Gakushuin Women's College

As you know, a globe is a spherical depiction of Earth, and “global” thus describes something extending across the entire planet. Humanity left its cradle in southern Africa and little by little expanded its range of inhabitation to ultimately become a truly global presence. In the process, groups arrived at different destinations, forming a diversity of unique cultures in the lands they chose to settle.

Mankind did not halt its spread even after becoming a global presence, though, and different cultures began encountering one another. Unfortunately, many of these encounters became clashes that sparked conflict. Why must encounters between differing cultures lead to conflict? The word “crossover,” which started out as a musical term, refers to a fusion of music from different genres that creates a new musical world. Such a fusion emerges when individual performers understand each other’s musical genres and respect the artists from other genres.

How wonderful it would be if cultural encounters, too, could achieve such crossover. Successfully understanding and respecting each other’s cultures can make clashes inconceivable, even if no fusion develops as a consequence. The only way to get to that starting point is to adopt a perspective in which you do not regard your own culture in absolute terms.

With a solid understanding of your own culture, your interactions with differing cultures from around the world will ensure that you have a comparative perspective and a better understanding of, and respect for, others.

We offer a venue to make all that possible. the college is formally divided into three departments, with each department serving as a foundation on which you can build your academic experience in a number of genres.

Gakushuin Women`s College offers not only high-standard education but true convival student life. Other than lectures, many events and group activities exist within the campus and new encounter may occur by taking part, thus enhancing the quality of years of attending Gakushuin.

Gakushuin Women's College is a four-year, tertiary undergraduate institution with a two year post-graduate Master of Arts program in Intercultural Studies in its Graduate School, and is authorized by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to grant the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees, and accredited also by the Japan University Accreditation Association. The Faculty of Intercultural Studies is made up of three unique departments: the Department of Japanese Studies, the Department of Intercultural Communication, and the Department of English Communication. The departments of Japanese Studies and Intercultural Communication offer special entrance examinations for returnee and non-Japanese students, English Communication does not.

The curriculum has two types of classes, the specialized classes offered to students of each department, and the general education classes open to the students in all departments. During their four years at college, students will cultivate their communication skills in both Japanese and English, study and explore variety of cultures, and acquire practical experience of Japanese traditional culture.