• Hachioji Campus

Faculty of Language Studies Department of Global Japanese Studies

Japan in the world
Capturing and Disseminating from a Global Perspective

The Department of Global Japanese Studies Close Up

Collaborative learning through small-group seminars
From 1st year to 4th year, students deepen their learning through small-group seminars. Japanese and international students cooperate and teach each other using English and Japanese as common languages, fostering exposure to diverse values and perspectives and deepening intercultural understanding. Through daily interaction and learning, students acquire the communication and collaborative skills necessary in the international community.

Language and Culture Training Program ｜ Pamphlet

カリキュラム

After conducting studies for English, Japanese and the basics of international Japanese studies in their 1st year, all students will participate in the language and culture training program in the first semester of their 2nd year to go about acquiring practical language skills and cross-cultural understanding abilities at each training site. In their 3rd and 4th year years, students will acquire the ability to learn about, explore, and communicate in relation to the issues facing a an inclusive global society and in relation to Japan as a member of the global community through specialized classes and exercises, as well as through language studies. Students will also need to undertake collaborative studies as members of classes consisting of both Japanese and international students.

Department of Global Japanese Studies Curriculum Map

Syllabus

Syllabuses of the Department of Global Japanese Studies

Class Introduction

Study of International Japanese Studies
This course for 1st year students provides an opportunity to learn about what international Japanese studies is and how to study it. The purpose is to acquire the basics when it comes to thinking about the 1st year introductory courses for international Japanese studies, the 2nd year basic courses for international Japanese studies, and the 3rd year specialized development courses. Students will be provided with an overview of the world's interest in Japan within various fields, such as art, culture, language, society, and history. Japanese students and international students will exchange opinions and ideas with one another through collaborative activities undertaken in the classroom, develop a deep level of understanding, cultivate extensive creativity, and learn techniques to express their thoughts using both the written and spoken word.

Introductory Courses in International Japanese Studies
This course category consists of the following seven classes about Japan, or more specifically, Japan as a member of the global community. Those classes are Japanese Culture, Japanese Economy and Management, Japanese Law and Modern Japanese History, Japanese Society, Japanese Studies Around the Globe, and Japanese Language Education Around the Globe. All classes are offered in English and Japanese with the same content being taught each semester. During these courses, students will acquire basic knowledge and information in a course serving as the gateway to studying International Japanese Studies.

Japanese Communication
This is a compulsory course for all students in the second half of their 2nd year and the first half of their 3rd year. In the second half of their 2nd year, students will conduct comparisons of their own culture with another culture centering on concrete themes that are familiar with them based on their experience in the language and culture training program taking place during the first half of the year. Based on the perspective of side-by-side comparisons of international Japanese studies, students will go about comparing the culinary cultures of China and Japan, comparing how leisure time is spent in the United Kingdom and Japan, or other such themes. Having done that, students will give presentations and give each other assessments of their work. In the first half of the third year, students will focus on the theme of adapting the Japanese language and Japanese environment in a manner to facilitate multicultural coexistence. Through collaborative work based on that theme, students will come up with proposals on how to change the current expressions and notation of Japanese used in Japan to make comprehension easier for non-native speakers. Even for students whose native language is Japanese, it is important to use communication strategies that are suitable for the situation when communicating with people of various national backgrounds in Japanese.

Grading Criteria

Grading Criteria

About our GPA System

The intent behind our implementation of a GPA (Grade Point Average) system is to (1) create a unified standard for the campus, (2) have it function as an impartial standard, and (3) have it function as an internationally accepted standard. Our GPA system involves the assessment learning achievements using an objective numerical value called GPA. Additionally, this system generally conforms with the grade assessment systems adopted by universities in the West, and can be used overseas as an index used to certify a student’s academic ability when studying abroad, when going on to graduate school overseas, when finding employment at a non-Japanese companies operating in Japan, and so on.

Display of Grades and Assessment Criteria

GPA Calculation Method

To earn credits

1. Register for classes. Use CampusSquare to register for classes online and have your classes properly confirmed. You will need to do this for both the first and second semesters.
2. Students attend classes. There are 15 class in both the first and second semesters.
   Normally, 2-credit courses consist of attendance at each class (90 minutes) and preparation and review (about 2 hours each). In order to earn the credits, students must attend all classes (from the first to the 15th) as a matter of course, and also deepen their understanding through preparation and review.
3. Depending on subjects, students are required to take exam or submit reports (accreditation methods vary from lecturers).
4. Grades of S, A, B or C mean that students have passed the course and earned the credit. Grade of D means that students has failed the course and not earned any credit. If students receive a grade of D for a compulsory subject, they require to take it again the following year or later.
   Courses which students have already earned credit cannot be retaken.
5. About Academic Grades
   • Academic grades are assessed based on final examinations at the end of the semester (written exams, oral exams, practical exams, or reports). However, depending on courses, mini tests, reports, attendance, and academic progress during class may be evaluated as regular points, or assessments may be carried out based on the regular points only.
   • Academic grades are issued on the transcript with only the evaluation. 
   • Courses which students have passed once cannot be erased or retaken.
   • Grades will be published on Campus Square every semester.
   • If you have questions about your grades after the results have been announced, such as if you took an exam (submitted a report) but did not receive a grade, please come to school at the beginning of the next semester (by the first week of classes in principle) and ask your teacher directly. If your teacher has retired and you are unable to make inquiries, please inform the Office of Academic Affairs Office.

Minimum number of credits required for graduation (for students entering in the 2026 academic year)

Subject classification			Examples of compulsory and elective courses		Required number of units
Co., Ltd. Common Teaching Education Department eye *4	education Educational subjects	Humanities-related fields	Optional compulsory		2 or more	8 or more	30※1
		Social Sciences			2 or more
		Natural Sciences			2 or more
		Interdisciplinary fields	Elective		－
	First year Educational subjects	Life Design Seminar I & II	Compulsory		2
		Elective			－
	Career-related courses		Optional compulsory		2
	Information Education Subjects		Optional compulsory		2
	Foreign Language Education		Elective		－
Language Subjects			Compulsory		20
Specialized subjects *4			Compulsory		16		54※3
			choice Required *2	Global Japanese Studies Introductory Courses	6
				Global Japanese Studies Basic subjects	6
			Elective		26
Free Choice		- 54 credits in specialized subjects (excess credits) - 30 credits exceeding the limit for General Education - Credits earned from open courses - Credits earned through the minor program - Credits recognized at other universities	Elective		20※5
Total					124

• For General Education you must meet the required number of credits for each subject and earn a total of 30 credits. Any credits earned in excess of the required number of General Education will be counted towards your elective credits.
• Any excess credits earned for elective courses in your specialized field will be counted towards the credits for your elective courses in your specialized field.
• Any credits earned in excess of the required number of credits for specialized subjects will be counted towards elective credits.
• Some of the credits for courses in teacher training and museum curator training are included in the credits for specialized subjects or General Education.
• If the number of elective credits earned exceeds 20, the earned credits will be counted towards elective subjects. They will not be included in the graduation requirements.