Graduate School / Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences Academic Charter – Graduate School of Literature and Human Sciences, Osaka University.

Enactment: March 20, 2008
Last Updated: April 17, 2020

1. Preamble

The universities in this country once proudly acclaimed that noble quests into truths and the cultivation of intellectual elites were their social missions. At this university, however, Hajime Seki, the Osaka governor at the time the university’s predecessor, the Osaka University of Commerce, was founded (on March 16, 1928), stated the excellent view that “a city university must be woven into the organic tissue of the city as well as its citizens lifestyles” and that “in newly establishing a city university of commerce in Osaka today, what we must earnestly consider is that we should not simply accept the university as a simple extension of a vocational school, nor as a simple ‘copy’ of a national university.” (from “Future Prospects for the Osaka University of Commerce”) The history of the Osaka University of Commerce and its successor, Osaka City University, has precisely been the pursuit of a university open to the public, as proposed by Governor Hajime Seki. In light of this history, those of us in the service of and studying at Osaka City University today must continue to advance towards this mission established at the university’s founding by diligently pursuing the realization of a university open to the public, together with the goals of cultivating promising individuals and exploring academic truths.

The Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences prides itself on having achieved leading research in the fields of the humanities and behavioral sciences and having contributed to cultural development, in addition to having sent many promising young individuals out into the field and into society. We must not, however, be content with our current state and must continue our unflagging efforts towards self-improvement, accepting opinions and demands from outside critics with an open mind and simultaneously conducting strict self-evaluation. The Osaka City University Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences Academic Charter hereby stands as proof of our noble goals towards the pursuit of academic truths, cultivation of promising individuals and quest towards a university open to society.

2. Principles of the Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences

The Graduate School/ Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences shall investigate the various phenomena of human beings, society, culture and language as well as the universality therein through the methodologies of the humanities and behavioral sciences.

It shall strive towards the establishment of a field of humanities/behavioral sciences with the ability to solve the problems faced by humankind, societies, cities and cultures today.

It shall strive towards the highest standards of education and research, with the power to compete internationally and communicate cutting-edge research results from a global standpoint.

3. Human Resource Development Goals

【Undergraduate Program】

To cultivate individuals with the ability to think deeply on the phenomena of human beings, society, culture and language through the approaches and methodologies of the humanities and behavioral sciences.
To cultivate individuals with communication skills and the capacity to solve problems from a global and historical perspective.
To cultivate professionals able to act at the forefront in institutes of education, cultural administrations, publishing, journalism, international exchange and information services.

[Department Goals]

(Philosophy and History)
To cultivate individuals with the ability to study the processes of human history and thought and look forward to the future based on an insight into human beings and an understanding of history.

(Human Behavioral Sciences)
To cultivate individuals equipped with the scientific means for understanding human beings and society as well as the ability to reflect on human behavior and the various phenomena concerning humankind from diverse perspectives.

(Languages and Culture)
To cultivate individuals with a deep understanding of the languages, literature and cultures created by humankind, who can contribute to the creation of new culture through an insight into both their own culture as well as other cultures.

(Cultural Management)
To cultivate individuals capable of connecting cultures through social practices and activities based on a deep understanding of cultures while pursuing the creation of new modes of cultural expression and the establishment of multi-cultural values.

[Graduate School Master’s Program Goals]

To cultivate individuals with advanced knowledge and methodologies in the field of the humanities and behavioral sciences, able to independently conduct creative and original research.
To cultivate distinguished professionals with the ability to contribute to education in the local community and respond to the various issues encountered by the city.
To cultivate highly educated individuals with a motivation for lifelong learning, able to assume leadership of the various cultural activities in the global and local societies through a deep understanding of human beings, societies, cultures and languages.

[Graduate School Doctoral Program Goals]

To cultivate researchers with cutting-edge research abilities for creatively pursuing the most advanced research topics in the humanities and behavioral sciences.
To cultivate researchers able to lead global and interdisciplinary research in the humanities and behavioral sciences through cooperation with education and research organizations and institutes from both within and outside of Japan.

[Department Goals]

(Philosophy and History)
The goal of this course is to clarify the structure and development of human society and culture and to discover the state of humankind within history and culture. The course aims to explain the essence of human society and its culture, its universal values and further its changes. The course will cultivate cultured professionals with a wide scope of knowledge as well as researchers with a deep knowledge of their fields of specialization and the ability to widen their perspectives to other related fields.

(Human Behavioral Sciences)
The goal of this course is to gain a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the special qualities of human behavior and the relationship of human beings to societies and cultures in light of the various problems faced by modern society, such as educational issues and cultural conflict. The course emphasizes analysis, understanding and theorization based on empirical data and behavioral science methodologies such as fieldwork and experiments. By requiring students to gain an understanding of empirical research methodologies related to the behavioral sciences, this course will enable students to develop their abilities to objectively observe real people and societies. The course will cultivate individuals suited not only to research professions but equipped with a high level of professional knowledge and expertise.

