The Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences established its academic charter in 2008. In it, social and regional contributions are put forth as the third mission for the Graduate School/ Faculty, in addition to human resource development and academic research.
1. Lifelong Learning (Open Courses for the Public/ Visiting Lecturer System, etc.)
Faculty members from the Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences participate in giving lectures at the open courses for the public hosted by Osaka City University. These include lectures given at the “Kintetsu Culture Salon Abeno,” hosted jointly by the Kintetsu Culture Salon and Osaka City University since 2007, and lectures at the long-established Osaka City University’s Academic Extension Center (Umeda). Lectures have been given across a wide range of themes from linguistics, history, literature, theater, media, education, architecture, interculturality, and social issues.
The annual “Kamigata Lectures” given by bunraku artists, like the tayu (chanter) and ningyotsukai (puppeteer), have also been enthusiastically received. The “Cultural Development Program” also offers lectures for volunteer tour guides to hone their skills.
2. High School-University and Kindergarten-Elementary-Junior High-High School-University Collaborations
Information sessions are held by the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences as a whole as well as each individual course at the Open Campus Program held every August at Osaka City University. Through these sessions, high school students and their guardians are able to learn about the application process and the education, research and university life at OCU.
Since 2008, the Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences has held the “Osaka City University Literature and Human Sciences Classes” (OCU classes) for high school students twice a year, in the spring and fall (jointly held with the Graduate School/ Faculty of Science in the spring). These classes are held to give high school students the opportunity to experience actual classes in the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences in order to assist them in their selection of university courses. A round-table conference is held between university students active in the Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences Organization for Educational Support and Promotion (an organization that consists of both faculty and students, established for supporting student research/education activities and university life) and high school students who had participated in the class. This has also been met with enthusiastic reception.
Faculty members are also dispatched to hold lectures at university information sessions held at high schools.
3. Social Contributions through Research Activities (Jinbun Sensho/ Joint Research/ Media Coverage/ Events, etc.)
The Graduate School of Literature and Human Sciences issues the publications, Jinbun Sensho series (Izumi Shoin) and Bungaku Kenkyuka Sousho series (Seibundo), in order to disseminate the research results achieved by the School to the public. At the same time, the School advances joint research with institutes unaffiliated to the university and, in particular, plays a central role in the museum-school collaboration (in the fields of research and societal contributions) between Osaka City University and the museums in the Osaka City Museum Organization.
The School also actively engages in sharing information with the media, planning/implementing a variety of events, assuming membership in governmental institutions and municipal organizations and writing papers that link to contributing to society and the local community.
Kamigata Lectures
The Kamigata Lectures are a series of special classes begun in 2004. It is an attempt to focus on the cultural practices historically founded in Osaka – in particular, the traditional art of bunraku – and to learn about such practices in an academic system.
Its most unique feature is that it invites three leading artists from the bunraku world, Takemoto Tsukomadayu (tayu, or chanter), Tsurusawa Seisuke (shamisen player) and Kiritake Kanjyuro (ningayotsukai, or puppeteer), to design classes in collaboration with the Graduate School faculty. Another distinct feature is that the class is not only an authorized course in the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, but it is also made open to the public. As the collaborative effort of education, research and societal contribution, the class offers singular material unlike that offered by any conventional open lecture, befitting of a public university established by the city of Osaka.
https://www.lit.osaka-cu.ac.jp/kamigata/index.html
Osaka Cultural Guide + (Plus) Lecture
The Osaka City University Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences established the “Cultural Development Program” in 2015 for all members of society outside the University, as a program for cultivating individuals with the capacity to act as leaders of the local culture. The first of these efforts, the “Osaka Cultural Guide + (Plus) Lecture” was held for the purpose of furthering the understanding of local volunteer tour guides towards Osaka culture and improving their abilities to communication. The program consists of four courses centered on practical seminars for experiencing Osaka culture. Those who complete the program are awarded a certificate of completion from the University.
Open OCU Courses
The Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences hosts “Osaka City University Literature and Human Sciences Classes” (Open OCU Courses) geared towards high school students twice a year, in the spring and fall (spring classes are jointly held with the Graduate School/ Faculty of Science). These classes are held to give high school students the opportunity to experience actual classes in the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences in order to assist them in their selection of university courses. In both the spring and fall terms, three professors each conducts classes based on their fields of expertise. A round-table conference is held between university students active in the Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences Organization for Educational Support and Promotion (an organization that consists of both faculty and students, established for supporting student research/education activities and university life) and high school students who had participated in the class. This has also been met with enthusiastic reception.