Reorganized into ten departments under the heading of "General Humanities," the Faculty of Letters begins a new inquiry into language, history, and thought as paths to a deeper grasp of the human situation.

  In the Faculty of Letters students embrace a broad spectrum of disciplines with the aim of enriching their understanding of humanity, its patterns of life, and that crystallization of its wisdom, its cultural legacy. It is anticipated that the students' fundamental undertaking will be to reach, by tracing in turn the paths pursued by their predecessors, a more thorough awareness of how the present may best be addressed, and from there pursue those two most urgent problems: what humanity should aspire to be in the twenty-first century, and the worlds that it must fear to find and strive to create for the better.

  To this end, the Faculty offers three basic approaches. These begin from the study of, respectively, (1) language and its creative application, (2) the constructions and the behavior of the mind, and (3) the varied patterns of history and geography.

  In 2004, the Faculty was drastically reorganized as a ten department system under the overall title of "General Humanities". Since that year each student enrolling in this faculty has been able, during her or his first year, to select individual combinations from a variety of introductory lectures and seminars offered by each department; and then, in her or his second year, to proceed to register with a particular department in the discipline of which they desire to specialize for the subsequent three years.

  In 2006, five new departments were added to the original 10 departments. In 2010, these departments are furthermore reformed according to a change of the times, and now, 19 departments shown in the figure above "Select your Department" develop various disciplines.

  In short, such flexibility should be able to offer each enrolled student the most immediate route to the understanding that she or he needs to reach, and the competence that will win her or him the right to play the role, in whatever society, that she or he most aspires to fill.

  This department offers a curriculum that covers three fields of study: British Literature, American Literature and English Linguistics. Students entering this department can, according to their own interests, pursue any one of the three fields. British and American Literature is studied mainly in seminar-style classes, supported by general introductions to literary theory and the literary histories of Britain and America, while English linguistics is approached through a general introduction to the field, followed up by courses in such subjects as phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics and sociolinguistics, providing a diversity of academic approaches. The students' four years as undergraduates reach their climax in their senior seminars, in which small groups of students study subjects of their own choice, and in so doing prepare their graduation theses and learn the basics of academic research and writing.

  This Department offers interdisciplinary studies in the American and British cultures, as well as cultural studies of other English-speaking areas. The main fields of study are as follows: representation and culture; Christianity; gender; postcolonialism; cultural studies; American studies, and comparative studies.

  In our lectures and seminars, students are given the opportunity to make oral presentations and participate in discussions, and in so doing learn to convey their thoughts freely and effectively.

  Students are encouraged to improve their proficiency in English. We offer several classes targeted at sharpening skills of communication in English, specialized lectures by native-speaker professors of English, and other classes in cooperation with international student programs.

  This department offers two courses: a literature course that ranges from the earliest poetry and prose, through the glories of Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi writing and the wit and pathos of Edo-period best-sellers, to the modern literature of the Meiji, Taisho, Showa and Heisei periods; and a linguistics course that embraces the phonology, lexicology and etymology, and the grammar of the Japanese language. Particularly serious emphasis is placed upon seminar-work, the final result of which is the academic achievement that crowns each student's four years of endeavor, her or his graduation thesis.

  The department maintains its own academic association, regularly publishing an organ and Japanese Literature.

  This Department offers students a comprehensive study of philosophy and ethics. First, students gather a basic understanding of the history of western philosophy and the concepts and problems of philosophy and ethics. On the basis of this fundamental study, each student is guided to find her/his own study theme and trained to investigate it by herself/himself: for example, Each students is guided to find her/his own study theme and trained to investigate it by herself/himself : for example, ‘Self and Other’, ‘Language, Truth and Reason’, ‘Goodness and Justice’, ‘Values and Norms’, or contemporary ethical issues related to Applied Ethics, such as Bioethics, Environmental Ethics and Information Ethics.

