candidates are subject to screening.We encourage students interested in the humanities to develop a clear and wide perspective and to think for themselves. In order to gain a broader, deep understanding of any subject within the humanities, the best approach is solid research and rational analysis rather than a reliance on preconceived notions. Members of the faculty are here not so much to give answers as to think together with the students, encouraging them to develop their own capabilities and cultivate interests that will orient them in new directions.Students primarily take general education courses open to all undergraduates in their fi rst year, and then courses off ered by the Faculty of Letters from the second year onward. Students are advised to take a wide range of courses during the fi rst year, as those courses will serve as a foundation for later studies. We also recommend that students start learning foreign languages that will be necessary in future research at this stage.Students must choose a specialized field of study from one of the 31 departments that compose the six divisions of the Faculty of Letters. Th ey do so in two stages. First, they choose one of the divisions in the second year. For this purpose, they are asked to submit applications in the autumn of the fi rst year. Th en, they must choose a department in which to spend their third and fourth years of study. Since making this decision may be difficult, second-year students can take courses offered by various departments in order to discover the kinds of research done in the departments of their division. Th ey are asked to submit applications for department enrolment in the autumn of the second year. At this point it is still possible to switch to a department outside the student’s current division.It should be noted, however, that the size of each department is limited and that the Specialized training begins in earnest in the third year. Students attend lectures and seminars, some of which are also attended by graduate students. Daily interaction with seniors and graduate students will bring them closer to the world of academic research. In order to concentrate as much as possible on their graduation theses in the fourth year, students are advised to amass as many of the credits required for graduation as possible by the end of the third year.In the fourth year, students are advised to focus on their graduation theses. They are to choose research topics, gather necessary materials, analyze them and organize the results into written theses, operating basically on their own. Th is process, which may some-times be arduous, will no doubt prove a valuable and meaningful experience in their chosen careers aft er graduation. For those who wish to continue their studies at the graduate level, the graduation thesis marks the fi rst step towards a full-fl edged academic career.4Four Years in the Undergraduate ProgramEDUCATION AT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND FACULTY OF LETTERS
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