Features of the Department of Literature and Language Education

Japanese Literature and Linguistics Area
Japanese Literature and Linguistics

In the field of Japanese literature, students study literature from ancient times to modern times, deepening their research and acquiring a broader perspective. We also offer subjects on culture based on postwar manga, and subjects on Chinese literature from a comparative literature perspective. The purpose of Japanese language studies is to approach the overall picture of the Japanese language through topological perspectives and data collection and analysis. Our university's library has a modern library that collects a wide variety of literature, including books and magazines from the Meiji era onwards, and one of our major features is that you can freely utilize this rich and valuable material for your research.

Academic Advisors and Full-time Faculty Members

Mika Fueki 教授	Research on modern and contemporary literature with a focus on literary theory. The third newcomer centered on Shusaku Endo Meiji period novels centered on Natsume Soseki Reprints and annotations of valuable materials from the modern library
Akemi Mineta 教授	My research focuses on the topology of modern Japanese, based on research on linguistic materials and field surveys.
Akiko Yamamoto 教授	Medieval literature research.In particular, he conducts research on medieval performing arts, with a focus on Kyogen.Utilizing performing arts materials that remain in the region, we will explore the historical changes in Kyogen and the way it has been passed down.
Yue Ukai Associate professor	Research on Heian literature centered on The Tale of Genji Research on names in The Tale of Genji Research on women in Heian literature

*Names and research themes are subject to change.

Graduate Program in English and American Literature and Linguistics
Graduate Program in English and American Literature and Linguistics

Since the Renaissance, British literature was the first in Western Europe to create a new form, the novel, and has been ranked alongside German and Italian music and French art. English literature has a rich tradition, and today it is spreading regionally throughout the United States and around the world. Literature has become an important field of study for studying the breadth and depth of words. This field is staffed with highly knowledgeable professors in the fields of English linguistics, British literature, and American literature, and each student can choose subjects that suit their career path and goals, allowing them to become a wide range of international students, English teachers, and literature researchers. You can prepare for your future success.

Academic Advisors and Full-time Faculty Members

Masaaki Ihara 教授	A philosophical study of words. The subject is not limited to linguistic philosophy and analytical philosophy, but covers a wide range of Western linguistic theories. History of linguistic thought. Targeting modern times. Research on subjectivity in language, including research in cognitive linguistics. Targeting modern times.
Yayoi Kaneko 教授	Research on the works of 18th and 19th century British writers, especially women.This book examines how the characters interact with others in their daily lives, taking into account the different social backgrounds of each era, and considers the meaning of life.
Takuzo Konishi 教授	I conduct research on the theory and history of argumentation research and educational practice. Based on knowledge from informal logic, media studies, rhetoric studies, and pragmatics, I examine actual arguments using methods such as interviews and text studies.
Ikuko Yonetani 教授	Research on early modern English literature, especially theatrical literature and culture including Shakespeare Research on the history of the reception and adaptation of the above in later generations and the relationship between them and the media Research on literary critical theory, especially queer criticism

*Names and research themes are subject to change.

Japanese language education area
Japanese Language Education

Our main targets are Japanese students who aim to teach Japanese to non-native Japanese speakers, international students, and current teachers, and we train experts who can take on leadership roles in Japanese language education. Aiming to fuse theory and practice required of language teachers, we aim to acquire teaching skills and advanced communication abilities. Collaborative learning and Japanese language education for workers are also major features.

Academic Advisors and Full-time Faculty Members

Aya Kondo 教授	Japanese language pedagogy Learner-centered Japanese language education centered on collaborative learning, foreign language teaching methods, teacher training, and language acquisition Business communication research/support for foreign workers Collaboration between Japanese and foreigners, case study, business Japanese education, etc.
Miwako Ohba Associate professor	Japanese language education, conversation data analysis, sociolinguistics Analysis of the characteristics of native language situations, contact situations, and multiparty conversations Analysis of the characteristics of foreign care workers' working situations
Yoshie Murakami Associate professor	Japanese language Descriptive grammar for Japanese language education, contextualization of sentence patterns (in what situation, who speaks a certain linguistic expression, to whom, and for what purpose)  Japanese education Analysis of Japanese language teaching materials, teaching material development, academic writing

*Names and research themes are subject to change.

English Education Area
English Language Education

In the field of English Language Education, we aim to train English teachers to acquire communication skills in English as an international common language, and to go beyond the boundaries of a subject and train them to be active not only as instructors but also as educational researchers. By combining theories of English Language Education with knowledge of human education, we cultivate the skills of English teachers to make educational decisions in their own classrooms. We provide a high-quality curriculum to achieve this goal, and have created an environment to produce English teachers equipped with the skills and knowledge to meet the diverse needs of modern society.
In addition to the two-year course, we also offer a one-year English education course aimed primarily at working adults. In order to make it easier for working graduate students to take the course, intensive lectures and courses held in the evenings on weekdays and Saturday afternoons may be offered as real-time online classes. (*Whether or not these courses are offered will be determined based on the number of students enrolled that year, etc.)

Academic Advisors and Full-time Faculty Members

Hirohide Mori 教授	Using applied linguistics methods, we examine the effectiveness of English instruction and learning in school settings, English education policies such as curriculum guidelines and university entrance exam reforms, and even analysis of the characteristics of English usage as an international lingua franca. approach.In particular, we will emphasize the role that actual English communication plays in various situations.
christie sage Associate professor	TEFL research, including academic and real-world spoken and written genres; critical pedagogy and curriculum; testing policy; and education for sustainable, socio-economic and global civic development.
Tomoko Watanabe Associate professor	We will use discourse analysis and conversation analysis methods to examine the construction of discourse in interactions in English, the international lingua franca, and explore the possibility of its application to English education in Japan.

