Faculty of Faculty of Regional Studies: Academic Policies

Teaching policy

Teaching policy
Evaluation policy for the "Three Educational Principles"
Organizational policy for the faculty

Faculty of Regional Studies: "Academic Policy"

April 1, 2024

Degree awarding policy (diploma policy)

Faculty of Regional Studies awards a Bachelor Department of Regional Community Studies and to Department of Policy Design.

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 think deeply about the state of their community as citizens 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.

Students will be able to identify problems and use their learning outcomes to work towards solving them.

Students will be able to identify various specific issues, including local challenges, and propose solutions by comprehensively utilizing the learning outcomes from their general education and specialized fields. In particular, they will be able to address local issues by comprehensively utilizing their ability to think deeply about "what constitutes a better community," their ability to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds, and their ability to analyze the reality of the community and solve local problems themselves.

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 consider the various challenges facing contemporary local communities from various angles and explore paths toward solutions.

The following learning outcomes can be demonstrated in Faculty of Regional Studies:

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

Learning not only in university classrooms but also through fieldwork in local communities allows students to deepen their understanding of the region and concretely grasp its current situation and challenges from the perspective of local residents.
Through interdisciplinary and scientific learning, students can understand that real-world regions are composed of diverse elements such as nature, industry, education, and welfare, and utilize various specialized knowledge necessary to explore their complex interrelationships.
The ability to analyze a region and identify its challenges requires a wide range of work skills, including various methods of regional research, techniques for collecting and analyzing various statistical data, methods for collecting and interpreting documentary materials, and techniques for creating diagrams and tables.
Based on fieldwork and data analysis of the region, students will be able to envision a better future for the region from the perspective of local residents and present their proposals.

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

This allows us to understand the role and position of local communities from a broad perspective, not only within the context of domestic but also in relation to global socio-economic systems.
This allows us to deepen our understanding of the diverse problems faced by people in local communities and to identify them as policy challenges for realizing a just and inclusive society.
This approach allows for a multifaceted examination of the policies necessary to solve regional issues, from the perspectives of the public administration, the economy and industry, and civil society—all of which are responsible for implementing those policies.
Students will be able to comprehensively utilize their learning outcomes, take the initiative to identify issues and propose policies, and collaborate with others to implement them.

Curriculum Development and Implementation Policy

Applicable to students entering in the 2024 academic year and beyond.

Department of Regional Community Studies

Faculty of Regional Studies Department of Regional Community Studies In order to achieve the learning outcomes (hereinafter referred to as “learning outcomes”) set forth in the degree conferral policy at Faculty of Regional Studies, the university will organize and implement a systematic and sequential curriculum in accordance with the following guidelines.

With the primary objective of achieving learning outcomes 1-4, 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.
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.
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 languages—German, French, Chinese, or Korean—will be an elective subject for 2 credits.
With the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 3, a university-wide group of courses called "Problem-Solving Research" is included in the general education curriculum, fostering an attitude of independently identifying problems and striving to solve them.
The liberal arts courses "Human Foundations," "Intellectual Foundations," and "Problem-Solving Research" serve as first-year education, foundational education, transition education to active learning, and career development support education for university learning, forming the basis for learning outcome 5 through the achievement of learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4 and their connection to specialized education.
Learning outcome 3, as an initiative toward active learning, will be part of the achievement goals in all subject groups and all courses. Furthermore, with the primary objective of utilizing learning outcomes, seminar-style courses and comprehensive research courses will be made compulsory subjects in the specialized curriculum.
The "General Education" subject group is established within the liberal arts curriculum with the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 4. Furthermore, the foundational specialized subjects in the first year also serve as a basis for achieving this learning outcome.
With the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 5, the curriculum includes specialized subjects and, through fieldwork and group work, aims to deepen students' understanding of the region, research diverse elements of the region using interdisciplinary methods, and enhance their ability to utilize specialized knowledge. Furthermore, students will acquire work skills such as regional surveys, data analysis, and document reading comprehension, as well as the ability to present ideas for a better region from the perspective of local residents.
The required credits for graduation and the method of coursework will be determined appropriately to ensure a balanced achievement of the learning outcomes stipulated in the degree awarding policy, while focusing primarily on the study of specialized subjects.

Department of Policy Design

Faculty of Regional Studies Department of Policy Design In order to achieve the learning outcomes (hereinafter referred to as “learning outcomes”) set forth in the degree conferral policy at Faculty of Regional Studies, the university will organize and implement a systematic and sequential curriculum in accordance with the following guidelines.

With the primary objective of achieving learning outcomes 1-4, 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.
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.
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 with 4 credits.
With the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 3, a university-wide group of courses called "Problem-Solving Research" is included in the general education curriculum, fostering an attitude of independently identifying problems and striving to solve them.
The liberal arts courses "Human Foundations," "Intellectual Foundations," and "Problem-Solving Research" serve as first-year education, foundational education, transition education to active learning, and career development support education for university learning, forming the basis for learning outcome 5 through the achievement of learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4 and their connection to specialized education.
Learning outcome 3, as an initiative toward active learning, will be part of the achievement goals in all subject groups and all courses. Furthermore, with the primary objective of utilizing learning outcomes, seminar-style courses and graduation research will be made compulsory subjects in the specialized curriculum.
The "General Education" subject group is established within the liberal arts curriculum with the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 4. Furthermore, the foundational specialized subjects in the first year also serve as a basis for achieving this learning outcome.
With the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 5, the curriculum includes specialized subjects and, through fieldwork and group work, aims to deepen students' insights into diverse regional issues and enhance their ability to view these issues as policy challenges for realizing a just and inclusive society. Furthermore, students will acquire a balanced understanding of specialized knowledge in public administration, economy and industry, and civil society, thereby gaining the skills necessary to formulate and implement policies to solve regional problems.
The required credits for graduation and the method of coursework will be determined appropriately to ensure a balanced achievement of the learning outcomes stipulated in the degree awarding policy, while focusing primarily on the study of specialized subjects.

