Message from the Dean

Message from the Dean

We are now in a period of great transition which has caused us to have to review the framework which had worked for us in the past in a number of fields of study. With the added events of the March 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, we have been forced to re-think our society as a whole and the way in which we live and the events of March 11 have also had a huge impact on education and research. This is never more true than in the case of natural science and technology but humanities and social sciences are no exception to this. We need to find a way in which we can contribute to the well-being and happiness of society.

Our graduate school is a place of knowledge which is reflective of the new times and takes into account the intellectual activities undertaken in each field. There is no doubt that the relationship between the real social issues of today and each field and area are different, but there will be major challenges in research in any field or area. Whichever the field or area of study, active discussions with instructors and fellow students are essential in order for research to move forward. Great results can also be born out of failure. We hope that those of you who have been opened to the allure of learning and research while on our undergraduate courses or who feel compelled to embark on learning and research using the experience you have accumulated in your professional careers and those of you from overseas who have a real desire to study in Japan will immerse yourselves in your research at our graduate school and in turn contribute to solving the major social issues of today.

Our university is continuously working towards the improvement of the education and research environment offered at our graduate school and has implemented a system which allows students to extend their study terms and education programs aimed at cultivating a highly skilled female workforce strongly needed in our society as well as introduced initiatives including projects which support post-doctorate career development. Nara is a quiet, ancient city close to a large city which provides it with a lot of stimulus making it a perfect place to study and conduct research. We hope to have many people come and study at our graduate school and go on to work as researchers or highly specialized professionals.

Toshio Watanabe
Dean, Nara Women's University, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences

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