Admissions

Major in Japanese Literature

Graduate School of Humanities

“A well-rounded group of instructors from within and outside the university offers a rich education and equips students with a high level of research skills.”

The curriculum focuses on subjects related to literature, language, and the performing arts from ancient to contemporary times, covering a broad range of relevant topics that include literary criticism, Chinese literature, Okinawan literature, and Japanese-language education. The course helps students develop their own areas of expertise while maintaining a broad perspective. Since the 2000 academic year, the program has been offering both daytime and evening courses and accepting working adult students. It also offers special classes to help international students improve their basic skills in Japanese language and literature. A program to research literary creation that allows students to engage in creative expression through writing was established during the 2011 academic year, and an original literary work created in this program can be submitted as a master’s thesis. Students can take classes on such topics as society and expression or composition theory to study the frameworks within which literary works are presented to and evaluated by society. In the new classes focusing on literary creation and special studies on literature authors, students can learn how a literary work is created. They can also examine the processes through which sensitivity and new values befitting the current times are created, from the broad perspective of literary works in society.

Distinctive Features

The graduate programs with a major in Japanese literature offer special classes in association with the Noh Theatre Research Institute and the Institute for Okinawan Studies. The Program for the Training of Researchers of Noh Theatre was established during the 2007 academic year, and a program to research literary creation was created in 2011. The program is offered in conjunction with the International Japanese Studies Institute. The program accepts many working adult and international students.

Goals

The goal of the program is to cultivate specialized researchers in Japanese literature, language, and performing arts from ancient to contemporary times, as well as to cultivate such professionals as curators and educators, specialists in the field of literary creation, and working adults who will be able to put their specialized knowledge to work in various professional fields.