The Fundamental Principles of Nara Women's University Graduate School

Having entered the 21st century, with the rapid changes in internationalization and information technologies, society has become more complex and more advanced, and humans are facing issues related to coexistence on a global scale including communications between people with different backgrounds, and environmental pollution. This in turn has resulted in a growing demand for new standard of value and new science and technology. Amid increasing global interactions in many fields, including economics, culture, and education, we must build mutually cooperative relationships, and at the same time maintain individual competitive ability. In Japan, where there are few natural resources, we believe that the prosperity of this country owes to the higher education to develop the ability of people, especially women who have not been given the opportunity to fully develop their own potential because of historical and societal background, to work in every aspect of domestic and international affairs.

With these issues in mind, Nara Women's University Graduate School proclaimed in "The Fundamental Principles of Nara Women's University" (2000), the following four principles:

1. To cultivate human resources that will lead us to a gender-equal society. We aim for a university that helps empowerments of women with presenting the actitivities to the public.

2. To enrich liberal arts education and basic education as well as advanced education.

3. To persue high-level fundamental research and interdisciplinary research.

4. To persue a university opened to society. Particularly we regard promotions of international exchange and contribution to the regional society and public society as important activities for the purpose.

The Graduate School shall respond appropriately to the diverse needs and expectations of society through the intellectual activities, while at the same time to play a leading role in the activity of society and support the development of that society. Its mission is to give birth to new "knowledge," to promote constant developments in society, economy, and culture, and to make international contributions. In accordance with this sense of mission, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences has established the following four fundamental principles based on "The Fundamental Principles of Nara Women's University."

Principle 1: To promote interdisciplinary research and education

The first principle is "To promote interdisciplinary research and education." In the 21st century, society demands development with a balance among specialized research in individual, and fragmented fields, and comprehensive disciplines that integrate and reorganize those fields. Society also requires the fostering of talents with the broad perspectives and the comprehensive judgement needed to respond to the rapid developments in scientific research and to the changes in society and the economy. The Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences will undertake comprehensive, and interdisciplinary research and education that is supported by high-level fundamental research, and that takes advantage of the unique characteristics of a small-scale university which facilitates interactions among people, things, and information.

Principle 2: To promote advanced research and education

The second principle is "To promote advanced research and education." To accomplish this, we will provide a system for research and education that is suitable for handling complex and advanced academic fields. The Graduate School Master's Program promote the acquisition of deep knowledge of individual field, and also of attitudes for interdisciplinary research. The Doctoral Program integrates these. At the same time, we will shift the barycenter of research and education to the Graduate School, and encourage higher levels of research and education by promoting strong collaboration and cooperation with other graduate schools.

Principle 3: To promote unique research and education

The third principle is "To promote unique research and education." To accomplish this, we will encourage characteristic research and education by strengthening researches in life sciences, humanities, social sciences, and environmental sciences, and in fields that examine "humans, their environment and culture, and the relationships among these elements," the fields to which Nara Women's University has traditionally advantage. We will deal with issues of Japan and mankind with making use of an integration of the humanities and the natural sciences that is based on the merits of a small-scale university, and of the unique geographical and cultural characteristics of Nara. In this way, we will contribute to building a new human culture in the 21st century.

Principle 4: To develope female human resources and to contribute to society

The fourth principle is "To develope female human resources and to contribute to society." We will contribute to resolving many problems faced by regional societies in Japan, and the international society, such as a decline in the number of birth, increasing population of aged people, IT revolution, environmental problems on a global scale, innovation of new lifestyles, and the creation of living environments that are accepting these new lifestyles. At the same time, we will foster "female human resources with a broad perspective and high-level specialized abilities," which will help us to respond to these issues. We will play a role as a base of research and education for women in Japan and other parts of Asia, and as a base for lifelong education accommodating every stage of lives. Through these activities, we will furnish female leaders in a wide range of fields, and contribute to the higher education of women with an international perspective and to the promotion of gender-equal society.