Applicable to students entering in the 2023 academic year.

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

With the primary objective of achieving learning outcomes 1-4, 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.
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.
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, Department of Regional Community Studies will require 4 credits of English as a compulsory subject and 2 credits of one of the following as an elective: German, French, Chinese, or Korean Department of Policy Design will require 4 credits of English as a compulsory subject.
With the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 3, a university-wide group of courses called "Problem-Solving Research" is included in the general education curriculum, fostering an attitude of independently identifying problems and striving to solve them.
The liberal arts courses "Human Foundations," "Intellectual Foundations," and "Problem-Solving Research" serve as first-year education, foundational education, transition education to active learning, and career development support education for university learning, forming the basis for learning outcome 5 through the achievement of learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4 and their connection to specialized education.
Learning outcome 3 is part of the learning objectives for all subject groups and all courses as an initiative toward active learning. Furthermore, with the primary objective of utilizing learning outcomes, the Department of Department of Regional Community Studies includes seminar-style courses and comprehensive research as required subjects in its specialized curriculum, while Department of Policy Design includes seminar-style courses and graduation research as required subjects in its specialized curriculum.
The "General Education" subject group is established within the liberal arts curriculum with the primary objective of achieving learning outcome 4. Furthermore, the foundational specialized subjects in the first year also serve as a basis for achieving this learning outcome.
Specialized subjects are included primarily with the objective of achieving learning outcome 5.
The required credits for graduation and the methods of coursework will be determined appropriately for each department, focusing on the study of specialized subjects while ensuring a balanced achievement of the learning outcomes stipulated in the degree awarding policy.

Admissions policy

Applicable to students entering in the 2025 academic year and beyond.

Faculty of Regional Studies accepts students based on the following criteria:

I strongly desire to understand Tohoku Gakuin University's educational program, which is based on the educational philosophy of "character education through Christianity" (including classes on the Bible and Christianity, and university worship services), and to learn collaboratively with diverse people while maintaining a sense of initiative. (A proactive attitude towards learning)
Having understood the educational philosophy, objectives, and content of Faculty of Regional Studies and each department, students should possess an interest and motivation to learn about natural and social phenomena and policies related to the region, and a strong desire to engage in proactive learning to solve the various problems facing the region. (A proactive attitude towards learning)
Through their studies in high school, students possess the fundamental knowledge and application skills equivalent to that of a high school graduate, which are necessary for studying in Faculty of Regional Studies. (Knowledge and Skills)
Students will be able to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired in high school, and use the required level of critical thinking and Japanese language proficiency to answer basic and general questions and problems related to university studies in both written and oral form. (Critical thinking, judgment, and expression skills)

For those who fall under any of the following categories, item 5 or 6 will be added to the evaluation.

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)
As international students, returnees, and working professionals, they are striving to leverage their respective strengths in their university studies. (Knowledge/Skills / Proactive Learning Attitude)

Applicable to students entering in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Faculty of Regional Studies accepts students based on the following criteria:

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)
Having understood the educational philosophy, objectives, and content of Faculty of Regional Studies, I strongly desire to study in Faculty of Regional Studies. (Proactive attitude towards learning)
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)
The English proficiency required to achieve this level is what is expected in the high school course "Communication English I". (Knowledge and skills)
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)
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)
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 the "Three Educational Principles" of Faculty of Regional Studies

Applicable to students entering in the 2023 academic year and onwards.

Faculty of Regional Studies (hereinafter referred to as "the Faculty") accurately grasps 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." To utilize this information for improvement toward "quality assurance of education," the Faculty measures and evaluates educational outcomes from various perspectives (hereinafter referred to as "assessment") based on the following policies.

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 3" 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.
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.
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.
Assessments will also be conducted for each subject.

Faculty of Regional Studies: "Organizational Policy for the Faculty"

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

The Faculty Faculty of Regional Studies is comprised of faculty members who primarily teach specialized subjects within the Faculty of Regional Studies curriculum. However, when necessary for the implementation of the curriculum, they may also teach subjects other than the specialized subjects of Faculty of Regional Studies or subjects taught by other faculties.
The total number of full-time faculty members and the number of new hires in Faculty of Regional Studies will be determined by the University-wide Organization and Management Committee.
The composition of full-time faculty members by specialization and the plan for hiring new faculty members will be determined by the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Regional Studies, in accordance with the Faculty of Faculty of Regional Studies Studies' degree awarding policy, curriculum development and implementation policy, and the principles decided by the University-wide Organizational Management Committee.
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.
Regarding the hiring of new full-time faculty members, the Faculty Council of Faculty of Regional Studies selects candidates based on the hiring policy, and with the approval of the Faculty Council of Faculty of Regional Studies, the Dean submits an application for review to the Faculty Qualification Review Committee.
With regard to full-time faculty positions, in accordance with the Faculty Qualification Review Regulations and related internal rules, the Dean shall submit a request for review to the Faculty Qualification Review Committee, subject to the approval of the Faculty Council at Faculty of Regional Studies.

Faculty of Faculty of Regional Studies Guide