WASEDA University School of International Liberal Studies

Founded in 2004 as a departure from the specialized study to which other faculties aspire, the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) offers a unique curriculum combining the best of Waseda University - its cultivated tradition and extensive network of educational assets - with the personalized, cultured scholarship of a liberal arts education, especially its signature emphasis on developing a multi-dimensional outlook and ability to think logically. Beyond the mind-expanding coursework, daily campus life provides a highly internationalized environment - with English as the lingua franca - for young students to exchange and synthesize the multitude of ideas that percolate from their diverse blend of cultures, backgrounds and languages. The school actively recruits international students, just as it encourages its own students to take advantage of the extensive worldwide network of affiliated universities participating in its study abroad program. Ultimately, SILS seeks to raise a generation of global citizens with the strong desire, profound ethical sensibility, and robust international competitiveness needed to take on today’s worldwide challenges. Steeped in humanity, SILS students soar on the wings of dreams.

• Liberal Arts Education to Develop Logical Thinking

A SILS liberal arts education consists of coursework in an array of disciplines, emphasizing deep and extensive learning. The curriculum is designed to help students develop a multifaceted worldview, logical thinking and analysis skills - and a real-world ability to get things done.

• Seven Thematic Clusters and Area Studies Courses

In meeting its objective of developing individuals with an encompassing vision and keen ability for logical thinking, SILS has established courses in seven general thematic clusters, each representing a body of knowledge, and all together encompassing some of the world’s most up-to-date and comprehensive subject matter. If these thematic areas can be considered the vertical axis of SILS coursework, they are intersected by area studies on the horizontal axis. This structure enables students to navigate through their coursework as they see fit - focusing on issues of interest concerning a particular nation, for example, or opting to pursue a broader course of international comparative studies. In any case, the curriculum was developed to extend the learning process beyond mere knowledge acquisition. Instead, the cluster and area study approach emphasizes development of students’ own abilities to consider and analyze issues from multiple perspectives, and to reach their own conclusions.

• International Environment Draws a Multicultural Student Body

International students comprise nearly a third of SILS enrollment, representing some 50 nations worldwide. At SILS, cross-cultural/multicultural communication is an everyday experience, serving to sharpen the international sensibilities of Japanese and overseas students alike.

• Small Class Education Focusing on Discussion

Small classes that honor the value of dynamic student-faculty interaction and student-to-student communication are the bedrock of the SILS approach. Each semester, students are offered seminar courses designed to integrate their education across disciplines, capped at 25 members.

• Language Learning that Speaks to Globalization

English is the common language of communication at SILS,and the language of instruction for nearly all its courses. The curriculum features programs designed to enhance English abilities and develop Japanese language skills while matching the needs of students who speak various different native languages. SILS students also have the opportunity to learn 22 other languages as they forge the linguistic skills that will prove indispensable in our global society.

• Year-long Study Abroad to Overseas Partner Institution

In order to approach the world with a broader outlook, non-native Japanese speakers can (and non-native English speakers must) spend a year studying overseas. Participants can choose from among more than 300 affiliated universities and other institutions of higher education worldwide.

Major Partner Institution:

Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, Hertford College, Oxford, Pembroke College, Cambridge, l’Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (IEP), Peking University, Korea University, National Taiwan University, National University of Singapore, Chulalongkorn University, De La Salle University, United Arab Emirates University, Makerere University

Numbers of students going to study abroad by area（Recruiting in 2009）

The Japanese Language Program is designed to assure that SILS students can live comfortably in Japan without experiencing problems with the language. Instruction is provided at eight levels to accommodate whatever degree of Japanese proficiency an entering student brings to the program, with individuals assigned to the appropriate level based on the result of the first test administered after admission to SILS.

Levels 1 and 2 are geared to students with little or no experience studying Japanese, and focus on the fundamentals of the language, using actual communication situations to develop the student’s capability for simple conversation. Level 3 seeks to develop reading and writing skills - students learn 500 kanji characters - while raising the level of spoken language mastery to enable communication in the everyday conversations a student may encounter. At Levels 4 and 5, students develop sufficient Japanese language proficiency to talk about and comprehend subjects beyond their immediate circumstances, engaging in relatively sophisticated communication across a wide range of topics. By Level 6, the student’s Japanese capabilities have risen sufficiently to enable enrollment in normal college courses conducted in the Japanese language. In parallel, these students may also aim for the highest level of certification (Level 1) on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. In the upper-level classes - Levels 7 and 8 - students overcome whatever weak points remain in their Japanese so that they can handle university-level discourse of any degree of difficulty. These are small classes of only 5-20 students.

Meanwhile, the program boasts more than 500 Japanese language volunteers dedicated to helping students increase their proficiency. Japanese Language Program participants are reassessed at the end of each semester and transferred to whichever level best matches their improved skills. The program aims to promote the average student three or four levels within two years.