The Department of International and Cultural Studies aims to cultivate students’ ability to research the various issues that are occurring in the world today. We prepare our students to make contributions to international exchanges, peace, and economic and social development from their respective areas of specialization. Our highly motivated students do not limit themselves to studying on the campus — they apply for internships overseas or with international NGOs. From a social and cultural studies approach encompassing politics, law, sociology, culture, and area studies, we delve deeply into various problems. In this way, we provide a wealth of knowledge about international affairs while simultaneously fostering the students’ ability to express themselves with confidence in international settings.

This department offers the following three courses: Global Issues and International Relations, Humanities and Area Studies, and Transnational Japan.

A main feature of this program is our use of the seminar format for students during their four years of undergraduate study. Participation is limited to small groups, and all students are required to enroll in a seminar. The topics covered in the first-year seminar are chosen by the faculty member in charge, and they cover various areas including social science and humanities. As a group, students investigate various problems facing modern society. Students are given reading assignments, and learn how to make presentations. In the second-year seminar, students read articles in English on selected topics to develop a specialized working vocabulary, and are also taught methodologies for conducting research in their areas of interest. In the third- and fourth-year seminars, students are separated into groups of 12 members (maximum), according to the topics of their graduation theses.

An emphasis on learning in small groups is also reflected in foreign language education at Tsuda. During their first and second years, students must study English as a required subject and also select one of the following as a second foreign language: French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese or Korean. For their third-year compulsory language class, students select either English or another language from the above six.