  This department, formerly a division of the Department of Philosophy, offers comparative and comprehensive studies of religion and religions. The history of religions investigates all kinds of religions, from world religions to new religions and folk beliefs, and also their various aspects and functions, for example, philosophical Buddhist thought, myths, rituals, and their roles in peace and war in today's world. Here students learn the diversity of religions and theories of religion, which is necessary knowledge for those who live and work in the era of globalization. Students can individually consider topics such as the meaning of life and death, Japanese religious thought, and salvation and healing, from various, sociological, anthropological, and philosophical perspectives. In addition, the department offers fieldwork, through which students experience sacred places, festivals and pilgrimages.

  This department offers advanced instruction and research activities in Eastern as well as Western Paintings, Sculpture, Design, Architecture, Comics, Performance, Drama, Dance and Music. The intensive program at this department encompasses theoretical consideration of artifacts, historical examination of masterpieces, appreciation through audiovisual equipment, visits to relevant study sites and research trips to architectural objects of historical and artistic importance within reach of the campus. All courses provide students with a rich grounding for the understanding of particular historical styles and skills as well as the motivation for artistic creation, and with a foundation for further training in curatorship. These courses are further designed to bring students to understand the significance and possibilities of artistic activities both historically and theoretically.

  In this department, students may study a language celebrated throughout the world for its beauty, clarity and power of expression. The study of the genius and modes of thought of a culture that has played a central role in the creation of contemporary Western European civilization becomes all the more meaningful in the setting of the present, a period in which flexibility of ideas and freshness of conception have never been at a greater premium. Students entering this department can, according to their own interests, choose a specialist seminar on French Studies and prepare their graduation theses, while at the same time strengthening their communication skills through many courses offered by native speakers of French.

  The lectures and seminars that form the department's curriculum are divided into three basic groups. Those concerned with literature cover novels, poetry, drama and other literary achievements. Those dealing with cultural studies not only offer a historical overview of the development of Germanic civilization and culture but also examine particular topics such as the cultural relationship between Germany and Japan and between the different cultures living in Germany. Finally, those centered upon the German language treat both modern linguistic theory and the language as it has developed through time. Great emphasis is placed upon the practical application of the language in communicative situations through use of both language laboratory and audiovisual teaching materials, with the aim of educating students not just to read but to make appropriate use of communicative skills.

  This department was set up in 1949. An advanced student to this department selects either of the history of Japan or the cultural heritage study course, and deepens the specialty and study from the base. Not only the document history but also courses of archeology and folklore, etc. are prepared in the history of Japan study course. In the cultural heritage course, not only the cultural heritage registered in World Heritage but also various cultural assets that remain in various places are made a subject of one's study. In this department, a curriculum flexible as it is possible to correspond to various concerns is prepared.

  This Department was reorganized from ex-Departments of Oriental and Occidental History in 2010. Second-year students are offered introductions to basic approaches in history, and soon start to contribute to the ongoing process of research and theoretical arguments under the guidance of diversity of teachers. It is during this period that the students begin to identify and eventually settle on the area of their special studies to concentrate upon. On the basis of this decision, the students choose their graduation themes from oriental and occidental history. They will acquire broad historical knowledge and views through the seminar-based classes, academic debates, and practices with historical materials and basic works of reference.

  Timely knowledge and solutions for environmental issues are strongly called for. The newly launched Department of Geography and Regional Environment covers not only conventional human geography and physical geography, but also incorporates resolutions of local/regional environmental issues. Our interests do not include global scale issues like global warming. We treat meso- or micro-scale issues like environments and their transformations of spatial organizations closely related with our everyday life. We offer various kinds of lectures and practice courses: many fields of human and physical geography such as economic geography, historical geography, rural geography, and regional environment systems; tourism; local culture; area management; NPO activity; environmental ecology; geographic information systems, and surveying. In addition, through the regional environment course, surveyor-assistant qualification is acquirable.

  Established in 1951, the Department has been a renowned institute for the study of Chinese linguistics, Literature, and philosophy in Japan, both for its outstanding scholarly achievements and its wellbalanced teaching programs. Students in the Department will spend considerable time mastering Chinese language, and then enter a specialized field for further training. They also have chances to become exchange students to such distinguished sister schools as Beijing University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Fudan University in Shanghai, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the National Taiwan University, and Providence University in Taizhong. Many graduates have acquired jobs relating to China, andare therefore playing a significant role not only in their own field of work, but also in promoting Japanese understanding of Chinese culture, which has the longest continuous tradition in the world.

