Study Areas
Instructors belonging to Languages and Multiculturalism mainly conduct the following English-related research: English language education; Japanese language education; Korean language; Japanese–English translation; and gender issues. Additionally, their research expands to the field of culture and society, such as the characteristics of Japanese society and culture, multilingualism and multiculturalism in Japan, and language policies in multilingual areas.
Instructors belonging to East Asian Studies research the following areas related to the backgrounds and the current state of complex relations among Japan, China, and the two Koreas: The characteristics of the Chinese-speaking cultural sphere in the early-modern and contemporary eras; the history of contact among the East Asian nations; the early-modern and contemporary history of the Korean Peninsula; and the discrimination and co-existence in relations between Japan and South Korea.
Instructors belonging to Global Studies conduct research from the perspectives of their specialized fields, on various issues caused by globalization. For example: Disparities between developed and developing states (politics); xenophobia intensified by the trend of globalization (sociology); the current state of multiculturalism around the world (international relations); and the effects of disasters on corporate management (business administration).
The diverse backgrounds of our faculty members in the department span national borders. Some had left Japan to study and gain experience abroad, while others have come from overseas to follow their interests in Japan and East Asia. Some experienced change in citizenship after a lengthy life abroad apart from home country, while others are in an environment in which they are constantly aware of connections abroad despite being born in Japan. Students can personally feel – by touching on the experiences shared by the faculty members - what it is like to live in a global society.