*Names and research themes are subject to change.

Courses offered (2025)

[Common subjects]

Comprehensive research		Special exercise A
Transdisciplinary inquiry theory A		Special exercise B
Transdisciplinary inquiry theory B		Special exercise C
Transdisciplinary inquiry theory C		Special exercise D

[Japanese Literature and Linguistics Area]

Japanese Literature Special Research A	Research on “Manyoshu”	Japanese Literature Seminar BⅡ	Study of Heian literature II
Japanese Literature Special Research B	Research on “The Tale of Genji”	Japanese Literature Seminar Cl	Medieval Literature Research I
Japanese Literature Special Research C	Medieval performing arts research	Japanese Literature Seminar CII	Medieval Literature Research II
Japanese Literature Special Research D	Modern and contemporary literature research	Japanese Literature Seminar DI	Women depicted in modern literature I
Japanese Literature Special Research E	Postwar literature and culture research	Japanese Literature Seminar DⅡ	Women depicted in modern literature II
Special research on Chinese literature	Chinese medieval poetry and novels	Special research in Japanese language A	phase of modern language
Japanese Literature Seminar AⅠ	“Manyoshu” and its reception	Special research in Japanese language B	Research methods/data collection and analysis
Japanese Literature Seminar AⅡ	“Manyoshu” and its reception	Japanese Language Seminar I	Investigation description I
Japanese Literature Seminar BI	Study of Heian literature I	Japanese Language Seminar II	Investigation description II

[British and American Literature and Linguistics Area]

English and American literature special research A	American novel research	Special research in English B	translation studies
Special research on English and American literature B	British novel research	Special research in English language C	media studies
Graduate Program in English and American Literature Seminar A	british drama seminar	English language special research D	Rhetoric theory and practice
Graduate Program in English and American Literature Seminar B	american poetry exercise	English language seminar A	discussion research exercise
Graduate Program in English and American Literature Seminar C	Modern British Literature Seminar	English language seminar B	Research on modern linguistics
Graduate Program in English and American Literature Seminar D	Modern American Literature Seminar	English language seminar C	semiotics exercises
Graduate Program in English and American Literature Seminar E	british novel exercises	English language seminar D	Cognitive linguistics exercise
Graduate Program in English and American Literature Seminar F	critical theory exercise	English Language Seminar E	Modern Anglo-American thought and human views
English language special research A	textual studies

[Japanese language education area]

Special research on Japanese language education A	Japanese teaching method	Japanese language pedagogy seminar	Language education research methods
Japanese Language Education Special Research B	Business Japanese education	Japanese teaching method exercise A	Theory and research on language teaching methods
Special research on Japanese language education C	Second language acquisition and Japanese language education	Japanese teaching method seminar B	Theory and research on language teaching methods
Special Research in Japanese Language Education D	Sociolinguistics and Japanese language education	Japanese language teaching practice A (intensive)	Japanese teaching method/practical training
Japanese Language Education Special Research E	Japanese language education grammar	Japanese language teaching practice B	Japanese teaching method/practical training
Japanese Language Education Special Research F	Multicultural Society

[English Education Area]

English Education Special Research A	English teaching theory	English Pedagogy Seminar D	English corpus research
English Education Special Research B	Second language acquisition theory	English Pedagogy Seminar E	English teaching materials theory
English Education Special Research C	research methodology	English Pedagogy Seminar F	Children's English education research
English Pedagogy Seminar A	English vocabulary and grammar research	English Pedagogy Seminar G	How to write an English paper
English Pedagogy Seminar B	English speaking and listening research	English Pedagogy Seminar H	English teaching methodology
English Pedagogy Seminar C	English reading and writing research

*The 1 subjects listed above are also offered in the English Education Specialized Course (11 year).

Master's Thesis/Self-Application Assignment Report Theme

[Japanese Literature and Linguistics Area]

• The Tale of Genji theory
• Research on Osamu Dazai – Focusing on “The Setting Sun”
• Research on Natsume Soseki: The image of women in “Gyoto,” “Michigusa,” and “Meikan.”
• Diachronic study of expressions related to sky

[British and American Literature and Linguistics Area]

• "The meaning of music in Kazuo Ishiguro's works"
• "Love's Incompleteness in Iris Murdoch's Jackson's Dilemma"
• "The New Woman in the Early Twentieth Century in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night"
• A contrastive study of construals and fashions of speaking between English and Japanese
• “On the Other World in Medieval English Romance: Focusing on Breton Lay”

[Japanese language education area]

• The significance of peer support activities among international students: A collaborative learning perspective
• Problems Chinese learners face in Japanese academic writing: From the perspective of their writing learning experiences
• A study on the linguistic repertoire and linguistic perspective of Japanese speakers: From the interviews of graduate students majoring in Japanese language education
• Identity formation and self-esteem of children with foreign connections
• An analysis of Japanese language learners' understanding of strategies when watching YouTube videos
• Analysis of adjustments to customers' expressions of dissatisfaction in part-time work situations - Targeting Chinese Japanese language learners -

[English Education Area]

• The influence of reading aloud on the acquisition of English syntax
• Acquisition of fixed expressions based on children's literature
• The influence of learning fixed expressions on writing ability
• Changes in Japanese elementary school students' motivation, learning strategies, and English language proficiency in learning English -Focusing on children exposed to output opportunities-
• Comparison of reading activities between Japan and Japan - Focusing on textbooks for beginner English learners -
• A study on the control of speaking anxiety among child English learners - Focusing on three tasks -

[English Education Specialized Course]Self-application assignment report

• Practical research on the task activity of adding new scenes to English plays in elementary schools
• Effects of Keyword-Based Speaking Instruction on Fostering Improvisation in Speech for Junior High School Students