Information on Seminars

What is a seminar?

Seminars at the School of International and Area Studies are a venue for research based on initiative and practical capability.
At these seminars, students conduct research on topics they choose for themselves and achieve intellectual growth through discussions with classmates and meticulous guidance from academic supervisors. They aim to become experts with a profound understanding of their major area and sophisticated knowledge in their specialized field through the seminars.

Capabilities acquired at seminars

・Enhance ability to identify and analyze issues under the tutelage of a variety of researchers
More than 50 seminars are offered by researchers in a wide range of specialized fields who study various areas in the world. Students acquire the intellectual ability to form a clear view of and analyze the essence of issues facing the international community by absorbing the rich knowledge and experience of these researchers.

・Enhance discourse ability and teamwork through small-group seminars
Seminars are held in small groups. Participants engage in lively exchanges with each other as well as conduct exhaustive discussions with the academic supervisor in a relaxed atmosphere.

・Develop practical capability and initiative through multifaceted learning
The practical capability of students is put to the test at the seminars. They take the initiative in research through the reading of documents, group research, discussion, research presentation, writing of reports and graduation thesis, and so forth.

・Enrich imagination through seminars and sub-seminars
In addition to seminars in the specialized field held by the academic supervisors, sub-seminars are also offered as part of the regular curriculum. Attending two types of seminars fosters multifaceted points of view and rich imagination.

List of Seminars

TUFS students conduct research through seminars on specialized fields by their academic supervisors (third year) and graduation research seminars (from fourth year) and sum up their findings in their graduation research (graduation thesis).

Second year students give serious consideration to their goals in studying when choosing the seminar they will attend from the third year. While they actually participate in seminars from the third year, seminar activities start at the point they choose a seminar.

Teaching Staff of Each Course and Their Specialized Fields

Area Studies Course

• AOKI Masahiro [Mongolian Area Studies, Modern and Contemporary History of Central and Northeast Asia]
• AOYAMA Hiroyuki [Contemporary Middle East (West Asia, North Africa) Politics, Philosophy, and History]
• ADACHI Kyosuke [Indian Area Studies, History (Modern and Contemporary), Hindi]
• ITO Takashi [Modern British History, History of Human-Animal Relations, History of Emotions]
• OISHI Takanori [Ecological Anthropology, African Studies, Hunter-gatherers, Forests and Humans]
• OTORI Yukako [North American Area Studies, Modern and Contemporary American History, History of Children]
• OGASAWARA Yoshiyuki [Contemporary Taiwan Politics, Elections in Taiwan, China-Taiwan Relations]
• ODA Nara [Southeast Asian Area Studies, Contemporary Vietnamese History]
• ODAWARA Rin [Modern and Contemporary Italian History, Gender Studies]
• KAWAMOTO Satoshi [Middle East Area Studies (Turkey), Urban History, Architectural History]
• KIKUCHI Yoko [Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian History, Modern and Contemporary Laotian History]
• KIMURA Satoru [Central Asian History, Central Asian Area Studies]
• KUSAKA Wataru [Southeast Asian Area Studies, Focus on the Philippines]
• KUME Junko [History of Medieval Spanish Art, History of Western Art, Cultural History]
• KURATA Akiko [Modern and Contemporary History of China and Hong Kong (Social History, History of Christianity)]
• SAKAI Makiko [Rural Sociology, African Area Studies, Rural Development]
• SAWADA Yukari [Social Security and Labor Issues in China (Including Hong Kong)]
• SHINOHARA Taku [Modern and Contemporary Central European History (18th-20th Century)]
• SUZUKI Yoshikazu [Modern Russian Area Studies, History of the Soviet Union, Comparative Economic Systems]
• SERIU Naoko [Early Modern French History, History of Historical Science]
• SODA Naoki [Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian History, Political and Social History of Malaysia]
• TAKAHASHI Hitoshi [Latin American Area Studies]
• TATSUMI Yukiko [Russian History, Media Studies]
• CHIBA Toshiyuki [Medieval European History, History of Christianity, Study of Historical Source Materials]
• TORIYA Masato [Area Studies and Modern and Contemporary History of Afghanistan and Pakistan]
• FUKUSHIMA Chiho [Early Modern Polish and Lithuanian History, Pre-Modern Ukraine]
• FUJII Takeshi [Modern and Contemporary Korean History, Modern South Korean Society]
• MASUKATA Shuichiro [International Relations, Comparative Area Studies, Latin American Politics]
• MIYATA Toshiyuki [Southeast Asian Economic Studies, Thai Area Studies, Thai Economic Studies]
• YAMANOUCHI Yuriko [Cultural Anthropology, Study of Indigenous People, Oceanian Area Studies]
• ROCHA DE SOUSA, Lucio Manuel [Modern European-Asian Relations]

Contemporary Global Studies Course

• UEHARA Kozue [Sociology, Contemporary Okinawan History, History of Social Movements]
• OKAWA Masahiko [Political Science (Basic Theory, Political Theory), Ethics, Theory of Life]
• ONODERA Takuya [Contemporary German History, Nazism, History of Daily Life, History of Emotions, History of Men]
• KATO Miho [Sociology of Education, Sociology of Family, Gender and Education]
• KIM Puja [Gender Studies, Gender History, Study of Sex Trade in Japan and South Korea]
• TANABE Yoshimi [International Sociology, Study of Contemporary French Society, Migration Studies, Intersectionality]
• TOJO Bumpei [Area Studies, Geographical Data Systems, Statistics, Environmental Conservation]
• NAKAYAMA Chikako [Social Thought, Economic Thought, Global Studies]
• HIRUTA Kei [Political Philosophy]
• MAJIMA Ichiro [Social Anthropology, Modern Thought, West African Ethnography]
• YOSHIDA Yuriko [Early Modern Japanese History, History of Japanese Cultural Assets and Local Communities]
• YONETANI Masafumi [History of Japanese Thought, History of Social Thought, Asian Studies, Colonial Studies]
• RYANG Yong-song [Racism Studies]

International Relations Course

• ISEZAKI Kenji [Peacebuilding, Conflict Prevention]
• UCHIYAMA Naoko [Latin American Area Studies, Development Economics]
• OKADA Akito [Comparative International Education, Intercultural Communication]
• KATAOKA Masaki [International Relations, Collective Memory, Historical Consciousness, Oceanian Politics]
• KIKUCHI Kazuya [Applied Economics, Game Theory]
• SHINODA Hideaki [Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, International Order, International Cooperation, International Organizations]
• SUZUKI Miyako [Civil Law, Consumer Law, Environmental Law]
• TAKEUCHI Shinichi [African Studies, International Relations, International Cooperation]
• TAJIMA Yoichi [International Economics, Development Economics, Mexican Economy]
• DEMACHI Kazue [International Finance, Development Economics]
• NAKAYAMA Yumi [International Politics, International Cooperation, Regional Integration, Immigrant and Refugee Issues]
• MATSUKUMA Jun [International Law, International Organizations]
• MATSUNAGA Yasuyuki [Comparative Politics, Political Sociology (Contentious Politics), International Relations]
• WAKAMATSU Kunihiro [Comparative Politics (West Europe), Politics of Socially Contentious Issues, e.g., Welfare, Immigrants, Environment]