Education

The Major in Education at the Graduate School of Human Relations began in 1961 as a master's program. The Ph.D. program was established soon after in 1963. The word "education" is often taken to mean general preparatory education as provided by elementary schools, junior high schools, or similar institutions. However, since its inception, the Major in Education has focused more broadly on the multitude of factors that are involved in character formation, encompassing theoretical, historical, empirical, and experimental research. To fulfill the goals of this major, the program covers various specialties and areas of study, including the philosophy of education, history of education and educational thought, comparative education, educational psychology, and school education.

The philosophy of education mainly explores the theoretical approaches, ideas, and methodologies behind education by examining educational thought in Europe and the United States, whereas the history of educational thought delves into research on education in Japan and the history of education and educational thought in France. Comparative education, meanwhile, dissects educational systems, governmental policies, and issues faced in basic and higher educational institutions. Students are encouraged to analyze research topics from a global perspective. Educational psychology, in addition to specialized training in the other fields mentioned, concentrates on research in the mechanisms and support systems humans use to develop cognitive thinking. Because this field shares many aspects with developmental psychology, behavioral genetics, personality psychology, and other adjacent fields, educational psychology often incorporates research from these areas. Finally, when studying pedagogical practices in school, students look at a range of issues that take place in educational settings, interpreting and re-examine the relationship between theory and practice. Students will learn a diverse range of approaches and pedagogical techniques, including how to solve real-world problems and how to apply solutions to historical challenges that face those in education. Research in pedagogy uses real school settings as its main area of interest, often collaborating with educational institutions. The field requires precise and appropriate methodologies to unravel complex issues that take place in the real world.

However, no matter what the specialty or academic field, we believe that the key behind "education" as an academic interest and viewpoint is the human aspect of our research. The thing that sets this major apart is how our graduate students and staff work alongside each other to hone and delve into their shared interests.

The classes in this major are mainly taught by faculty members from the Department of Letters or Center for Teacher Education and Research, and some courses are also taught by instructors with other affiliations at Keio University, or by external lecturers from other universities and research institutes. Most of the classes are taught in Japanese language. We also offer an array of opportunities for international exchanges. Classes take a variety of formats, including lectures, seminars, labs, and on-site training. Students studying educational psychology in particular are expected to expand their research capabilities by gaining experience through experiments and learning statistical processing skills. Furthermore, we have established the Mita Society for Educational Research (Mita Kyoiku Gakkai), a research organization that is mainly composed of graduate students, but which also features alumni and faculty members. This organization provides opportunities for members to share research findings as a form of scholarly exchange, works to host academic conferences, publishes a journal, and similar activities.