- Faculty of Law, 2026 Academic Year Course Catalog
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Learning Characteristics and Curriculum (Department of Human Rights)
CURRICULUM Learning Features and Curriculum
In Department of Human Rights learn practical knowledge about law, politics, and economics necessary for problem solving, based on the premise that "law exists to realize a society in which human rights are respected." The reason the department has "Human Rights" in its name, rather than "Human Rights," is based on the concept of human rights as a universal value that transcends borders.
In the first year, students are required to take "Introduction to Law," "Introduction to Civil Law," "Introduction to Criminal Law," and "Legal Philosophy" to learn the basics of law. The department also has a unique compulsory course called "Human Rights in the Field," where students consider the role of law after watching documentaries related to human rights issues and listening to the voices of those who suffer from human rights violations. In addition to legal knowledge, knowledge of adjacent social science fields such as economics, political science, and sociology is also necessary to consider human rights issues, so students are required to take "Social Research Theory," which teaches data analysis methods to understand the current state of human rights issues, as well as "Introduction to Political Science," "Introduction to Economic Analysis," and "Introduction to Public Policy," which are optional courses.
In the second year, students are required to take "Introduction to Human Rights Law," which studies both the domestic constitution and international human rights law, and can take specific thematic courses related to human rights, such as "War, Conflict and Human Rights," "Poverty and Human Rights," and "Gender and Human Rights." In addition, in "Journalism Theory," students can learn about the role of journalism in reporting on human rights issues, and courses that discuss human rights issues in English and courses that use fieldwork are also offered.
In the third and fourth years, students will begin to take more specialized courses and will explore issues in line with their own interests in seminars. In addition, courses such as "Children and Human Rights," "Business and Human Rights," "Sexual Minorities and Human Rights," and "Christianity and Human Rights" are offered, and the course "International Community and Humanitarian Aid," offered in collaboration with the Japanese Red Cross Society, will provide an opportunity for students to hear about the real-life experiences of people who are active in humanitarian aid globally.
*You can search and view the course content for each course by clicking on the links below.
COURSE MODEL ?
The course model presented here is just an example.
COURSE FEATURES Features of major courses
Human Rights B
In traditional Faculty of Law education, when learning about human rights, it was customary to start with the provisions of the constitution and laws and their interpretations (theories and precedents). Although this is necessary, it is also true that this method alone makes it difficult to understand the significance of the ideals and provisions of human rights in reality. This class, which is offered in the second semester of the first year, along with "Human Rights in the Field A" in the first semester of the first year, begins by learning about the current state of various human rights issues in society through documentary footage and guest speakers, and then considers what role the law can play in these issues. The methods and contents of this class are related to both the aspect of considering how existing provisions on human rights can be applied (interpretation theory) and the aspect of considering what provisions are needed when existing provisions are insufficient (legislative theory), and emphasize not only the former but also the latter perspective.
The course covers a wide range of topics, including bases, the military and human rights (crimes committed by U.S. military personnel and damage to daily life caused by bases), bases, the military and militarism (military actions such as the Iraq War and their destructive consequences), workers' rights (death from overwork due to long working hours), human rights violations caused by nuclear accidents, sexual violence and relief, human rights around the world and in Japan, etc. In addition to lectures by faculty and guest speakers, students also participate in group discussions.
(Instructors: Professor Shin Hye-Bong and Associate Professor Morimoto Maiko)
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Human Rights A
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This is an introductory lecture course to Department of Human Rights, and students are expected to first "face" the reality of human rights issues in Japan and neighboring countries by watching footage and listening to people who are familiar with the situation on the ground.
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Human Rights B
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Following on from "Human Rights in the Field A," the program will look at various human rights issues both at home and abroad. A wide range of themes will be covered, including the use of military force/militarism and human rights, labor rights, sexual violence, and nuclear accidents and human rights.
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Introduction to Human Rights Law
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This course will provide an overview of the Constitution (especially "human rights protection") and international law (especially "international human rights law"), which are fundamental knowledge for legally approaching human rights issues. The former defines the system for protecting human rights in Japan, while the latter defines the system for protecting human rights in the international community. By learning the overview of both, students will come to understand that many individual human rights issues have an impact not only in Japan but also around the world.
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International Human Rights Law
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Human rights are basically guaranteed by the constitutional system of each country, but today, international human rights law plays an important role as a supplement to such domestic laws. After the war, the United Nations created a series of treaties, including the International Covenant on Human Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, many of which Japan has ratified. This lecture will discuss the contents of these human rights treaties, the domestic legal framework for their ratification, and the judicial normative nature of human rights treaties.
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Poverty and Human Rights
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This course will look at various poverty-related phenomena, such as "the working poor," "global capitalism and world poverty," "children and poverty," and "homeless people and internet cafe refugees," and examine the problems that arise from economic disparities in modern society. It aims to understand the issues from the perspective of the people involved through video materials and other materials, and will discuss the structural background of each phenomenon and solutions to the problems through laws and social systems.
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Human Rights Fieldwork
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This is a seminar-style class that develops the ability for students to discover, research, and report on human rights issues on their own. Students use their holidays and other times to go to actual sites with instructors, see the reality of human rights issues firsthand, think about them, discuss them, and summarize them.
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Sexual Minorities and Human Rights
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After understanding the concept of sexual diversity, students will participate in group discussions and presentations to recognize the concept of sexual minorities (LGBT/LGBTQIA) and consider how to protect human rights in a way that is sensitive to sexuality through examples related to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI/SOGIESC).
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Media Law
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In a political system that tends to be majority-oriented, the role of the mass media is important in order to guarantee the "human rights" of minorities, along with the role of the judiciary. Various legal systems and ethical issues related to the reporting and news coverage of the mass media and journalists will be discussed with the keyword "freedom of reporting and news coverage." This course is aimed not only at students who aspire to become journalists or mass media professionals in the future, but also at students who wish to acquire so-called "media literacy."
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