From the Dean

School of Culture, Media and Society
From the Dean
OSHIO Atsushi

The words “Bunka Kousou,” used in the Japanese name for the School of Culture, Media and Society (CMS), may be translated into English as “cultural conceptualizations” or “cultural frameworks.” When people see the name for the first time, they might wonder, “Why does this school have such a unique name?” In the first place, what is the difference between “cultural studies” and “cultural conceptualization”?

While the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) focuses on delving into specialized fields in order to systematically acquire the respective mindsets and methodologies of those disciplines, CMS values examining a single question from the perspectives of different academic fields. These two undergraduate schools differ in how they structure learning. Contemporary society presents many questions that a single specialization alone cannot answer. To confront these questions, thinking by moving back and forth among diverse disciplines is essential.

What is crucial here is the ability to revise or revisit knowledge. Revising, or revisiting. is about selecting knowledge and perspectives from different fields, connecting them, and creating new meanings or fresh viewpoints. CMS brings together researchers from a wide range of fields, spanning the humanities, social sciences, and arts. However, its true value lies not just in having many options, but in the process of choosing what is necessary for your own questions from this body of diverse knowledge, combining them, and building them into a cohesive narrative. At CMS, after solidifying the foundations of learning in the first year, students join one of six “theoretical configurations” starting from their second year. Each theoretical configuration serves as a space where you can creatively revisit a given body of knowledge.

However, this is no easy task. CMS is sometimes described as having a “flexible curriculum.” CMS and HSS share many classes, known as “bridge courses,” offering more than a thousand courses across both schools. At first glance, it may seem as if you can take whatever classes you like, as many as you want. However, if you take courses without a clear purpose, your knowledge will remain fragmented. On the other hand, if you choose your classes by asking yourself, “What do I want to know?” and “What kind of knowledge and methods do I need in order to properly address that question?”, each piece of learning will connect, shaping your own unique body of knowledge. This process of trial and error is precisely the experience you can gain at CMS.

The conceptualization that CMS aims for is about imagining a future that does not yet exist. Culture is something that is constantly reimagined as people create new values and expressions, which are then accepted (or not) by society. The potential for introducing new elements into the cultural narrative lies in your hands. The name “Bunka Kousou” is itself an invitation, asking: “Why not conceive a new vision of culture for the future?”