Curriculum

A wide variety of subjects in liberal arts

Liberal arts means subjects in general education offered at universities. In contrast to specialized subjects, liberal arts provide general knowledge and enrich the culture of students. In the curriculum of the School of Political Science and Economics, they correspond to basic subjects, foreign language subjects, and health / exercise science subjects. Moreover, the basic subjects comprise groups of subjects in the following areas: humanities, social science, natural science, and comprehensive study.

Today, every issue seems to take on a complex look due to the acceleration of informatization and globalization. In order to solve these complex issues, it is indispensable to address them from a broad perspective. The School of Political Science and Economics aims to develop the basic ability of students in order to solve problems by offering a wide variety of subjects in the liberal arts.

Systematization of the curriculum around basic subjects and four courses

Basic subjects are offered to enable students to make gradual progress toward more specialized study based on the basic ability. By studying such subjects as general principles designated by each department, history/history of thought, mass communication, theories, statistics, and policies, students acquire a mindset required for study in their specialized field.

Then, with the help of seminar instructors, students enroll in specialized subjects in a systematic manner from the following: “Comprehensive Politics and Sociology Course,” “Comprehensive Economics and Economic Policy Course,” “Comprehensive Regional Administration Course,” “Comprehensive International Culture Course,” and “Subject Packages,” which are sub-groups of each course containing application subjects.

However, the courses and subject packages are only a guide for subject selection and students are free to take any subjects across the courses / packages.

Enriched small-group education and tutorial system

In the first and second years and the third and fourth years, small classes called seminars are offered. While a general lecture class tends to be one-way from an instructor to students, a seminar is a two-way class where students present the results of their studies, discuss the results with other members, and receive feedback from the instructor in charge. In the School of Political Science and Economics, students are eager to participate in seminar activities and build strong ties with classmates and the instructor in charge, which tend to continue even after graduation.

Moreover, the School also offers an intensive English program called ACE (Advanced Communicative English) for students who wish to learn more English in addition to a regular English course.

Since freshmen tend to have difficulty with the system of selecting classes on their own, the School of Political Science and Economics offers a support program called Academic Advisor in April. It is a program where instructors give advice to students on what to take. Moreover, there is an Office Hour system in place, which enables students to have a personal consultation with instructors. These programs provide support for students and facilitate their learning at the university.