Summary
About GSEAS
East Asia consists of countries or regions with various languages, cultures and religions, and possesses its own distinctive characteristics formed in the long course of history. Global changes of economic and social structures have sometimes reduced regional differences, but on occasion have accentuated them, which has caused fiction. In particular, the economic and political turmoil in the East Asia nations which originated in financial friction in the late 1990s, has brought up a lot of social and economic issues. Understanding how the state of affairs in East Asia influences the world situation is a vital forecasting the future of mankind.
The Graduate School of East Asian Studies aims to train students to be talented and leading professionals who will be able to exhibit expertise in solving various problems from a broad range of perspectives. The students’ understanding of the regional characteristics of East Asia will be supported by a suitable geographical environment and by accumulated research traditions and varied international exchanges of Yamaguchi University.
Features of GSEAS
The Graduate School of East Asian Studies offers four courses each tailored to accommodate individual students’ research topic and chosen career path.
| Course name | Target Expertise | Example Career Path |
|---|---|---|
| Asian Comparative Culture Course | Expertise in the understanding of Asian history, culture and society from a sympathetic, internal perspective. | These courses are intended for those wishing to become: government employees, university and high school teachers, researchers, foreign language teachers, translators, journalists, museum and gallery curators, staff of international development agencies and NGOs, private sector managers and strategic planners. |
| Asian Economy, Management and Law Course | Expertise aiming to provide deep understanding of regional and socio-economic characteristics backed up with specialist knowledge and a flexible and tenacious intellect, so as to be able to contribute to the solution of a wide variety of real-world problems. | |
| Asian Public Administration Course | Expertise in the ability to create and execute effective development programs in developing countries. | |
| Asian Education Course | rom a basis in Asian regional research and educational exchange, expertise in recognizing educational problems and in the ability to carry out empirical and theoretical research towards solving such problems. |
Seminar-based Curricula Supported by Two or more Supervisors per Student
In each courses of the Graduate School of East Asian Studies, students are encouraged to develop their problem-solving abilities, primarily through seminars which provide training in their practical application.
The Curriculum includes:
Specialist Seminars: seminars designed to promote awareness of problems and issues so as to provide direction in specific areas of research.
Basic Seminars: seminars directed by a group of supervisors specializing in the research fields; designed to equip students with diverse approaches to their issues of interest.
Project Seminars: seminars held in a workshop style with two or more supervisors.
Special Lectures: lectures which complement the Project Seminars; various field-researches and case studies are involved.
Dissertation Supervisions: professors provide individual students with practical advice and insights to support them toward the completion of their dissertations.
Each student gets attentive care and supervision on their research and training from their chief-advisor plus sub-advisor(s). Students are required periodically to make progress reports in the Project Seminars according to their research schedules. They are given regular instruction and advice to develop their abilities and knowledge sufficient to conduct their researches successfully.
Guarantee of Foreign Language Proficiency
Competence in the languages used in the region are essential to those wishing be actively involved in the East Asian academic or business scenes. Therefore, to those who need additional language training, the Graduate School of East Asian Studies offers communication skills classes in Japanese and/or the student’s language of emphasis.