From 2020, Ritsumeikan University will shift the current 7 majors in 17 areas to 8 majors in 18 areas and 2 cross-major systems."Kyoto studies" to learn the culture unique to Kyoto such as shrines and temples and Kyomachiya, and "History of Europe and Islam" to grasp the history of Islam in relation to the West, in order to further promote internationalization and enhance cross-disciplinary learning. "Major" etc. will appear.
According to Ritsumeikan University, there will be two courses in the cross-major group of subjects, Kyoto Studies and Digital Humanities.Students of the Faculty of Letters take both courses in the first year, and 2 students are selected from the applicants in the second year.Students take courses in parallel with their major and also take exercises in the third and fourth years.
Kyoto studies learn about shrines and temples and Kyomachiya through fieldwork-type practical training and problem-solving projects.Digital humanities utilize the latest digital technology for the analysis of words and old maps that appear in literary works.
"Language communication" and "international communication" will be newly established in the academic area.Language communication trains human resources to teach Japanese to the rapidly increasing number of foreign residents.In international communication, half of the classes are conducted in English and an English graduation thesis is imposed.
In the existing area of international cultural studies, the Department of Western History has been renamed to the Department of European Islamic History, and the history of Islam, which is often treated within the framework of oriental history, is viewed from the perspective of the West.
With these reforms, the enrollment capacity will increase by 55 from the current level.
