3Since its establishment, the Graduate School of Social Sciences at Waseda University has aimed for an “interaction of theory and practice,” opening its doors not only to students who have just completed their undergraduate studies, but also to a wide range of working people, and adopting a system in which a diverse range of students learn together in all lectures and seminars. In recent years, the number of international students, mainly from Asia, has also increased, making Graduate School of Social Sciences as one of the graduate schools in Waseda with the highest ratio of international students.In order to interact theory and practice, it is essential for people with various goals and careers to study together and conduct research while repeating feedbacks between theory, philosophy and the real world. In this sense, the presence of graduate students with practical working experience will bring back to practical discussions that tend to be conceptual and ideological. Conversely, good sense of reasoning and sensibility, which are not bound by the real world, may provide a fresh stimulus for them. In addition, international students will provide different perspectives that transcend national borders. The educational and research effects of having graduate students and faculty members study together amidst such a diverse mix of perspectives and ideas will be significant.Furthermore, a double degree program (a program that allows students to obtain degrees from two universities at the same time) has been established with Tsinghua University in China for the master’s degree program. Also, the international exchange at the faculty and graduate student levels are active.Because the problems and phenomena facing modern society are extremely complex, analysis from multiple perspectives and aggregation of numerous specialized expertise is essential. However, it is not easy to acquire expertise in multiple academic fields. Nevertheless, in order to solve problems, one must develop the ability to critique and conceptualize through dialogue with basic concepts and analytical methods from various fields of expertise, while keeping one’s focus on a particular field of expertise and have the skills to tackle various issues in contemporary society based on this ability. Needless to say, this requires more than just putting in one’s best efforts.Each of the faculty members of our graduate school has been engaged in interdisciplinary research and education, with a focus on the fields of political science, law, economics, commerce, sociology, history, philosophy, and data science, but without staying within the boundaries of their specialty. Such an interdisciplinary approach to learning is firmly passed on to our graduate students through research guidance and exercises. This is also the reason why both the master’s and doctoral programs have a system in which not only the supervisors, but also the other faculty members support graduate student’s guidance from slightly different fields of expertise.Although master’s degree students must also take lecture courses to fulfill the requirements for completion of their degree, another feature of our graduate school is that students have a large degree of freedom in their choice of courses. In this way, students will be able to avoid a research attitude that tends to be stuck in the narrow depths of specialization and will conduct interdisciplinary research that is unique to our graduate school.The Graduate School of Social Sciences, established in 1994 for the master’s program and in 1996 for the doctoral program, is a graduate school aiming at advanced research, and as such, has continued to experiment with new approaches and reforms in response to changes and demands of real society. The research areas have been reorganized under two majors, with Contemporary Japanese Studies, International Cooperation Studies, and Global Civil Society Studies in the Major of Global Studies, and Sustainable Development Studies, Public and Social Policy Studies in the Major of Policy Science, for a total of five research areas. These new areas are expected to advance research from issues facing contemporary society, such as the environment, peace building, international cooperation, development, global business and organizations, labor, and regional society.They play an active role in a variety of fields, including research and educational institutions, government agencies, international organizations, civic groups, corporations, and political circles. We expect that more and more people, including international students, will be active in the global arena in the future. We will continue to build new knowledge as a place of education and research where students who have just graduated from undergraduate schools, working adults with rich work experience, and international students can learn together.Deanʼs MessageProfessor Yuki NakamichiDean of the Graduate School of Social SciencesImportance of postgraduate education has been increased as modern society has become complex and requires higher levels of expertise. In the past, the main purpose of graduate schools has been to train researchers. Nowadays, on the other hand, number of graduate schools are increased for practitioner training, and some have emerged with its final curriculum goal to acquire national licenses. Although graduate schools are diversifying in this way, it is often the case that the curriculum is focused on one or the other objective.
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