Diversity of academic disciplines
A major characteristic of learning in Faculty of Liberal Arts is its diversity and interdisciplinary nature. Let's try listing some of the academic fields you can study: Philosophy, Ethics, Psychology, Sociology, Education, Physical Education, Literature, Cultural Anthropology, German-speaking Culture, French-speaking Culture, Chinese-speaking Culture, Korean-speaking Culture, English-speaking Culture, Japanese Linguistics, Linguistics, Art Studies, Mathematical Sciences, Information Engineering, Information Theory, Communication Theory, Neurophysiology, Molecular Biology, Geography, Geomorphology, Environmental Ecology, Environmental Sociology, Folklore, Social Welfare Theory, Sports Science, and many more. As you can see, it's not just humanities subjects, but also science subjects. That's right, Faculty of Liberal Arts is Tohoku Gakuin University's only faculty that combines humanities and sciences.
Of course, the aforementioned academic disciplines are not simply scattered haphazardly. They are arranged like constellations within four departments—Human Sciences, Language and Culture, Information Science, and Regional Planning—to highlight the unique characteristics of each department. This diversity and interdisciplinary approach is reflected in the "Faculty Common Subjects" studied in the first to third years, as well as in the "Comprehensive Research" course in the fourth year, which serves as the culmination of the students' learning.
Interdisciplinary nature and comprehensiveness
The faculty-wide course "Issues of Modern Society" addresses a variety of issues in the modern society in which we live. For example, educational problems such as bullying and school absenteeism, the exhaustion of local communities due to economic globalization, lifestyles and health and welfare issues in an aging society, environmental destruction and the possibilities of environmental education, and so on—all of these can be said to be "issues of modern society" that characterize today. What we must be careful about is that none of these are simple problems that can be resolved by a single Faculty of Liberal Arts emphasize "interdisciplinarity."
However, even if the fields of study are related, simply approaching the same problem from different angles will only result in a collection of disparate perspectives. It is essential to complement each other's blind spots, engage in debate, digest perceptions from different angles, and acquire the perspectives of others—in other words, "integration." In Faculty of Liberal Arts, the so-called graduation thesis in the fourth year is called "Integrated Research." It not only pursues specialization within the department but also aims to awaken to the holistic nature of the problem and promote free interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches.
small group education
One of the defining characteristics of modern society is its informatization. However, it has also been pointed out that the advancement of informatization has led to a noticeable decrease in interest in others and a degree of deliberate indifference. Such neglect and indifference are arguably the greatest detriment to education. The goal that education should strive for is to cultivate interest in the individuality of each person and to nurture the growth of that individuality. As long as organizations and systems allow, education should opt for small class sizes. Otherwise, it would be impossible to "nurture the heart."
Faculty of Liberal Arts addresses these educational challenges from an institutional perspective. Not only are "basic seminars" and "practical training" courses aimed at understanding individual students offered from the first year, but the "seminars" (workshops) in the third year are also taught by many full-time faculty members, ensuring that the standard size is 7 or 8 students. In addition to the regular curriculum, a "tutor system" is in place where faculty members engage in dialogue with students and provide various consultations, and faculty members employ various methods to ensure that no student is left behind.
To a well-educated person
The educational philosophy of Faculty of Liberal Arts of Faculty of Liberal Arts of Liberal Arts has insisted on using the name "Liberal Arts" for its faculty.