Gendai Bungei-Ron Kenkyu-Shitsu
(The Department of Contemporary Literary Studies)

 

One quick way to provide a rough idea of the nature of our department would be to say that we are a world literature department in miniature. With only four full-time faculty members, we cannot claim to cover the whole scope of world literature, but we do offer courses on literatures written in various languages, including English, Spanish, and Russian and Slavic languages, with emphasis on contemporary works. We focus on transnational and translinguistic elements within literature, and we also offer courses on literary theory and translation. Foreign students are encouraged to study Japanese literature in an international context, and courses suited for that purpose are offered – these are conducted almost entirely in Japanese, and proficiency in reading, speaking and writing the language is required. Students are divided into undergraduates and graduates. Graduate students usually join the MA program first and then go on to the PhD program, but we do accept PhD candidates who have completed their MA program elsewhere. We welcome students who are passionate about literature, and keen to learn what is going on in the universe of literary studies.

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