| Departments | Degrees |
|---|---|
| Department of Political Science | B.A. in Political Science |
| Department of Economics | B.A. in Economics |
| Department of Global Political Economy | B.A. in Global Political Economy |
Department of Political Science
Since its very foundation, the Department of Political Science has taken the lead in political study and education in Japan by unifying the founding mission to uphold the independence of learning, to promote the practical utilization of knowledge, and to create good citizenship with groundbreaking research on political science. The Department of Political Science has always been unique in the sense that German universities, which were regarded as a role model in those early days, generally placed political science with law and not economics. Through the careful analysis of actual and current political phenomena in close cooperation with economics, the School has established itself as a model of academic excellence and continues to be highly motivated to develop scholarship that can be disseminated from Japan to the rest of the world.
Political science is a complex discipline with a wide range of inquiry covering such areas as theory, thought, institutions, history, and international relations. The Department has a large number of full-time faculty members, many of whom have studied various fields of political science at foreign universities such as LSE, Oxford, Chicago, Stanford, Cornell, Yale, Bonn, and Grenoble. The carefully prepared and systematic curriculum provides students with ample opportunities to learn political science step-by-step, in both breadth and depth. Students can participate in a small, select seminar encouraging lively interaction with a faculty member and their fellow students. The educational program based upon the liberal tradition of the School has trained students to think independently and professionally about political phenomena on both a local and a global basis. Graduates of the Department of Political Science have long played a leading role in every area of significance in society politics, administration, business, the mass media, and academia.
Department of Economics
The Department of Economics is one of the very best Economics units in Japan.
The research areas of the faculty members cover a wide variety of fields in economics: Mathematical Economics, Game Theory, Economic History, History of Economics, Econometrics, Public Economics, Finance, International Economics,
Labor Economics, Environmental Economics, Industrial Ecology, and the Japanese Economy, to name but a few. Accordingly, the students in the Department can enjoy a wide variety of study areas based on cutting-edge research.
Moreover, the curriculum is systematically organized to allow a student to progress swiftly from the introductory to the advanced level in each area of study.
Another strength of the Department of Economics lies in its close relationship with two other departments, the Department of Political Science and the Department of Global Political Economy, both of which make many courses available to students of economics. Simultaneously studying economics and political science enables students to analyze social problems from different viewpoints. This is particularly important in considering modern society, where many major issues are a complex web of political and economic strands.
Finally, the students of the Department of Economics can pursue other social sciences as a minor on Waseda Campus: Law, for instance, provided by the School of Law, and Accounting, provided by the School of Commerce. Moreover, they have a wide choice of courses offered by the Open Education Center, which organizes interdisciplinary programs that make use of resources from all over Waseda University.
In summary, the students in the Department of Economics can enjoy not only specialized but also diverse and wide-ranging study and research. This makes the Department one of the most attractive of all Waseda’s undergraduate schools.
Department of Global Political Economy
Political science and economics were considered closely related disciplines when they first gained academic standing in the 19th century. During the 20th century, however, each went largely its own way as increasingly specialized methodologies were developed for dealing with what was perceived to be a relatively narrow range of subject matter. It has grown increasingly clear, however, that to address the complex problems faced by modern society, it is necessary to adopt a more comprehensive approach based on the strengths of both disciplines. At a time when the domestic problems of any single nation can be found to have their origins in as well as implications for the policies of other countries and regions, the emerging field of global political economy provides an integrated perspective that can lead to comprehensive and effective solutions to many of today's pressing issues.
With this in mind, the School of Political Science and Economics has newly established a Department of Global Political Economy. The Department's goal is to produce graduates with the training and talent to lead Japan through the difficulties of the coming century and to devise effective solutions to the problems faced by the international community. To achieve this aim, the Department offers an innovative curriculum that combines the teaching of political science and economics on the basis of public philosophy, supplementing this academic program with practical training in the form of fieldwork and internship programs. The Department intends to foster in its students a global perspective based upon the coordinated study of political science, economics, and public philosophy.
Building upon its heritage as the first university faculty in Japan to offer instruction in political economy, the School of Political Science and Economics has proudly committed itself to a major new undertaking at the start of the 21st century.