Department of Global Humanities
- For a long time the GSAL has conducted solid professional research on languages, culture, history and religion of various Asian and European regions based on both fieldwork and analysis of literature and other sources. Department of Global Humanities will nurture individuals equipped with solid skills and insight necessary to preserve and develop this research tradition in increasingly globalized, multicultural world.
- We will seek out opportunities to forge new solutions both in research and education that can be used to address actual problems and issues faced by the modern society. The new field of life and death studies in particular will utilize knowledge accumulated by religious studies to develop a new type of spiritual care.
- Department of Global Humanities also aims to promote students’ language skills through advanced language education, which includes courses by native speakers. Furthermore, students will be provided with ample opportunity to study and conduct research abroad in order to gain the ability to understand and adapt to different cultures.
Programs and
specialization fields
Establishing the new field of Death & Life Studies/ Practical Religious Studies
Death & Life Studies/ Practical Religious Studies introduces a new area of education that links empirical research on religion and rituals with practical issues of spiritual care at the end of life. While Department of Global Humanities will collaborate with the Program of Practical Religious Studies (founded 2012), which gave birth to the profession of spiritual care worker, the new field of studies will offer a more academic approach to the subject. In addition, it is planned to establish cooperation with the Advanced Graduate Program for Future Medicine and Health Care, which starts in 2019. Our ultimate goal is to train clinical and mental health professionals of the highest level.
Course groups
Comparative and Cross-Cultural Studies
【Specialization Fields】
Cultural Anthropology, Religious Studies,
newDeath & Life Studies/ Practical Religious Studies, Indology and History of Indian Buddhism
Asian Culture and History
【Specialization Fields】
Chinese Language and Literature, Chinese Philosophy,
East Asian History
Western Culture and History
【Specialization Fields】
English Literature, English Linguistics, German Language and Literature , French Language and Literature , European and American History
Educational Goals
Master’s course
Our objective is to nurture individuals who can utilize their deep understanding of issues faced by the contemporary multicultural world to serve global society. Students must learn to efficiently explore cultural phenomena and acquire a broad outlook essential for interdisciplinary comparative studies of different cultures.
【Employment/Future Course】
Graduate school (doctoral course); foreign language teacher; Japanese language teacher (for non-native speakers); government worker; corporate worker; global company employee; etc.
Doctoral course
Our goal is to train high-level professionals and productive members of general society and academia, who will contribute to the development of research in their specialized fields without losing sight of the global studies in the humanities. The students must gain excellent language and communicative skills and professional-level expertise on culture of regions they study.
【Employment/Future Course】
Researcher in university, research institute, international organization, or global company; government consultant; professional educator in the area of healthcare and spiritual care; etc.
※The GSAL is currently in the process of reorganization. The information above might change.
