TOYOWebStyle

Dig deeply into the essence of human society, and obtain wide-ranging knowledge.

The Faculty of Letters focuses on improving reading, writing and thinking abilities through conscientious education by conducting small-group seminar classes. We foster human resources that can function effectively in any region of the world, and unlock the future with sufficient language skills and wide-ranging knowledge obtained by exploring specialized fields in depth.

Departments

Department of Philosophy
Students in the Department of Philosophy read textbooks meticulously and have thorough discussions and dialogues in exercise classes, based on the philosophical knowledge that they have gained from lectures. They decode the true messages of philosophers through repeated learning and thinking. In addition, they acquire various abilities, including thought, communicating and language skills, needed to survive in the contemporary era.
Department of Eastern Philosophy and Culture
To enable students to absorb a wide range of thought and culture cultivated over Asia’s long history, we establish four courses to boost their expertise in specialized fields in accordance with their areas of interest: Indian Studies; Chinese Language, Philosophy, and Literature; Buddhist Studies; and Eastern Art and Culture. We aim to foster human resources that are genuinely well educated and globally competitive, by nurturing the breadth of perspective needed to look across the world and the ability to see oneself.
Department of Japanese Literature and Culture
The Department of Japanese Literature and Culture aims to foster human resources capable of studying Japanese literature and culture deeply, from a global perspective, and communicating their insights to the world. It features a curriculum in which students can learn multiple specialized fields in a cross-sectoral manner according to their areas of interest, as well as improve their skills mainly through small-group seminar classes.
Department of English and American Literature
Students in the Department of English and American Literature study English literature and language to acquire literary and linguistic literacy as well as the ability to think and express themselves. We aim to foster human resources that understand the culture and values of English-speaking countries, and convey them to the world with advanced English skills from uniquely Japanese perspectives.
Department of History
Students in the Department of History analyze societies and lifestyles of the past through literature, and develop their own images of history. This lays the groundwork for understanding the constantly changing international and Japanese situation, and serves as a precious cornerstone to establish present and future societies. Students study the three major fields of Japanese, Asian, and Western history in depth mainly in small-group seminar classes.
Department of Education (Human Development Course)
We study contemporary education from the perspective of “lifelong development,” i.e. that people continue to grow and change throughout their entire lives. Students study education and a wide range of other academic fields in a manner that enables them to pursue a range of issues. We aim to foster human resources that interact, emphasize and grow with others, who are full of active energy and abundant humanity.
Department of Education (Primary Education Course)
We aim to produce teachers with abundant humanity as well as solid and practical teaching and leadership abilities. To achieve this, we offer the Oukan Education System (Toyo University Model) continuously over four years, during which students go back and forth between the university and their assigned elementary school on a regular basis to gain on-site school experience and engage in further research back at the university. This repeated practice enables students to acquire advanced specialization and practical instructional ability.
Department of International Culture and Communication Studies
The Department of International Culture and Communication Studies aims to cultivate students that can deeply comprehend domestic and international culture and acquire the communication skills to accept and convey cultures in multiple languages, in order to build mutual trust by respecting and understanding each other across the barriers of country and value system. Students acquire high-level linguistic abilities as well as deeply understand a variety of cultures, including those in English-, German-, and French-speaking areas, as well as Japanese culture and history.

Learning Columns

The Learning Columns present articles and videos that describe the activities of Toyo University students and departments.

Is Human Nature Good? – Anthropology of the Theory of Innate Goodness –

Satoshi Shojiguchi, Professor (Department of Eastern Philosophy and Culture / Faculty of Letters)

Research Fields: Chinese Philosophy, Neo Confucianism

Analyzing an Animated Film, – Introduction to Textual Interpretation –

Ryosuke Yamamoto, Professor (Department of Japanese Literature and Culture / Faculty of Letters)

Research Field: Modern Japanese Literature

About Dictionaries, – People Good at English Can Look Words Up Quickly –

Kaoru Akasu, Professor (Department of English and American Literature / Faculty of Letters)

Research Fields: English Linguistics (Contrastive Studies of English and Japanese, Sociolinguistics, Lexicography)

Paris in Les Misérables, – From the Description of the Gorbeau House –

Michiko Asahina, Professor (Department of International Culture and Communication Studies / Faculty of Letters)

Research Fields: French Literature and Culture, Comparative Literature and Culture

The Meaning of Words and Reading the Dictionary, – OED and Shakespeare –

Kazutaka Tanaka, Professor (Department of English and American Literature / Faculty of Letters)

Research Field: English Literature

Whether Different Religions Can Coexist Together

Taigen Hashimoto, Professor (Department of Eastern Philosophy and Culture / Faculty of Letters)

Research Fields: Literatures, Literary Theories in Other Countries and Areas, Literary Criticism or Theory, Indian Philosophy, Buddhist Studies

Teaching and Learning, – The Appeal of Subject Pedagogy –

Hisashi Kurihara, Professor (Department of Education / Faculty of Letters)

Research Fields: Social Studies Education, Civics Education, Economics Education

Solar Activity and Civilizations

Yoshiaki Hagiwara, Professor (Department of International Culture and Communication Studies / Faculty of Letters)

Research Fields: Astronomy, Radio Astronomy

The “Family” Depicted in Modern Japanese Literature

Hitoshi Ishida, Professor (Department of International Culture and Communication Studies / Faculty of Letters)

Research Field: Modern and Postmodern Japanese Literature

READ MORE