Outline of Graduate School of International Cultural Studies
Philosophy and Objectives of the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies
Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural Studies was established on April 1, 1993 as the first independent graduate school of Tohoku University as part of the university-wide reform.
The purpose of the Graduate School is to conduct interdisciplinary and comprehensive education and research on international regional culture, cultural exchange, and language and culture, and to nurture outstanding human resources who can play an active role in Japan and abroad and contribute to international society in response to the progress of internationalization.
The internationalization of economic activities and the development of large-scale human exchange across national borders have the positive aspect of deepening mutual understanding among people internationally, but they also have the negative aspect of causing serious cultural and economic friction and conflict among regions and nations. International friction and conflict are often caused not only by differences in language and thought styles among the peoples of the countries concerned, but also by a lack of understanding of history, culture, religion, and natural views, which, when aggravated, can lead to conflict and confusion. Unfortunately, even today, ethnic and regional conflicts caused by religious and cultural intolerance and incomprehension continue to occur. In the 21st century, when the world is becoming increasingly globalized and borderless, in order for Japan to build higher quality international exchange and cooperation, it is fundamentally necessary to foster researchers and practitioners who not only understand the languages, cultures, and histories of other countries, but also the significance of international exchange and cooperation and the problems inherent in such activities, and who possess advanced specialized knowledge. The Graduate School of International Relations (GSIR) is a graduate school of International Relations (IRI), which has been established in response to this need.
The Graduate School must conduct education and research from such a perspective, aiming to nurture creative researchers who are not confined to a narrow field of specialization, and at the same time, to nurture highly specialized professionals who have acquired international perspectives from a broad perspective.
In this age of internationalization accompanied by advanced information technology, the world is revealing a trend toward rapid cultural and economic unification. Each regional culture is formed and developed against the background of its unique history, and while it has its own unique cultural characteristics, it is transformed by integrating its own and others' cultures through multicultural interactions.
If such transformed culture is called “international culture,” then the study of “international culture” can be defined as "an academic discipline that comprehensively and interdisciplinarily examines the past, present, and future of the formation, development, and exchange of each regional culture from the perspective of international integration in the present.
The definition of culture is extremely multifaceted, encompassing not only language, religion, thought, literature, and art, but also history, society, views of nature, science and technology, economic activities, education, and lifestyles. However, international cultural studies is not merely a study of individual issues as facts. The course must examine these issues from a comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspective, exploring the universality and commonality of culture as well as its diversity and uniqueness, with the aim of gaining an essential understanding of culture.
The study of international culture, which has a complex or multilayered structure, requires a new way of thinking and a comprehensive perspective that transcends the framework of traditional methodologies and concepts of individual disciplines corresponding to the various fields of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
Features of the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies
- Features of the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies
- The Graduate School of Science and Technology fosters creative researchers and professionals who are able to ask new questions and take on new challenges in order to confront the various problems facing human society.
- Cultivation of human resources who can be active on the world stage
- Through providing opportunities for students to gain rich experiences through interaction with a variety of people and to acquire sufficient communication skills, the Graduate School cultivates outstanding human resources who can play an active role on the world stage.
- Graduate School open to the world and the region
- As a graduate school open to the world and the region, we strive to find outstanding human resources, including working adults and international students, and to develop a support system that takes into consideration the research and study conditions of individual students.
- Respect for the spirit of challenge
- The Graduate School accepts excellent students who have completed various undergraduate and graduate programs in Japan and abroad. We also give full consideration to students who are eager to take on the challenges of new academic fields.
Admissions Policy
- Diverse regional cultures of Japan and the world from an international perspective
- Global issues related to the environment and resources, and a sustainable society in which human beings can coexist
- To develop globally competent professionals, teachers, and researchers who possess a high level of specialized knowledge in the three fields of language that support the foundations of international society, a clear awareness of issues, international and interdisciplinary thinking and analytical skills to support this knowledge, and advanced foreign language skills, and who have a high ideal of contributing to the inheritance and development of human civilization and culture, as well as a rich cultural background and an international outlook. To nurture professionals, teachers, and researchers who can play an active role in the global community
The educational goal of the Graduate School is to provide students with the ability to think flexibly, to acquire a broad range of academic knowledge, and to use advanced language skills. Based on these educational goals, the Graduate School seeks students who have a clear sense of purpose to become creative researchers or professionals who are active in the international arena, equipped with flexible thinking skills, extensive academic knowledge, and advanced language skills.
In order to accept students, we will conduct entrance examinations in the following categories: General Selection, Special Selection for International Students Applying Abroad, Selection for University Preparation (only for the three-year doctoral course), Entrance Examination for the Global Governance and Sustainable Development Program, and Entrance Examination for the Integrated Linguistic Sciences Course. Selection is based on whether or not the applicant possesses the high level of abilities and qualities necessary to conduct research in accordance with the above educational philosophy and goals.
Master's course of 2 years
- Examination of expertise through a written test
- Interview and application documents to evaluate the applicant's ability to use foreign languages, motivation for application, and research plan required for the research
The selection process is based on an equal weighting of these two criteria.
- file wrapper (patents)
- interview test
Applicants who are recommended by their home universities will be selected based on their specialized knowledge, ability to think logically and express themselves in writing, research plan, and motivation for research, with these factors being given approximately equal weight.
- file wrapper (patents)
- interview test
The selection process is based on an equal weighting of the applicant's high level of English language ability, willingness to research current social issues, ability to think critically and ability to set practical issues, and other factors.
- file wrapper (patents)
- interview test
The selection process is based on an equal weighting of the high level of English language proficiency required for study in the English language course and the specialized knowledge and interdisciplinary thinking skills required for language science research.
Before enrolling, students are expected to have acquired basic specialized knowledge, basic foreign language skills, and logical sentence structure skills appropriate to the course, program, and course of study.
Doctoral course (3 years)
- Examination of Master's thesis
- Examination of advanced expertise through a written test
- Interview and application documents to evaluate the applicant's ability to use foreign languages, motivation for application, and research plan required for the research
The selection process is based on an equal weighting of these two criteria.
- file wrapper (patents)
- interview test
The selection process is based on an evaluation of the applicant's advanced expertise, ability to conduct research, research plan and motivation, etc., with equal weight given to each of these factors.
- examination of master's thesis
- interview test and application documents
and examination of advanced specialized knowledge and foreign language proficiency required for research are conducted, and these are evaluated with approximately equal weight in the selection process.
- screening of application documents
- interview test
and will be used to evaluate and select applicants based on their English language proficiency and ability to think critically about current social issues and practical problem-solving skills with equal weight.
- screening of application documents
- interview test.
The selection process is based on an equal weighting of the applicant's English language proficiency required for English language course study and the applicant's advanced specialized knowledge, practical research skills, and interdisciplinary analytical abilities required for research in language science.
Before enrolling, applicants are expected to have acquired a wide range of specialized knowledge, advanced foreign language skills, and creative research abilities appropriate to the course, program, or course.