  This department offers a knowledge base about education inside and outside of schooling. We focus on human learning by both groups and individuals on the micro level. And we study the theories of social factors influencing education on the macro level, especially in terms of class, ethnicity, and gender. Students can study the phenomena of education both in the classroom and by field work and school internship.
  This department offers courses concerning Schooling, Educational Methods and Contents, Educational Administration and Systems, Lifelong Learning, Educational Anthropology, Educational Sociology, Community Education, and Human Rights Education within both classroom-style and seminar-style learning situations.
  Graduates from this department have chosen to work in education, official work, social welfare, and a wide range of enterprises in the private sector. Recently the number of graduates becoming school teachers has increased.

Since 2007, our Department of Elementary School Education has provided 50 undergraduates per grade with professional education in the elementary teacher certification program at the Faculty of Letters under the teacher certification system of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Our mission is to prepare prospective elementary school teachers who can engage in a lifetime of inquiry in teaching and provide responsible education for all children in our changing society. Creating and applying knowledge to elementary educational practices, our department focuses on improving learning and teaching in educational settings. We believe that public education is an active agent of change in a diverse and democratic society. The undergraduates involved in our elementary teacher education program combine and connect challenging academic coursework on pedagogical practices in educational settings with guided experiences, fieldwork, and an internship to gain structured professional study through their four years of learning for teaching in elementary schools. Our department’s dedication reflects both the students‘ commitment to young people and professional growth. We also encourage intellectual development and a spirit of adventure in one of the most demanding and rewarding professions that is urgently needed in our society.

  The aim of the department is to enhance scientific understandings of human complexities and psychological problems in contemporary societies. We offer a systematic curriculum that covers Developmental, Educational, Cognitive, Clinical, and Welfare Psychology. Students learn both quantitative and qualitative research methods, including experiments, observations, surveys, and interviews. They are required to finish a Bachelor's thesis during their senior year, making the best of their psychological knowledge and research skills. Alumni are active as school teachers, civil servants, and business employees. Some of them work as a professional clinical or school psychologist after completing graduate program.

  Department of Information Science and Culture Studies offer a unique curriculum in Faculty of Letters, Kansai University. We study the social phenomena from the perspective of "Information Science" and "Culture Studies", considering the information-handling-methods based on the use of computer. Hence our course proposes are, for example, clarifying the "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the future", and finding out the "methodology to manage and conserve knowledge the human created in the past". We also want to offer the knowledge and skills for information-handling you can apply under any circumstances, then as a result, we hope you become a "value-added person" (ICT businesspeople, system engineers and librarians etc.).
  "Information" is used in a broad sense. This means the fact we can study "Information" from various perspective. Shall we study "information" and its culture for our future world?

  This department offers a curriculum designed to foster critical understanding of the history and theory of film and media forms. Students entering this department are first encouraged to gain a thorough comprehension of the basics of film forms, through a cross-cultural comparison of American, European and East Asian film cultures, as well as their relationship to other visual genres such as painting, photography, video, television and computer- based media. We also provide advanced courses focusing on film and media theory, film history and national cinemas. Students are also afforded some opportunity for video production to enhance their analytical and theoretical knowledge and to gain an understanding of the creative process. They are finally required to prepare a thesis on any topic related to film and media studies.

  It is often said that the 21st century is the age of Asia. Without doubt, the economic growth of Asia will develop the relations between Japan and other Asian countries. In today's Japan, however, the culture of the neighbouring Asian region is far less known in comparison with the Western culture. Considering such circumstances, the Course of Asian Culture encourages students to become global citizens who have comprehensive understanding of Asian culture. The course focuses not only on traditional aspects of culture but also on its contemporary trends. The curriculum provides a wider variety of disciplines ranging over textual studies and material culture consisting of food, clothing and shelter as well as popular culture.