(Languages and Culture)
The goal of this course is to fundamentally elucidate all language-related cultural phenomena including languages, literature, cultures, and other related topics from the perspective of languages. Besides studies on various phenomena among all ages in different linguistic regions, and particularly the Japanese, Chinese, English, German, and French languages, the course deepens academic exploration in applications of linguistic approaches to adjacent fields and promotes education and research in line with trends in the 21st century including information technologies and globalization. The course will cultivate researchers and professionals equipped with an acute awareness of languages and excellent language proficiency, who are capable of assuming substantial roles in the global community.

(Cultural Management)
The goal of this course is to enhance the power of cultures through positive usage of various cultures and cultural phenomena in social practices and to proactively manage cultures that can contribute to solving issues that modern societies face. The course develops competencies to utilize cultures and cultural phenomena in solving issues based on expert knowledge with regard to the creation of new cultures, cross-cultural and multi-cultural awareness, and applied and practical usage of cultural phenomena. This course will cultivate individuals who are capable of taking a lead in both theories and practices through utilization of cultural phenomena either as researchers or professionals.

(Asian Culture and Urbanism)
The goal of this course is to undertake a comprehensive and comparative culture-based study of the current state and qualities of urban culture, its formative process and its future potential, with a focus on the East Asian and Southeast Asian regions. By giving students an outlook onto diverse fields of research such as traditional culture, modern urban culture, cultural anthropology, the arts and popular culture, this course will cultivate a perspective for comprehensively understanding the various problems that exist in Asia. It will cultivate individuals with the ability to lead the future of Asia as a researcher or any other specialized profession along any career path.

4. Academic Research Goals

To strive towards the creation of new knowledge, promoting leading research in the fields of the humanities and behavioral sciences based on the principle of social fairness.
To aim towards the establishment of a humanities/behavioral discipline field open to society, from the understanding that the humanities/behavioral sciences are in constant contact with society and that they develop by earnestly challenging the concrete demands given to it by society.
To aspire towards academic research that is not only grounded firmly in the academic foundations of the humanities and behavioral sciences, but can also flexibly respond to any new situation that may arise.

5. Contributing to the Local Community/Society

While the high level of education and research conducted at universities contributes to society from a long-term perspective, the School Education Act expresses the need to use these results to directly give back to the local community/society.
The results achieved in the local community (social contributions) by the Graduate School and Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences staff shall be evaluated based on the parameters of education & research activities, international exchange and achievements to encourage the active participation of the academic staff.

6. Admissions Policy

The goal of the Graduate School and Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences is to cultivate young talents with a high sense of humanity and an interest in human beings, society, culture and language. In light of this goal, we seek students the following qualifications:

[Undergraduate Program]

Students with an interest in:

Reflecting on human thought and the development of society/culture
Examining the principles of human behavior and the mechanisms of society
Understanding the various languages, cultures and arts
Exploring ways to utilize various cultural activities in society
Pursuing new points of view through training in logical thought

[Graduate School Master’s Program]

Students with a clear sense of problem awareness and professional knowledge in the fields of the humanities and behavioral sciences
Students who aspire to research the specialized fields of the humanities/behavioral sciences based on social experience

[Graduate School Doctoral Program]

Students who possess a high level of knowledge and an original research topic in the specialized fields of the humanities/behavioral sciences
Students with the capacity to communicate the results of their research both within and outside the country

7. Curriculum Policy

[Undergraduate Program]

The curriculum is intended to foster a philosophical perspective for fundamentally questioning human thought, society and culture together with a historical perspective for discovering the essence of such matters within the changes that ensue across time.
It shall cultivate the skills to clarify the various aspects of human behavior based on scientific methodologies such as observation, surveys, experiments and fieldwork.
Further, based on a practical and academic investigation of various languages, cultures and arts, the curriculum shall encourage the development of a rich sense of internationality and linguistic performance as well as a deep understanding of social/cultural phenomena.
The curriculum shall foster practical abilities to utilize human cultural activities to serve society through the creation of new modes of cultural expression and the establishment of symbiotic cultures, and utilization of cultural resources, etc.
It shall additionally cultivate the capacity to creatively and critically approach problems by developing the ability to analyze and read original sources, historical documents and other literary records that form the foundations of the humanities and behavioral sciences.
With the aim of achieving the above goals, the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences places emphasis on the following 6 points.
1. Systematic curriculum development for step-by-step learning from basic to applied humanities
2. Offering of small-group practicums during every scholastic year
3. Availability of the university’s common subjects throughout the 4-year curriculum to provide students with opportunities for liberal-arts education and to acquire interdisciplinary perspectives
4. Development of proficiency in English and a second foreign language for students to acquire global perspectives and international competencies
5. The “minor” system for students to acquire abilities to apply knowledge in specialized fields to broader practices
6. Guidance for students doing their graduation thesis in order to help them make the most out of outcomes they obtain through the curriculum

[Graduate School Master’s Program]

The curriculum is intended to foster advanced professional knowledge of the specialized fields in the humanities/behavioral sciences and cultivate the capacity to research these fields with a clear sense of problem awareness.

