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Philosophy / Aims:
The Graduate School of Regional Culture targets education and research of culture in the southern islands and the larger world and aims to contribute to the advancement of local residents through that research on regional cultures. Based on this university’s philosophy, the school values the traditions, culture, and natural environment of Okinawa, creates scholarship and culture that support the peace and coexistence of humankind, and cultivates spiritually rich, unique individuals to contribute to local autonomy and the development of international society.
Research on the culture of the southern islands clarifies dissemination routes of Asian culture and processes of change. Those research outcomes can contribute not only to understanding of the southern island region, but also of culture and society in Japan and the world. Together with an accurate understanding of culture, the research helps international exchange with countries neighboring Okinawa and Japan, thus contributing to the formation of a society that is energized and peaceful.
Department of Ryukyuan Culture
Language and Culture
The area of Language and Culture focuses on language and literature in the southern island region, and researches Japan’s classical literature, modern literature, and language education. The major objectives are acquisition of advanced licenses and qualifications, and the further education of officials and the general public.
Folk Culture
The area of Folk Culture also focuses on researching the southern island region, but in content emphasizes the relationship with surrounding regions, such as East Asia and Southeast Asia. The curriculum and lecture content delve deeply into folk culture in the southern islands and its spread to surrounding regions.
Prehistory / History and Culture
Archeology, one of the pillars of Prehistory / History and Culture, researches prehistoric culture in the southern island region, and focuses on comparative studies with surrounding regions such as East Asia and Southeast Asia. Southern Island History, another pillar, is divided into Modern History and Contemporary History. Modern History focuses on reading ancient manuscripts and deepens understanding of the history of the southern islands.
Society and Culture
The area of Society and Culture covers the attributes of the southern island region with a focus on sociology and cultural issues as mechanisms for perpetuating social structures. This area includes the basic structure of southern island society, human generation, and aspects of processing real-society problems.
Department of British and American Studies
British and American Literature
The area of British and American Literature studies literature, poems, and plays. It also offers subjects on British and American culture that center on the language of English.
Language Education
The area of Language Education studies English language education and Japanese as a second language education based on the relationships among language, culture, education, and society. It also offers the opportunity to consider language education from practical and diverse perspectives, including practical training in language education and multilingual education.
Department of Human Welfare
Social Welfare
The area of Social Welfare explores specialized theories related to social welfare and clarifies actual conditions involving various problems in regional society and facilities using scientific methods, with the aim of cultivating individuals with expertise capable of employing tactics for resolution and appropriate approaches. The study particularly improves the quality of social workers in facilities and communities, and offers a curriculum that takes into consideration gerontology research and the aged society that is characteristic of Okinawa Prefecture.
Clinical Psychology
The primary objective of Clinical Psychology is to cultivate specialists capable of concretely and practically handling the issues of the human mind from a position of expertise. To do so, a curriculum has been created that allows students to acquire a wealth of specialized knowledge based both on theory and practice that centers on subjects required for training clinical psychologists, and instruction is carried out that cultivates practical skills. The clinical psychology program has been designated a graduate school (Type 1) that possesses qualifications of candidacy for examination related to the qualifying exam for clinical psychologist that is carried out by the Foundation of the Japanese Certification Board for Clinical Psychologists. Becoming a Type 1 designated graduate school enables the acquisition of qualifications of candidacy for examination for the clinical psychologist exam, following completion of practical training during enrollment in the graduate school.
Graduate School
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