GIS, the Department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies, provides a curriculum of liberal arts courses conducted in English on Hosei’s Ichigaya campus in central Tokyo. Established in 2008, it is based on IGIS (the Institute of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies), a program that started two years earlier.
The
twenty-first century needs people who think as citizens of a global community,
one that goes beyond nations and peoples. The “global studies” that GIS offers
tackle a variety of social and cultural phenomena in a world undergoing unprecedented
transformations. GIS aims to prepare students with a high level of English skill for careers at the forefront of international change.
Studying at GIS
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An education that’s both global and interdisciplinary |
Ideas and creativity for a global perspective require a curriculum for the
twenty-first century. Rapidly developing issues need viewpoints unconstrained by traditional academic boundaries. GIS
brings together the best from disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and does away with the traditional Japanese division between introductory or general courses on the one hand and specialized courses on the other.
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Teaching that’s all in English |
Whether it’s for politics, business or scholarship, English is now the
world’s first choice as a common tongue. And in order to get a grasp on what’s happening in the world, a high command of English is increasingly
needed. With this in mind, GIS employs English immersion education. Not
only the lectures but also the presentations and written assignments are in English. From the student’s first encounter with an issue onwards, it’s English all the way. The
resulting language skills bring greater success in the English-speaking workplace and global society after graduation.
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Low student-to-teacher ratio |
The number of students makes GIS one of the
smallest university departments in Japan. Not only seminars but even regular classes have between
ten and twenty students. This allows the teacher to adjust for the individual students’
interests and degree of existing knowledge, and involves the students in the class, maintaining
their appetite for learning.
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Free selection within a coherent curriculum |
All first-year students attend the “Global Studies” lecture
series, team-taught by GIS staff who each introduce worldwide
phenomena and issues of globalization that include language, gender, education, media, and more. GIS offers courses in academic skills and in the three
concentrations of Society and Identity, Arts and Culture, and Linguistics and Language Acquisition.
The courses are progressively ranked from the 100 through the 400 level, so that students can build from year to year on
what they have learned. More details here.
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Study abroad |
GIS has an elective study abroad program by which a student may take up to four regular courses, studying together with host university students, at one of five universities. Read more here.
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Preparation for teachers of real-world English |
GIS can provide certification for teaching English at Japanese junior high
and high schools. Schools need to arrange international exchanges, to provide English immersion
education, and to cater to the increasing number of pupils who have experienced life
abroad and already have some fluency in English — and all of these demand teachers
who have a truly international vision and can confidently use English both within and outside
their classes. These are the teachers that GIS aims to develop.
Admissions
GIS has both special and general examinations. Read about them here.
Paths after graduation
- Overseas development corporations; multinational corporations; affiliates of foreign corporations;
the airline, travel and hotel industries; other fields requiring true proficiency in English
- Journalism, non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations; other fields requiring a global perspective
- Foreign affairs, development aid, international organizations
- Private and public junior high schools, high schools, and colleges; English immersion education
- Graduate school
A career in an agency of the United Nations or in a foreign corporation increasingly requires postgraduate studies in the English speaking world. GIS will provide help for any student wishing to enter graduate school abroad.
GIS brings students and teachers together.
Office of Academic Affairs of GIS
Tel. 03-3264-5805
(Mon–Fri 09:00–11:30, 12:30–17:00; Sat 09:00–12:00)
Fax 03-3264-5245
Mail gis@hosei.ac.jp
Tel. 03-3264-5805
(Mon–Fri 09:00–11:30, 12:30–17:00; Sat 09:00–12:00)
Fax 03-3264-5245
Mail gis@hosei.ac.jp
