To Everyone who Creates a New Society

Dean of the School of Human Sciences, Kazuo Yamada

The School of Human Sciences builds on a wide range of interests and concerns about human beings and their surrounding environment. At the same time, it fosters an attitude of scientifically analyzing and understanding human development and support, along with specialized knowledge and skills. By utilizing this knowledge and these skills, and by proactively and creatively addressing various problems faced by people, we develop human resources that can contribute widely to human society.

The School of Human Sciences was founded in 1975 as the former College of Human Sciences and was restructured in 2007 to become the present school. While inheriting the “responsibilities of human resources training required by the times” from the establishment of the Shihan Gakko (Normal School) in 1872, the aim of our predecessors at the time of the founding of the School of Human Sciences in 1975 was “The true image of an unknown human being. It is a study that scientifically pursues and investigates the nature of human beings and their ideals from a broad, interdisciplinary perspective.” Since then, despite changes in the organization and curriculum of universities, the core mission of the School of Human Sciences—to pursue and investigate the essence of humans scientifically—has remained unchanged.

The School of Human Sciences currently encompasses three specialized disciplines: Education, Psychology, and Disability Science. Throughout the 50-year history of the Faculty of Human Sciences, we have produced a large number of human resources active in all aspects of society, including business, administration, education, welfare, and medicine, fulfilling our mission and responsibilities in response to the needs of the times.

Currently, we are moving towards a new society (Society 5.0) developed by the 4th Industrial Revolution. It is expected that academic fields that transcend humanities and sciences will be integrated within universities, leading to education and research that utilize artificial intelligence. The qualities required of human resources by society are also evolving, with a growing need for creative ideas and flexible thinking. In such a world, it is the social responsibility of the School of Human Sciences to continually question human beings and their way of life, which is the foundation of the studies pursued by the School of Human Sciences. The School of Human Sciences holds significant value as a field of scholarship that seeks knowledge and thoughts essential for living in the society of the future.

I believe it is the social responsibility of the School of Human Sciences to develop human resources who will create a symbiotic society in the future, while also learning from the history of the past. To everyone who will create and lead society: please develop your sensibilities and cultivate your wisdom and creativity in the School of Human Sciences.

We look forward to seeing you at the School of Human Sciences!