Major in History

“See history take on various shapes in your questions—come discover history with your own eyes.”

History is a field with a long tradition. New discoveries occur every day, research deepens and diversifies knowledge, and theories are constantly being developed, advanced, and revised. In recent years, with major changes altering the social context both domestically and abroad, the study of history, and particularly the validity of perspectives from human history, have evolved. While highlighting the importance of traditional, empirical research methods that strive to reconstruct history through the evaluation of historical materials and resources, this program also follows new trends to incorporate the results of cutting-edge research, and strives to contribute to the development of the field of history. Students who are continuing the research they began as undergraduates, students conducting research while maintaining jobs, and individuals with a strong interest in history and a desire to pursue an advanced education in the subject will all conduct research together and learn with one another about the body of knowledge known as history.

This program offers a wide range of classes taught by full-time professors in the three fields of Japanese history (in the five divisions of archaeology, ancient history, medieval history, pre-modern history, and modern and contemporary history), Eastern history, and Western history, as well as professors who split their time between this and other programs. The instructors respect the independent research of the students, while giving them instructions with passion and a sense of responsibility.

Those who complete a degree in this program pursue a variety of careers, including as teachers at the university, high school, and junior high school levels; museum curators; archivists for resource centers and archives; librarians; editorial compilers of the histories of prefectures and municipalities; and professionals in organizations that protect cultural properties. The goal of this program is to cultivate these kinds of researchers, advanced professionals, and highly educated history enthusiasts while ensuring that independent research is conducted in this field.