Our Concept of Foreign Language Education at Faculty of Arts,
&
What We Expect of Our New Member
The Faculty of Arts, Shinshu University, consists of 46 full-time staff, comprising 7 courses
(Philosophy & Art Studies, Cultural Information Studies & Sociology, Psychology & Social
Psychology, History, Comparative Studies on Languages & Culture, Studies on English Language &
Culture, Studies on Japanese Language & Culture), one of which students follow from the second
year, finishing in three years.
On Foreign Language Education at Faculty of Arts
1. The Principles of the Faculty
In short, our faculty’s goal is to nurture ‘neo humanists for the coming age with the wisdom
of what-to-do’.
In the environment of Shinshu’s sheer nature with its serene scenery of the seasons at a
moderate distance from hurly-burly of big cities, we shall provide our education programmes to make
efforts, first, at cultivating the students’ ability to observe the historical and humanistic significance
of our age and, second, at developing their sensibilities to residing in the humane and ecologyconscious society. The education at our faculty aims at creating neo-humanists of the new era, who
are ready to ponder upon profound and persistent consideration at the modern society of growing
diversity and complexity. We shall call such readiness that is adequate to be equipped in critical and
creative involvement in our society as 実践知 (Jissenchi), the wisdom of what-to-do.
2. Foreign Language Education in Accordance with General Educational Goals
The Faculty proposes its goals for our foreign language education as letting the students
gain ‘competence in foreign language(s) in order to understand various cultures as well as to promote
his/her own culture in and outside of Japan’; nurturing human resources, insightful into multi-layered
linguistic cultures as well as equipped with communication skills in foreign languages, which are
required to create communities through new perspectives on human and society.
Our graduates,
adapting to the new era, will make the most of their highly-skilled communication ability in their
local societies where globalization and cultural pluralism have steadily made dramatic advances.
3-1. Four Predominant Features of Our Curriculum
Starting from an introduction to academic speculation and critical thinking in the fields of
study as well as fostering interdisciplinary mind in accordance with the principles of Faculty of Arts,
the followings are 4 predominant features of our curriculum: We are 1. to provide academic advise
on the multidisciplinary basis, 2. to strengthen specialist capabilities, 3. to generate students’ interest
and motivation in various fields of study, 4. to set hands-on skills and qualities of leadership as goals
for mastery.
3-2. Foreign Language Education within Our Curriculum
After finishing their courses in foreign languages in their first and second years (offered by
School of General Education) the students of our Faculty are required to continue their learning
foreign languages in their third and fourth years, taking ‘designated classes on foreign languages’,
which will allow the students to acquire a reasonable proficiency in the language they learn.
3-3. Foreign Language Education without Our Curriculum
Following ‘the Internationalisation Programme’ which Shinshu University promotes,
Faculty of Arts introduces several ways of studying abroad outside the framework of the curriculum.
At the same time, three foreign–language salons (where the students enjoy conversations with native
speakers of English, French and German respectively) and the salons of cultural contacts (where
various peoples from other countries gather together) are regularly held, cultivating human resources
for the globalised future.
What We Expect of Our New Member:
To educate students to be equipped with ‘the wisdom of what-to-do’, as our principles
proclaim, in order to enrich human relationship in a community and to contribute to the development
of society.
To achieve our aims of foreign language education, cultivating the students’ ability in
foreign languages to promote mutual understanding with a global vision in the culturally diversified
society: i.e.
(1) to encourage the students to acquire foreign language competence for fostering new human
relations, and to participate actively with practical skills in the world, asserting firm leadership.
(2) to nurture the students’ interest in diverse fields of study, their cross-cultural understanding, and
their sophistication and potentialities with multilateral points of view.
(3) to enable the students to develop their abilities in communication, making their ideas
acknowledged, their culture and opinions recognisable among the peoples with diverse range of
views in the world.
More specifically, as a faculty member,
(1) to be assigned to teach ‘designated classes on foreign languages’ set mainly by the course of
Studies on English Language & Culture for the third- and fourth-year students.
(2) to cooperate on the affairs planned and run by our faculty concerning studying-abroad and
international exchanges for the students.
(3) to be exempted in principle from working as a member of acting committees.
(4) to be exempted from attending the faculty meeting, except in case of being required to attend as
an observer.