International cultural explorerswho create the future

While the world of the 21st century has become increasingly globalized and borderless, in order for Japan to build a high quality network of exchange and cooperation with its international neighbors, it is of the utmost importance to train researchers and professionals who possess not only highly specialized knowledge in their fields but also a deep appreciation of the problems and implications associated with international exchange.

Research on individual world cultures is but the initial stage of intellectual development for those studying at GSICS. At our graduate school, we aim to establish a new academic discipline of international cultural studies that is capable of interacting with an ever-changing environment of cultural exchange. We seek to do so with precision and open-mindedness, by adopting a theoretical framework that is scientifically sound, yet, at the same time, capable of dealing with the wide range of practical issues encountered in everyday life through the spread of international culture. Behind our effort is the hope that by training well rounded individuals with an international mindset, we can work together to tackle environmental and resource-related issues, moving toward sustainable world peace which ensures the coexistence of diverse social groups and a mutual understanding between different cultures. As the world as a whole moves forward deeper into the 21st century, the heart of our endeavor lies in the amicable resolution of tensions between regional and local cultures as well as peoples of diverse linguistic, social and religious backgrounds.