Department ofGlobal & Transcultural Studies
Your path to global citizenship starts in Yokohama.
Explore Japan’s past and present.
Meet people from various cultures.
Learn in small classes.

Convenient Location
Faculty of International Studies

Located in Totsuka, on the green hills of Yokohama, our campus of fers
breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji. Totsuka Station serves major JR train lines and theYokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line. A short train ride will take you to many
cultural and historical heritage sites and attractions in Tokyo, Kamakura, Odawara,
Minato Mirai, Yokohama China Town, as well as to scenic beaches and parks.
Affordable housing is another advantage of living in Totsuka. Many of ourinternational students, including those from our exchange partners, live in the Meiji
Gakuin International Student House (MISH). MISH provides the per fect
opportunity to meet students from around the world, learn from each other, andform meaningful friendships that may last a lifetime. A limited amount of subsidized
housing is available to those on a student visa.

Department of Global &Transcultural Studies

Our Department
The Department of Global and Transcultural Studies offers anundergraduate degree program in English. Concentrating on theintersections of global politics, economics, culture, and society, ourinterdisciplinary program promotes knowledge, skills, and values
necessary to engage with the world as responsible global citizens.
Situating Japanese Studies at the core of our curriculum, we encourage
students to examine the flows of people, ideas, and practices acrossperceived cultural divides and national and regional boundaries and tounderstand and appreciate today’s complex globalized world.

Careers with Global Studies

Meiji Gakuin University[Shirokane Campus] 1-2-37 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8636, JAPAN[Yokohama Campus] 1518 Kamikurata-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama 244-8539, JAPANOffice of International Studies Tel: 045-863-2200; from abroad +81-45-863-2200© Faculty of International Studies, Meiji Gakuin University. All Rights Reserved.

For admission information,visit our website.

Curriculum

Choose from 100+ Courses

Our innovative curriculum has evolved over the course of more than 10 years since the establishment of the department in2011 to provide a level of education on par with leading universities in English-speaking countries. Engaging with 8 themes
related to global issues across 4 academic fields, students acquire broad expertise in Global and Transcultural Studies anddevelop skills essential for success in the 21st century: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, andlanguage skills. With an annual intake of 55 students, we offer small classes that allow for individualized attention and amore engaging and interactive learning experience.

Introduction to Social Anthropology

Introduction to Political Science

Introduction to Sociology

Buddhist Culture

Gender and Society

Global History

Transcultural Studies

Japanese Minority Groups

Japanese Popular CultureJapanese Foreign Policy

Environmental Politics in Japan and East Asia

Social Entrepreneurship

Regional Economic Development

Labor Economics and Public Policy

Comparative Politics and Policy

Behavioral Economics and Public Policy

Statements by Students and Faculty Members
Gergana Ivanova
Born and raised in Bulgaria, I have studied
and worked at universities in Canada, theUSA, and Japan for many years. At Meiji
Gakuin University, I teach the same content tosimilarly diverse groups of students fromaround the world and help them develop thesame skill sets as I did in the USA.
We explore Japanese literature and arts froma t ransc ultural per spec tive and engage
critically with Japanese pop culture. Do you
want to expand your knowledge of Japan andthe world alongside talented professors andmotivated students? Join us on our beautiful
campus for an exciting journey of discovery
and growth!

Technical Training Courses

Study JapaneseMulticultural Classroom

We teach Japanese language classes from beginner to advanced levels. Students with sufficient language skills can take classes inJapanese in the Department of International Studies and through the university’s General Education Program.

Keiko Okumura Japanese Language Program Coordinator
We offer a variety of lower-and upper-division Japanese language
courses. The upper-division courses are content-based: students learn
the language while expanding their knowledge of Japan and othercountries. For example, in “Career Japanese,” we focus on cross-culturalcommunication; in “Advanced Japanese 1,” we consider social issues inJapan; in “Advanced Japanese 2,” we develop academic writing skills byaddressing various global issues. Classes are open to students of all
cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including those whose first language
is Japanese.

Our academic community reflects the concept of global citizenship,according to which individuals are members of multiple networks
rather than single actors in isolated societies. GTS brings togethers t u d e nt s a n d f a c u l t y m e m b e r s f r o m a r o u n d t h e wo r l d.
Communicating across cultural and linguistic differences, we arecommitted to creating a welcoming community where everyone
feels respected and supported to learn to their full potential.

Life & Career Development

Advanced Research Analysis

Information Literacy

Qualitative Methods

Translation & Interpretation

Quantitative MethodsIntroduction to Business Studies

Supply Chain Management

Introduction to Accounting

Visual Media Methods

More Opportunities for Growth
Our faculty members have been active as academics in multiple
countries. Drawing from their rich experiences at universities
around the world, they bring world-class education standards toour classrooms. As former international students, the professors
develop positive and caring relationships with current students
that are crucial for academic success.
GTS is the home department to students with diverse educational,cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. With students from Japan andaround the world, our classes reflect our global community.

