Positivistic Research on Historical Phenomena through Collecting and Analyzing Historical Materials and Sources.
Historical research is a scientific inquiry aimed at the investigation of historical events and their impact on both the past and the present for the purpose of obtaining a clear understanding of historical events.Approaching the world as one large system, this division engages in wide-ranging historical relational investigations between Asian and European Histories as well as in the field of Cultural History,which provides a different historical perspective. This division has two courses: Japanese History and Archaeology, and Modern World System. In order to conduct research and utilize expertise,students are required to select one course in their second year based on their interests.Both courses are centered around the collecting and analyzing of historical materials and sources.Classical Chinese reading skills, as well as foreign and classical languages will be required for certain specialized fields.
History as a dynamic structure
The study of history is based on conducting empirical research to answer the questions of what happened in the past, what meaning it had for society at that time, and what it means to us today. It is therefore a science that aims to understand the huge and dynamic structure of time, that greatest of paradoxes. Images of history are created through the aggregation and interpretation of the results of individual research efforts.
To build these historical images, two courses have been designed under Kumamoto University's Department of History: Modern World Systems and Japanese History and Archaeology. Modern World Systems covers East Asian History, Western European History and Cultural History, and Japanese History and Archaeology covers Archaeology and Japanese History. Students in their second year can select which course to take and begin their research and professional learning in that field.
Connecting East Asian History and Western European History
In the Department of History, students study the world as one coherent system. They conduct broad historical research that takes into account the interaction between world history and each unique country and region. With this perspective, East Asian History and Western European History are closely related.
A flexible view of Cultural History
Cultural History examines history from a different angle. In this course, students adopt a global perspective centered on social ideologies from the formative years of the modern world. Using methods of comparative history and interactive history, students use a multi-faceted approach with focus on the keywords of intelligence, human rights, and exchange to gain a flexible attitude and an international perspective.
Empirical study of Japanese History and Archaeology
The world of Japanese History and Archaeology aims to build historical concepts through empirical research based on words and things, the primary sources that make up the foundation of history. A large part of this study is occupied by poring over ancient documents and excavating ruins.
Each field in the Department of History has its own unique features, but regardless of their chosen field of study, students will develop skills for the collection and analysis of historical materials and sources. For this reason, students will build reading comprehension in an ancient language area determined by their major, such as ancient Japanese, classical Chinese, or old English. Students will then show the accumulation their of four years of study and research in their graduation thesis.
After graduation
Graduates of the Department of History go on to work in a wide range of industries, including government organizations, museums, schools, the media, publishing and printing, trading, manufacturing and construction, information services, and finance and insurance.