong to either the “Sociology Course”・”History Course”・”Regional Studies Course”and will deepen their understanding of their field of specialization through seminars conducted in small groups while beginning to prepare for their graduation thesis.
*The nature of credits required for graduation vary in part depending on the course. However, students may freely take subjects from any of the three domains regardless of what course they belong to. Please also see the “Study Model.”
1st Year
Students will learn the theories and methods necessary for research
2nd Year
Students will freely take subjects from the three disciplines to acquire a wide range of knowledge
3rd/4th Year
Students will select a course in their 3rd Year to deepen their specialization. In their 4th Year, students will conduct research on their thesis theme in their respective seminars under the guidance of the faculty member in charge.
Distinctive classes
Gender Theory
With the establishment of SDG 5, “Achieve gender equality,” there has been visible growth in social interest in gender issues. And yet, we are still quite a ways off from achieving equality. In the words of sociologist Harold Garfinkel, gender issues have the characteristic of being “seen, but unnoticed.” Behavioral patterns such as mannerisms and language and norms such as “men should be strong and women should be gentle” are buried in self-evident common knowledge. These must be unearthed in order to reveal the true nature of gender issues. A truly stimulating academic discipline, gender theory focuses on phenomena that we normally take for granted and finding the structural cracks that dictate where and what kind of issues are hidden.
Fieldwork Theory
In this class, students will learn basic approaches and techniques of fieldwork in a practical and interdisciplinary manner. More specifically, students will receive guidance from faculty members who specialize in sociology, history and geography. A distinctive aspect of this class is that it not only involves examinations of historical materials and literature on campus, but also actual field surveys conducted off campus. In this way, this class aims to have students experience both classroom and practical learning while simultaneously gaining a sense of the appeal and challenges of fieldwork and studying perspectives and methods for forming a deep understanding the subject of that fieldwork.
Social Research Practical Training
Students will establish a unique sub-theme related to a social phenomenon or social issue and actually carry out a series of tasks in the form of research planning, design, implementation, analysis and reporting. Such practical classes are what constitute social research practical training. Previous classes have covered topics such as disasters, education, non-Japanese workers, agriculture and tourism. Based on these topics as well as the question of how they relate to the local community, students and faculty members will conduct fieldwork. The class aims to have each of them fully mobilize the knowledge they have acquired up to that point to engage with the field, make records, think, and express themselves in a manner that others can understand. The Department fully believes that the communication techniques and skills cultivated through this process will prove useful not only in the academic world but also after graduation in particular.
Introduction to Geography
In the academic discipline of geography, students will research regions and spaces as they pick up on and explore the “whys” found there. The scales addressed in geography are diverse in nature, ranging from familiar urban and rural areas to global regions. Geography also encompasses a number of fields, such as population, commerce, urban development, tourism and transportation. In the Introduction to Geography class, students will first familiarize themselves with the basics, such as “geography studied at the university level,” “the practical application of geography studies in society” and “searches for geography literature and information.” Furthermore, students will cover various familiar phenomena and specific examples, learn methods of viewing and thinking about regions through maps and landscape photographs as well as outfit themselves with introductory regional analysis skills and approaches through geography-related statistics, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), fieldwork and so forth.
Historical Document Reading I
In this class, students will read and analyze historical documents related to European history and conduct drills in constructing historical images from them. The class covers a considerably wide range of both eras and regions, from ancient Greece and Rome to modern-day America. Additionally, themes are also selected to be as diverse as possible. Note that as historical documents from European history are written in a variety of languages, either the English or Japanese translations of those documents are read in class.
