The Program “Training researchers of language education studies contributing to multilingual society” is based on TUFS’s philosophy and aim: “to promote mutual understanding among a multilingual and multicultural global society and contribute to peaceful coexistence and symbiosis in the world, through education and research of linguistics, culture and area studies of the various regions of the world including Japan.”
The priority at present to respond promptly to our nation’s shift toward a multilingual society expected in the future is not individual linguistic education theories for a specific language. Rather, what is really needed is a body of research on “language education studies” from a global viewpoint based on research achievements such as linguistic acquisition theory found common among diverse linguistic and cultural circumstances. Thus, it is vital to foster researchers who can practice and lead such research in this field.
Considering the necessity of training such researchers of language education studies, this program aims at the following: 1) language education studies shall be more systematized and reinforced, 2) the instruction on education and research in the discipline of “language education studies” shall be more systematically and actively offered to graduate students learning diverse languages (about 50 languages including 26 majors) at TUFS.
Providing the above research and educational activities, we will foster “researchers for language education studies” who, based on excellent linguistic ability and cross-cultural understandings cultivated at TUFS, are able to pursue pioneering and unique research contributing to peaceful coexistence and symbiosis in the multilingual and multicultural society.