HOME > Course Information > Nagoya University > Program in Social Sciences

Department	Division	Degree Sought	Student Intake	Application Period	Timing of Admission Decision Notification	Course Start Date
School of Law / School of Economics	Law and Political Science, Economics and Business Administration	Bachelor	limited			2011

With the current trend towards globalization, values in the information age are becoming increasingly diverse and complex. In particular, we face serious problems such as civil conflicts, poverty and environmental disruption, which often take place across global borders. To solve such problems based on comprehensive judgments, the ability to understand how the society in which we live and the organizations in which we work are structured and how they change is indispensable. Cultivating such inclusive and cross-disciplinary ability is the aim of this Program in Social Sciences. This program is jointly provided by the School of Law and the School of Economics, in cooperation with the School of Informatics and Sciences. It includes such fundamental disciplines as political science, law, economics, business administration, and information science.
In their first and second years, students are trained to have an expert command of information processing, systematic thinking skills and a high ethical awareness which will help them pursue studies of their own initiative thereafter. Furthermore, the program emphasizes the study of Japanese political, legal and economic systems. Thus, in addition to the standard global disciplines mentioned above, students are given a thorough grounding in the politics, diplomacy, legal systems, constitution and civil law, corporate legal practices, the economy, public policy and corporate management systems within Japan. Likewise, many lectures and seminars are provided on issues in developing countries, including comparative studies of Asian societies, Asian corporate theory, international negotiation, international law, comparative studies of countries in transition, development economics, economic integration, global management, as well as environmental issues such as environmental politics and economics. Although for the most part the lectures and seminars are offered in English, students are provided with intensive Japanese language courses whereby they can obtain skills in academic and business conversation and writing. The program also includes internships at legal institutions and business firms, which provide good opportunities for students to observe Japanese society and to discover and confirm personal study objectives. At the start of the program, students are assigned to either the School of Law or the School of Economics. While many classes are taught jointly, students receive specific guidance from professors in the school to which they belong. Moreover, students are expected to gradually focus on a particular aspect of the social sciences in order to write a thesis of their own under the supervision of their school’s professors.