Department of Politics
Develop the ability to build desirable political and social systems through learning perspectives to identify issues in politics and give proper analyses to the issues
What is the meaning of studying political science stand in the College of Law and Politics? We know that laws exist for people. However, it is people who create the laws. The value of studying political science at the College is in revealing the humanity behind the law.Various values, interests and senses of justice are embedded throughout the political process of making laws: from the elections of the members of the Diet, deliberations in the Diet, and ultimate law-making outcomes. Political science is a study of people.
Characteristic of the Department 1 / The Department of Politics values the ability to come up with questions
In the Department of Politics in the College of Law and Politics, we do not hold classes in the way of teaching the answers to problems.
What we do is help students learn to come up with questions related to politics, both past and present. To formulate questions, or an act of questioning, is a crucial act that will lead to political and social changes in the next generation. Stop looking for answers on Google.
Instead, we challenge you to ask as many questions as you can here at the Department of Politics. This is a “dojo” for the intellect̶welcome!
What we do is help students learn to come up with questions related to politics, both past and present. To formulate questions, or an act of questioning, is a crucial act that will lead to political and social changes in the next generation. Stop looking for answers on Google.
Instead, we challenge you to ask as many questions as you can here at the Department of Politics. This is a “dojo” for the intellect̶welcome!
Characteristic of the Department 2 / The Department of Politics offers education that gives weight to political thought, history and evidence
The governments of different countries dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways. How effective their measures were — including those of Japan — had much to do with whether or not the country had previously experienced outbreaks of infectious diseases such as SARS and MARS. Whether or not the wearing of masks, lockdowns, or compulsory vaccinations became controversial was heavily influenced by the political ideology in each country around the idea of freedom. In the Department of Politics, we excel at examining the political history of countries, including Japan, and at empirically analyzing real-world politics while referring to the literature of Japanese and international political thought.
Characteristic of the Department 3 / The Department of Politics trains individuals to become able to design social and political systems
The Department of Politics trains creative individuals who are committed to bringing about a desirable future for our society.
Individuals who study three areas — Japanese politics and political history, international politics, and political thought — become able to set questions and tasks based on a deep understanding of human behavior. Setting such questions tasks will surely lead to changes in our society. Those with the abilities to see the ideal future of our society by questioning the existing society are needed not only in politics, government or the private sector, but also in any industry.
The future begins here at the Department of Politics of the College of Law and Politics at Rikkyo University.
Individuals who study three areas — Japanese politics and political history, international politics, and political thought — become able to set questions and tasks based on a deep understanding of human behavior. Setting such questions tasks will surely lead to changes in our society. Those with the abilities to see the ideal future of our society by questioning the existing society are needed not only in politics, government or the private sector, but also in any industry.
The future begins here at the Department of Politics of the College of Law and Politics at Rikkyo University.
The Department is suitable for those who wish to…
Are you one of those who feel somewhat uneasy about the thought that you have been living without thinking very deeply about things around you? For instance, are you going to select a school merely based on your academic records rather than what you wish to do, but at the same time, feeling like there is something wrong about the world you are living in, such as politics and society in general? If you are wondering what is going on in our society, why our society is the way it is, and what you can do about it, we welcome those uneasy feelings and questions at the Department of Politics! We have no sure-fire remedy to dispel uneasy feelings. However, we would like you to share those feelings with us, so we can start thinking about issues causing the feelings together.
Four-Year Curriculum (offered in Japanese only)
Message from Academic Staff
To ultimately build the world without war
Takuya Sasaki, Professor of International StudiesCourses to teach: Courses on American Political and Diplomatic History
In recent years, we have witnessed an increasing volume of that has informed us of the significantly deteriorating international environment surrounding Japan. For better or worse, the international order formulated by and centered around the United States has reached a turning point with the inescapable consequences entailed not only on Japan but also on other countries around the world. Compounding the situation is the rise of new and emerging global issues such as climate change, infectious diseases, war refugees, and natural disasters, which transcend national borders. As the international society has never encountered these pressing issues simultaneously, it might be fairly said that we are now entering and navigating uncharted waters.
My research areas are American politics and diplomacy as well as US-Japanese relation, and I teach courses on American political and diplomatic history at Rikkyo. While Mr. Trump’s assumption of the Presidency, the subsequent erosion and perversion of American democratic principles, and the rapidly deteriorating US-China relationship were something beyond our anticipation, these phenomena may well indicate an inadequacy of our existing conceptual and analytical framework. I myself was rather taken aback by these unexpected developments, but I have renewed my academic interest in my research subject, American politics and diplomacy, which I now find all the more fascinating.
Regrettably, acts of violence and conflicts that are directly related to war and peace are erupting across the world. Given the dramatically changing strategic landscape in the Asian-Pacific region, an elevation of the US-Japan partnership to a new level of cooperation is almost inevitable. I believe that now more than ever, we need young aspiring students who will accept an intellectual challenge to proactively address the issue of peace and war, critically examine it, and explore ways of achieving and acquiring peace. Time in college is unique and precious as students could immerse themselves in their own learning and really mull over issues in all of their complexity. I very much look forward to welcoming new students in my class and studying together by reading textbooks in the field of politics so as to gain an insight into making the world a better place.
