Faculty of Liberal Arts "Academic Policy"

April 1, 2017

Degree awarding policy (diploma policy)

Faculty of Liberal Arts will award a Bachelor of Arts degree to those who have acquired the 124 required credits for graduation in accordance with the prescribed curriculum regulations and whose following learning outcomes have been confirmed.

This allows for reflection on how to live well in the modern world, based on Christian teachings.

Students will be able to understand the contemporary significance of the Bible and, based on that understanding, discuss their own thoughts on how to live well in modern society. In particular, they will be able to deeply consider the nature of humanity and society as cultured individuals with high moral standards and broad knowledge.

They will be able to utilize the general skills and abilities necessary for advanced intellectual activities, as well as their English language skills.

Students will acquire and be able to utilize general skills and abilities that form the basis of advanced intellectual activities (such as communication skills, logical and critical thinking skills, information literacy, and mathematical literacy), as well as English language proficiency. In particular, they will be able to think logically and critically and express their thoughts orally and in writing.

They can perceive things from a broad and diverse range of perspectives and show understanding for different ways of thinking and values.

Students will be able to perceive themselves and the world from diverse perspectives, including history, society, and nature, and to show understanding for different perceptions, ways of thinking, and values. In particular, they will be able to understand and critically analyze human and social issues from multiple angles.

Students should be able to explain their specialized knowledge in their major field of study, as well as the cognitive and thinking methods that support it.

In Department of Human Science, students can demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. By mastering empirical methods specific to human sciences, one can analyze data related to individuals and society.
2. Based on the latest theories in psychology, sociology, education, and physical education, it enables a multifaceted and critical understanding of human beings and society.
3. Through practical training, exercises, and comprehensive research, students will be able to independently identify and define challenges in human beings and society, and propose solutions.

In Department of Language and Culture, students can demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. I will be able to understand and explain the fundamentals of various disciplines related to language and culture.
2. I can understand and clearly communicate specialized topics using my native language and two other languages.
3. They can understand different cultures, consciously re-examine their own culture, and utilize that ability.
4. You will be able to learn about various forms of expression through diverse media and apply them.

In Department of Information Science, students can demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. I can understand the importance of information in modern society and explain its role.
2. Students will acquire the fundamental knowledge and techniques necessary for scientifically handling information and will be able to explain their outlines.
3. Students can utilize their learning outcomes in three areas: information systems, mathematical sciences, and natural sciences, thereby contributing to the development of society.

The following learning outcomes can be demonstrated in Department of Regional Design:

1. Students can deepen their professional understanding of industry, society, welfare, health, nature, the environment, and other related fields.
2. Students will acquire the ability to analyze local conditions and challenges using a variety of resources, including field survey results, statistics, literature, and images, and to express their findings in written form, diagrams, and images.
3. Beyond acquiring knowledge and skills, students can develop the ability to envision a region from a global and multifaceted perspective.
4. By comprehensively utilizing their learning outcomes, students can spontaneously explore the various elements that make up a region and the relationships between those elements, build relationships with others, and solve problems one by one.

Students can identify problems and comprehensively utilize their learning outcomes to solve them.

By identifying various specific issues, including regional challenges, and comprehensively utilizing the learning outcomes acquired up to that point, it becomes possible to solve these problems. In particular, by integrating interdisciplinary knowledge and techniques gained from diverse academic fields, it becomes possible to address various problems facing human life.

Curriculum Development and Implementation Policy

In order to achieve the learning outcomes (hereinafter referred to as "learning outcomes") set forth in the Faculty of Faculty of Liberal Arts' degree awarding policy, Faculty of Liberal Arts will organize and implement a systematic and sequential curriculum in accordance with the following policy.

1. With the primary objective of achieving learning outcomes 1-3, the curriculum includes general education subjects, foreign language subjects, and health and physical education subjects, with courses mainly allocated to the first and second years.
2. With the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 1, a university-wide group of courses called "Human Foundations" will be established within the general education curriculum. At its core, courses on the Bible and Christianity will be placed in the first and third years, with 4 credits required and 2 credits elective, respectively.
3. With the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 2, a university-wide group of courses called "Intellectual Foundations" will be included in the general education curriculum. Furthermore, with the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 2, English will be a required subject for 4 credits, and one of the following foreign language courses (German, French, Chinese, or Korean) will be a required elective subject for 2 credits.
4. The liberal arts courses, "Human Foundations" and "Intellectual Foundations," will serve as first-year education, foundational education, transitional education to active learning, and career development support education for university studies.
5. The "Departmental Liberal Arts" subject group is established within the general education curriculum with the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 3.
6. Specialized education subjects are established with the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 4. Introductory subjects are included in the first-year specialized education curriculum with the primary objective of providing general foundational education related to these subjects.
7. With the primary objective of achieving learning outcomes 3 and 5, "Faculty-wide Common Subjects" are established, and career development support education is provided within them.
8. Learning outcome 5 will be incorporated as part of the learning objectives for all subject groups and all courses, as an initiative toward active learning. In addition, a "Regional Education Course" will be established with the primary objective of identifying and solving local issues, and will be a required course worth 2 credits. Furthermore, with the primary objective of comprehensively utilizing learning outcomes, seminar-style courses and comprehensive research (graduation project) will be established as required courses in the faculty-wide curriculum.
9. The required credits for graduation and the methods of coursework will be determined appropriately for each department, focusing on the completion of specialized education subjects while ensuring a balanced achievement of the learning outcomes stipulated in the degree awarding policy.