Alexander Vesey

Study abroad

InternshipStudy abroad is available at some of the most prestigious
universities in the world, including the University of California(USA), University of British Columbia (Canada), University ofManchester (UK), Maastricht University (Netherlands), Universityof Sydney (Australia), and Yonsei University (South Korea). Meiji
Gakuin University holds par tnership agreements with 81
universities and 1 consortium in 24 countries around the world.

Students develop transferable skills and earn valuable experiencethrough our internship programs in Japan and abroad. Someexamples include: business internships in Hong Kong; the United
Nations Youth Volunteers Program; domestic NPOs and privatecompanies; Japanese language teaching assistantships inAustralian schools; Walt Disney World® Resor t internship(University of California Riverside).

Field Studies

Double Degree Program

Students learn to apply conceptual knowledge in real-worldcontexts through this experiential learning program. It is acombination of a one-term seminar on a particular topic and afaculty-led research trip for a week or two within or outside Japan.

This program allows students the opportunity to spend several
semesters at San Francisco State University majoring in anydiscipline of their choice and earn two degrees—from Japan andthe USA.

Recently we often encounter “trans-” in various
words. As suggested by our name “TransculturalStudies,” “trans-” can mean “going over” or “crossing.”
Due to globalization, flows of people, media,products, and ideas are crossing over older
national, regional, and cultural boundaries, andthey are changing our lives. In our department,
both teachers and students with multicultural
backgrounds gather in class to discuss andc onsider the potentials and problems ofglobalization. Every day we study topics thatexpose us to a range of “boundary-crossing”
topics and perspectives. I am strongly invigorated
by this kind of global learning environment,
and thus I always look forward to engaging
students in class.
We welcome you to study the world with us!

Sun Youn Lee
Cur ious about the advantages of taking
courses in the Humanities and Social
Sciences in English in a non-English speaking
country like Japan? You will experience ahigh-quality level of education in English,
coupled with the invaluable opportunity toimmerse yourself in the local language andculture. In my classes, students from various
c o unt r i e s ex p l o re t h e int r i c ac i e s of t h eJapanese labor market, encountering real-lifelabor issues in their everyday experiences andexchanging insights from their home countries.
I am conf ident that they gain a profoundunderstanding of both Japan and their roots,
as well as the home countries of their peers —a true benefit of learning content in a specificcultural context!

Karin Ohno
I chose GTS because I was attracted to theDouble Degree Program. It was challenging tokeep up with the classes and the assignments,
all of which were in English, but it was a rewarding
experience that prepared me for my study
abroad later. In GTS, I also met professors I
continue to respect and friends I cherish. Having
earned two undergraduate degrees, one fromMeiji Gakuin University and one from San
Francisco State University, I was later awarded an
MA in Belgium and a PhD in England. I specialize
in Feminist Political Thought and have completed
a PhD dissertation on representations of female
soldiers in media discourse. GTS is the perfectplace for those who want to study abroad or inan international setting while remaining in Japan.

More Languages
If you are proficient in Japanese, you can study another foreign
language, such as French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian,Arabic, Italian, Thai, and Korean.

Financial Support

AEP

To help students coming from abroad with no family connections in Japan, ourdepartment offers a limited number of scholarships in addition to the tuition remission
provided by the university. Both are available to students on a student visa.

Academic English Program is a set of foundational courses inliberal arts education. Through a content and language integrated(CLIL) approach, students develop academic English skills
necessary to thrive in English medium instruction courses in theGTS program and abroad. Some of our courses include Capstone
Project, Rhetoric & Research Writing, and Presentation & Seminar
Skills.

GTS Student's VoiceAi Miyazaki
What I consider the most attractive aspect of this department is that it helps
you overcome your fear of speaking English. Starting with courses on
critical writing and academic reading for first-year students and continuingwith discussions and presentations again and again, you gradually gain
confidence. All the classes are conducted in English and that gives you
further opportunities to use the language on a daily basis. With so many
international students in the department, you quickly make friends, expose
yourself to native English, and start speaking more naturally.

Ryo Toyoshima
Check
our website
for details

Choosing GTS has been one of the mostfulfilling decisions in my life. What I find truly
fascinating is the diverse backgrounds of ourprofessors and students in our department.
This diversity creates a special atmosphere
where people with various life experiences
come together and share their thoughts andviewpoints. Studying in such an environment
has not only broadened my perspective but
also expanded my understanding of the subjects
we study. The small class sizes have been asignificant benefit, too, especially for students
like me who find it challenging to concentrate
in larger, more distracting classes.
Small classes also create an environment wherestudents can easily engage with their professors
and receive personal attention— a characteristicthat distinguishes our program from others.

Dominic Eftekharzadeh
Exchange Student, University of California, Berkeley

Studying in the Department of Global andTranscultural Studies has been an amazing
opportunity. I was able to live in Japanesesociety while focusing on classes that discussed
the economics of Japan. My professors were
extremely knowledgeable and made my timehere enjoyable. Through this program, I received
an amazing education while having enough timeto travel across Japan. The new perspectives
and cultures that I experienced will stick with me
forever.