With the aim of achieving the above goals, the Graduate School of Literature and Human Sciences places focus on the following 4 points.
1. Offering of “common specialized subjects” and “specialized subjects” to allow students to take appropriate subjects relevant to the specialized fields of their course in order to acquire advanced knowledge and comprehensive problem-solving skills
2. Accessibility to advice from an instructor/academic advisor during the 2-year curriculum through the subject of “Research Guidance” for master’s thesis
3. Offering of “international school class subjects” in order to foster abilities to work internationally as young researchers
4. Recognition of credits from university-wide, common graduate school subjects

[Graduate School Doctoral Program]

The curriculum is intended to foster the capacity to conduct original, creative research based on a deep academic knowledge of the various specialized fields in the humanities/behavioral sciences and cultivate the ability to communicate these results both within and outside the country.

With the aim of achieving the above goals, the Graduate School of Literature and Human Sciences places focus on the following 4 points.
1. Encouraging students to take “international school class subjects” in order to foster abilities to work as young researchers internationally, and recognizing credits from university-wide, common graduate school subjects
2. Continuous accessibility to advice from an instructor/academic advisor during the 3-year curriculum through the subject of “Thesis Guidance” for doctoral thesis
3. Requirement of the submission of a “plan for doctoral thesis” to an academic advisor at the start of the spring semester after earning 4 credits from “Thesis Guidance” (normally in the second scholastic year)
4. Review of doctoral thesis by a review committee comprising of three instructors

8. Diploma Policy

[Undergraduate Program]

To be awarded a bachelor’s degree, a student must have earned the required number of course credits and submitted an undergraduate thesis in accordance with the educational curriculum established at the university for achieving the abovementioned human resource development goals. The degree shall be conferred based on a strict examination by the school.

[Graduate School Master’s Degree Programs]

To be awarded a master’s degree in a graduate school program, a student must have earned the required number of course credits and submitted a master’s thesis. The degree shall be conferred based on a strict examination by the school.

[Graduate School Doctoral Programs]

To be awarded a doctoral degree in a graduate school program, a student must have earned the required number of course credits and submitted a dissertation. The degree shall be conferred based on a strict examination by the school.

9. Code of Ethical Practice

Academic Freedom
Under the principle of academic freedom, all members of the University shall autonomously determine their codes of behavior in pursuing truths based on their own professional judgments and ethical perspective as well as an awareness of its social contributions.
Conducting Practices with Honesty and Integrity
All members of the University are expected to acknowledge the basic rights and dignities of all human beings and show consideration towards the preservation of the environment and natural resources.
All members of the University are expected to conduct their responsibilities concerning education, research, social contribution and university administration with honesty and integrity and take pride in contributing to society.
All members are further expected to perform their duties following appropriate procedures and to act in accordance with standards for realizing an honorable school free from wrongful acts.
Educator Responsibilities
All faculty members of the University are expected to engage in their duties with sufficient planning and passion. They shall respect students’ personalities and heighten their motivation to learn and shall furthermore commit to taking accountability for their education. Faculty members shall constantly work towards self-improvement and strive to improve their educating capabilities.
Conducting Research Activities with Sincerity
All members of the University shall commit to conducting research activities with sincerity and ensure academic objectivity.
They shall further respect the academic achievements of other researchers and value the human rights of research subjects, the dignity of life, the welfare of laboratory animals and the natural environment.
All members shall obtain and appropriate their research funds in a proper manner.
Contributing to the Local Community/Society
In seeking opportunities for communicating and actively cooperating with society, all members of the University shall give back to society through their research results and educational experiences with a sense of integrity.
Proper Dissemination and Management of Information
All members of the University shall attend to the appropriate management, maintenance and disclosure of information, adhere to the protection of personal information, and prevent the unfair use and disclosure of information online.
University Environment
The University shall be a place for building human character and as such, all members of the University shall take accountability for all matters concerning themselves.
All members of the University shall respect and work with one another, striving to create a safe and healthy environment for study, education, research and work, free from any kind of discrimination and sexual or academic harassment.