Admissions policy

Faculty of Liberal Arts accepts students based on the following criteria:

1. Having understood Tohoku Gakuin University's educational philosophy of "character education based on Christianity" and its educational programs (such as classes on the Bible and Christianity, and university worship services), I strongly desire to study at this university. (Proactive attitude towards learning)
2. Having understood the educational philosophy, objectives, and content of Faculty of Liberal Arts and each of its departments, I strongly desire to study in Faculty of Liberal Arts and each of its departments.
   • In Department of Human Science, students should possess a spirit of inquiry towards humanity, be able to independently research the curriculum, and clearly articulate their reasons for applying.
   • Students in Department of Language and Culture have a strong desire to learn their native language and two other languages, as well as a keen understanding of and interest in various fields of study surrounding language and culture.
   • In Department of Information Science, after learning about the essence of information, such as its origins and characteristics, students are strongly encouraged to acquire the fundamental knowledge and methods necessary for handling information scientifically and to learn how to apply this knowledge in one of the following fields: information systems, mathematical sciences, or natural sciences.
   • In Department of Regional Design, applicants should have a strong interest in and motivation for "creating better communities," understand the curriculum, and be able to clearly articulate their reasons for applying. (A proactive attitude towards learning)
3. Through their studies in high school, students acquire a broad foundation of knowledge in both humanities and science subjects, as well as the ability to apply that knowledge. (Knowledge and skills)
4. The English proficiency required to achieve this level is what is expected in the high school course "Communication English I". (Knowledge and skills)
5. Students will be able to answer basic and general questions and problems related to university studies, both in writing and orally, using the level of Japanese language proficiency that should be achieved in high school's "Comprehensive Japanese Language" course. (Thinking skills, judgment skills, and expression skills)
6. Having achieved outstanding results in sports and cultural activities, I intend to contribute to the revitalization of extracurricular activities after enrolling at this university. (Knowledge/Skills / Proactive Learning Attitude)
7. As international students, returnees, and working professionals, they are striving to leverage their respective strengths in their university studies. (A proactive attitude towards learning)

Assessment policy for Faculty of Liberal Arts Arts' "Three Educational Principles"

Faculty of Liberal Arts (hereinafter referred to as "the Faculty") will accurately grasp the achievement status of its three educational policies: the "Policy on Degree Conferral," the "Policy on Curriculum Development and Implementation," and the "Policy on Student Admissions." In order to utilize this information for improvement toward "quality assurance of education," the Faculty will measure and evaluate educational outcomes from various perspectives (hereinafter referred to as "assessment") based on the following policies.

1. The assessment will be conducted on three policies: "Policy on degree awarding," "Policy on curriculum development and implementation," and "Policy on student admissions."
   1. Regarding the "Degree Awarding Policy," the assessment will focus on the extent to which students are actually achieving the learning outcomes required by that policy, particularly the learning outcomes of "Policy 4" and "Policy 5."
   2. Regarding the "Curriculum Organization and Implementation Policy," the assessment will primarily focus on whether appropriate educational content and methods are being provided to students in order to achieve the learning outcomes stipulated in the "Degree Awarding Policy."
   3. Regarding the "Admissions Policy," the assessment will primarily focus on the extent to which new students possess the proactive learning attitude, the knowledge and skills necessary for learning in this faculty, and their thinking, judgment, and expression abilities, as required by the policy.
2. In assessments, while utilizing existing data within the university, new indicators must be continuously developed in collaboration with relevant organizations, primarily the Institutional Research Committee, to address the complexity and multifaceted nature of the assessment subjects.
3. The assessment must be conducted and compiled annually by the Faculty Review and Evaluation Committee, and the results, along with a comprehensive evaluation of the "Three Educational Policies," must be reported to the University-wide Review and Evaluation Committee.
4. Assessments will also be conducted for each subject.

Faculty of Liberal Arts: "Policy on the Organization of the Faculty"

Faculty of Liberal Arts will organize its full-time faculty organization based on the following principles.

1. Faculty of Liberal Arts The full-time faculty consists primarily of instructors who teach general education courses, foreign language courses, health and physical education courses, and courses related to teaching licenses and certifications within the curricula of each college, as well as specialized courses within the curricula of each department at Faculty of Liberal Arts.
2. The total number of full-time faculty members Faculty of Liberal Arts and the number of new hires will be determined by the University-wide Organizational Management Committee.
3. The composition of full-time faculty members for each department of Faculty of Liberal Arts and the plan for hiring new faculty members will be determined by the Faculty's Future Planning Personnel Committee, in accordance with the Faculty of Liberal Arts Arts' degree awarding policy, curriculum development and implementation policy, and the principles decided by the University-wide Organization Management Committee.
4. The abilities and qualities required of full-time faculty members are outlined in the "Basic Policy for Faculty Recruitment at Tohoku Gakuin University," and the basic attitudes required are outlined in the "Basic Attitudes Expected of Faculty Members at Tohoku Gakuin University." Additionally, these are included in the recruitment policy when hiring new faculty members.
5. For the hiring of new full-time faculty members, the Faculty's Future Planning Personnel Committee selects candidates based on the hiring policy, and with the approval of the Faculty Council of Faculty of Liberal Arts, the Dean submits the application for review to the Faculty Qualification Review Committee.
6. Regarding the position of full-time faculty member, the Dean of the Faculty applies to the Faculty Qualification Examination Committee for review, based on the Faculty Qualification Examination Regulations and related internal rules, with the approval of the Faculty Future Planning Personnel Committee and the Faculty Council of Faculty of Liberal Arts.