Graduate School

  The curriculum of the Graduate School of Humanities centers around the training of researchers through a five-year process of integrated education through the first and second stages of doctoral program. The Division of History established in 1993 has had both the first and the second stages of the doctoral program since 1995. Generally in the first stage of the doctoral program, students develop deep scholarship from a broad perspective and are trained in research skills in their respective Divisions as well as the skills needed for jobs requiring advanced specialization. Most classes are in the form of lectures or seminars. Completion of the first stage requires 32 credits, with electives from areas outside the candidate's specialty also being accepted. Most Divisions also accept up to 10 credits from other graduate schools with which Japan Women's University has a special agreement.

  In the first stage of the doctoral program, students master specialized research methodology and submit their master's thesis. By contrast, in the second stage of the program these methods are actually applied to the student's specialty. Faculty members offer individual guidance in the preparation of the doctoral dissertation.

  The Divisions, as one means of encouraging student research, hold a symposium in the fall at which students report on their unfinished master's theses. All faculty members and students participate in these conferences, generating a lively exchange of opinions and helping students complete their dissertations. Many Divisions also organize conferences at which students scheduled to submit their doctoral dissertations announce the results of their research.

  The curricula for each specialty in the Graduate School of the Humanities has its own unique characteristics. In the Division of Japanese, which consists of the fields of Japanese language and literature, students are taught not only by the university's own professors, but also by outside specialists where desirable, including visiting lecturers from abroad. The program is delivered through a mixture of lectures and seminars, and the library provides the resources necessary for re-search into every period of Japanese literature. The Division of English's specialties include English Literature, American Literature, Linguistics, American Studies, and British Cultural Studies. In the second stage of the doctoral program, students are expected not only to carry out specialized research projects, exploring new areas within their field, but also to begin to acquire the instructing skills
necessary for an academic career. With its specialist teaching staff, and its well-resourced library and computer facilities, the Division expects to produce scholars who will devote themselves to learning and who will contribute to the academic culture of Japan. The Division of History's specialties include the histories of Japan, of the Orient and East Asia, and of Western Europe; the Division's most distinctive feature is the comparative method of study it pursues. Students are also given a full grounding in historiography to equip them with the academic and technical expertise to work in historical archives.