We cannot travel to the past in a time machine to directly see and hear about the societies and people of that time. However, we can consider "history" based on the fragmentary clues left behind by people of the past, and pass on our findings to people in the present and future. I think "history" is about learning how to use a telescope to observe the universe called history, interpreting the light transmitted from the distant past, and considering what lies beyond that, on the other side, the activities of people who lived in the past, and how that relates to the "present" in which we live.

At Tohoku Gakuin University's Department of History, the learning goal is to cultivate the ability to consider contemporary social and regional issues from a global and historical perspective, while studying five fields: Japanese history, Asian history, European history, archaeology, and folklore. Students take various classes, such as lectures on "Introduction" and "Thematic History," "Practical Training" and "Reading" to learn methods of researching historical information through field research and handling actual historical materials, and "Seminars" where small groups of students present and discuss their ideas. In their first and second years, students broadly study various fields to find their areas of interest and themes, and in their third and fourth years, they delve deeper into those areas. Through these various forms of learning, students find issues within "history," think about solutions, deepen their own thinking, and hone their ability to express it. The "graduation thesis," which students undertake in their fourth year, is the culmination of these efforts as their own "work."

Graduates of Department of History are active in a wide variety of fields. Some may think that Department of History is not a good way to find employment, but in reality, the department boasts a high employment rate in general companies, and graduates are active not only in the Tohoku region, but also in nationally renowned companies. This is because the learning in Department of History is highly valued for cultivating universal abilities to uncover hidden problems, listen to unheard voices, and think about solutions. Of course, every year we produce students who obtain qualifications as middle and high school teachers, museum curators, librarians, etc., while still enrolled and find employment as professionals, and among them, there are many alumni who go on to Graduate Schools master's and doctoral programs to acquire more advanced specialized research abilities and are active as indispensable personnel in history education and cultural property administration in Tohoku and other parts of the country.

Supporting your learning in Department of History is a highly qualified faculty staff, among the best in the country, who are at the forefront of their respective research fields. All of us at Tohoku Gakuin University look forward to exploring the universe of history together with you on campus.