A Spirit of Innovation Rooted in Tradition

The Faculty of Intercultural Studies is the sixth and latest faculty to be launched at Gakushuin University. The establishment of this faculty marks the first inauguration of a new faculty in a decade, since the Faculty of International Social Sciences was founded in 2016. As it takes its place in the long tradition of Gakushuin University, the Faculty of Intercultural Studies is expected to make great strides in education and research, thanks to strengths in interdisciplinary approach and diversity that meet the needs of today.

In a sense, the Faculty of Intercultural Studies already boasts a history of solid results. The faculty has its roots in the Peeress' School, a school for women of noble birth, founded in 1885. This school was later reorganized as a women's junior college, and, in 1998, became the Faculty of Intercultural Studies, Gakushuin Women's College. Over the ensuing 28 years, the College served as a four-year college, taking the lead in intercultural exchange like no other institution in Japan. The College produced many talented graduates who have earned a sterling reputation in careers throughout Japan and around the world.

Societies today, both in Japan and overseas, are in the throes of a dramatic transformation. Since the end of the Cold War, globalism has become a prevailing trend worldwide, yet it now faces fierce challenges from nationalism and localism. Meanwhile, the paradigm-breaking advance of artificial intelligence (AI) shows no sign of relenting, driving social change, the magnitude of which defies prediction. In an uncertain social climate, the direction of which remains unclear, it makes little sense to confine our inquiries to a single academic discipline. The Faculty of Intercultural Studies is committed to gleaning new information from old learning, seeking optimal solutions to the problems of the future, transcending conventional boundaries among disciplines and the limitations of geography, pursuing practical study, and integrating all of the above into a comprehensive body of knowledge.

Now part of Gakushuin University, the Faculty of Intercultural Studies has embarked on a journey towards new innovations in academic inquiry. Expect great things from us going forward.

Takuzo Sato
Dean of the Faculty of Intercultural Studies
Gakushuin University