Majors

The Graduate School of Letters offers two majors and fourteen specializations to promote diverse education and research activities.

  • Philosophy
    (TETSUGAKU-senshu)

    This program is staffed by specialists in the fields of modern and contemporary philosophy, French contemporary thought, modern and contemporary ethics, and applied ethics, all of which are connected to phenomenology. This program focuses on fundamental contemporary issues, while considering the history and tradition of philosophy.

  • Educational Anthropology
    (KYOIKUNINGENGAKU-senshu)

    With the overall concept of "to be human, to become human, and to transcend being human," this program investigates the relationship between education and human beings from various perspectives. The starting point is the surprise and sadness of human life through birth, growth, encounter, parting, aging, and death.

  • Japanese Literature and Linguistics
    （NIHONBUNGAKU・NIHONGOGAKU-senshu）

    Through interdisciplinary and international "Japanese Studies" that fuses the study of Japanese literature and Japanese culture, and "Corpus Japanese Studies" that utilizes information technology, students will acquire cutting-edge research methods and get to the core of Japanese literature, culture, and language.

  • Chinese Literature and Thought
    (CHUGOKUBUNGAKU/SHISO-senshu)

    This specialization provides a high level of knowledge of Chinese literature and thought , nurtured by a long and multifaceted history, and which has significant influences on the development of East Asian cultures. Based on this knowledge, students will conduct research on matters of particular interest from a fresh perspective.

  • English and American Literature
    (EIBEIBUNGAKU-senshu)

    Under the guidance of instructors with expertise in the English and American literary traditions, students will study a variety of literary works in English. This specialization fosters broadly applicable skills in analysis and the English language, and graduating students could pursue various careers requiring advanced English skills, including academic careers.

  • Japanese History
    (NIHONSHIGAKU-senshu)

    Faculty members specializing in Japanese history, from ancient times to the present day, provide fresh approaches to history, following Riteumeikan's well-estab0lished and unique method of unearthing the past. The specialization boasts an extensive and active network of alumni and alumnae currently working as educators and curators.

  • East Asian History
    (TOYOSHIGAKU-senshu)

    This specialization traces the history of the East Asian world, centering on China. Reading historical sources helps us understand the origin of the dynamism observed in the East Asian region in recent years.

  • European and Islamic History
    （EUROPA・ISLAM SHI-senshu）

    A diverse faculty specializing in various regions, periods, and fields in Europe and the Islamic world works together with graduate students to establish a world-class research center for the study of European and Islamic history at Ritsumeikan University.

  • Modern East Asian Languages and Cultures
    (GENDAIHIGASHIAJIAGENGO/BUNKAGAKU-senshu)

    This curriculum, focusing on the language, contemporary culture and modern history of China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong) and the Korean Peninsula, is designed to produce global-minded East Asians with practical Chinese/Korean communication skills.

  • Languages, Cultures, and Area Studies of English-speaking Countries
    (EIGOKENBUNKA-senshu)

    This program offers cross-disciplinary studies of applied linguistics and the history, culture, and literature of English-speaking cultures. Through these studies, students will refine their critical thinking skills and develop English language skills that will enable them to play an active role in the global community.

  • Cultural Dynamics Studies
    (BUNKADOTAIGAKU-senshu)

    This specialization explores cultural dynamics accruing to different periods, regions and societies from the intersection of human activities. The approach featuring this specialization is distinguished in its interdisciplinary characteristics, covering such fields as comparative literature, linguistics, dramatic theory, history, art history, modern art criticism, philosophy, sociology, and cultural anthropology.

  • Geography and Regional Tourism Studies
    （CHIRIGAKU・CHIIKIKANKOGAKU-senshu）

    This program develops high-quality education and research in two areas of study: (1) "geography," which elucidates diverse phenomena from a spatial perspective, and (2) "regional tourism studies," which elucidates tourism phenomena from an interdisciplinary perspective that incorporates knowledge from sociology and cultural anthropology, with geography at its core.

  • Digital Humanities for Arts and Cultures
    (BUNKAJOHOGAKU-senshu)

    This specialization aims to foster professionals and researchers with a high level of curatorial capabilities. Graduate students are expected to develop the ability to employ digital technologies in studying humanities, which dramatically improve efficiency in research on Japanese culture, art and cultural heritages, both traditional and contemporary.

  • Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
    (KOKOGAKU/BUNKAISAN-senshu)

    Students will study archaeology, a discipline that traces stages of human history through the analysis of material remains of societies from ancient to modern , and will also learn about the preservation and utilization of cultural heritage (archaeological sites and remains in particular). Attention is mainly focused on the archaeology and cultural heritage of the Japanese archipelago, but students will also build a broad knowledge of such aspects of regions other than Japan.