Faculty of Foreign Studies Department of Foreign Studies
German Language and European Culture
* German and European Studies major until 2023 enrollment
Go from beginner to German expert.
Overwhelming achievement of over 90% study abroad rate
Special Features of the Department
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Over 90% of students study abroad in Germany. Since students study German intensively from their first and second years, they are able to hold discussions in German at an early stage. Students are also looking to find employment or emigrate overseas after graduation.
Three points
- Classes do not use textbooks and focus on group work, enabling even beginners to hold discussions in German
- Top class in Japan! Over 90% study abroad rate
- There are also programs aimed at finding employment in Europe.
Flow of the four years
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First year
Learning living German through group work
Students will learn German without using textbooks, focusing on group work discussions and presentations. Through practical learning in which students cooperate with other students, they will naturally develop communication skills. In the "Berlin-Istanbul Project", all students will learn about the diverse cultures of Europe, and there will also be opportunities for them to actually visit the area.
e.g.Kommunikation und Sprache I/II
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Second Year
Preparing for a project and going on a long-term study abroad in Germany
The rate of students studying abroad is over 90%. In preparation for studying abroad in Germany from the second half of the second year, students take a course on "intercultural understanding for studying abroad" and prepare for a project to be carried out there. For students who do not study abroad, a small-group intensive course is prepared and students carry out fieldwork to understand different cultures.
e.g.Kommunikation and Sprache Workshop III/IV, Deutsch III
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Third Year
Presenting the results of study abroad and fieldwork
Students who have returned from long-term study abroad programs and students who have conducted fieldwork in Japan to understand different cultures will also make presentations on their findings. It is also possible to learn two languages at the same time in the "Learn German in English" class.
e.g.European Cultural Studies, European Area Studies
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Fourth Year
Practical learning and experience will give you the opportunity to work abroad
Students will compile their learning results and experiences into a graduation research project. We will of course utilize the communication skills they have acquired in the major in the real world, and we will also fully support students who wish to pursue a career abroad.
e.g.Graduation research, European career studies
Class Introduction
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Sprache and Communication
Person in charge: Professor Akira Kusamoto
This is a class for beginners of German, where we learn through group work without using textbooks. By increasing the amount of German input, speculating and discussing, after a few months you will be able to ask questions and make presentations in German.
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German-Japanese Comparative Cultural Studies
Instructor: Lecturer Hidemi Hamano
This course will compare and analyze films from Japan, Germany, and Europe. Students will take up common themes such as family, society, trials, and war, consider the historical and social background, and relive the "world experience" depicted in the film. Each student will watch a film and create an analysis sheet, which will then be used for class discussions.
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Culture studio
Lecturer: Elvira Bachmaier
In this class, students learn about various aspects of German culture and society, such as food culture, German festivals and customs, socially critical music, etc. Students choose a theme in groups, conduct research on it, and present the results of their research.
Student Interview
Why did you choose this major?
I was attracted to the small class size and lack of textbooks. Classes are basically centered around group work, where students exchange opinions and debate to arrive at answers. This allows me to be exposed to and absorb a variety of ways of thinking, not just my own. Another big attraction is that the school actively encourages students to study abroad, and most of my classmates have studied abroad. There are many interesting classes, and I don't just learn German, I learn deeply about German and European culture, society, and history. I think this style of teaching is possible because the teachers are very considerate to the students.
What are you particularly focusing on learning?
The class is called "Japanese-German Comparative Cultural Studies." In this class, we watch Japanese films and foreign films, mainly German ones, based on a common theme, and conduct a comparative analysis. Afterwards, we share our thoughts and observations from the films and hold a discussion. The appeal of this class is that it allows us to come into contact with perspectives and different ways of thinking that we may not have noticed before, and allows us to think about them further and deepen our discussions. By learning about the perspectives of others, we make new discoveries, making it a very stimulating and enjoyable class.
Qualifications that can be acquired
Junior high school teacher's license (English)* / Senior high school teacher's license (English)* / TOEIC® / TOEFL® / Test in Practical English Proficiency (EIKEN) / Goethe-Zertifikat / ÖSD-Zertifikat / German Proficiency Test (Dokuken) / HSK (Hango Shuikyu-Kousei-Ken) / Chinese Proficiency Test (Chūken) / Test in Chinese Communication (TECC) / Test of Korean Proficiency (TOPIK) / Hangul Proficiency Test / IT Passport / Information Technology Engineer Examination / CG-ARTS Association Web Designer Certification Basic Expert / CG-ARTS Association Multimedia Certification Basic Expert / MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) / Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bookkeeping Certification Level 3
*Mainly for English and Communication Studies and English and Liberal Arts
Target career path
Global companies and foreign-affiliated companies based in Europe, logistics and international transport, travel and tourism, etc.
German and European StudiesInterview
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