Wanted: Students who have intellectual curiosity and intellectual integrity
The Graduate School of Information and Communication is a young graduate school established in FY2008. The graduate school inherits and builds on the philosophy and achievements of the School of Information and Communication which was established in FY2004. With the intent of viewing the advanced information society and the acts of the people who live in it through a new and interdisciplinary perspective of “information and communication,” we aim to cultivate well-educated members of society in the true sense, who will become leading researchers or be successful in various fields.
Entering the 21st century, the advanced information society is beginning to rapidly evolve. There is no denying its usefulness, but at the same time, new social problems and pressing issues have emerged, requiring extensive, high level decisions and responses. The Graduate School of Information and Communication aims to explore the modes of people and communication in this advanced information society through an interdisciplinary approach.
The concept of an interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary approach, while easy to say, is quite a difficult philosophy to put into action in reality. A true interdisciplinary approach is not achieved simply by gathering experts from various fields. Only when each individual has his own core in a specific field of study while also being knowledgeable in related fields is such an approach achieved. Moreover, academia is meaningless if it is isolated from reality. An attitude to squarely face reality, or the present condition of the world and of society, is necessary. We must not end up with only theories or simply adhering to the thoughts of our predecessors.
In this sense, the standard to which we hold each of our students is high, but the Graduate School of Information and Communication has the structure and faculty to firmly support them. We offer research fields in the four categories of society, people, culture, and nature, and have supporting research subjects in which students can learn various research methods. We also have a system in which students are assigned a sub-advisor in addition to their main advisor, in order to provide a solid support system for each student. Furthermore, we are currently working to establish research institutions for specific issues in order to offer students an environment in which they can further their education as researchers while undertaking interdisciplinary research along with faculty members.
As researchers and students, we must not forget Isaac Newton’s famous words, “standing on the shoulders of giants.” The reason we have a far-seeing vision is because we are standing on the accumulated achievements of numerous predecessors; it is not in any way the achievements of a single individual. Paying respect and appreciating the achievements of past thinkers, and to not infringe on intellectual property rights or disregard them, even if not in an illegal manner, is an integral moral attitude demanded of researchers and students today.
We look forward to welcoming students who have both the intellectual curiosity and intellectual integrity to be tenaciously interested in a wide range of subjects and respectful to the knowledge and achievements of our predecessors.
Dean, Graduate School of Information and Communication
TOMONO, Norio
