About the Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law comprises two departments: the Department of Law and the Department of Politics. Each department has in excess of 2,400 students.

These two departments were once separate entities, with the Department of Law being founded in 1890 and the Department of Politics in 1898. They were subsequently merged in 1920 to form the current Faculty of Law. During its long and distinguished history, the Faculty has built a reputation that attracts exceptional students and academics from around the globe.

In addition to its academic excellence, the Faculty is renowned for producing alumni who have gone on to distinguish themselves in all walks of life, including law, politics, business, journalism and public administration.

We are currently living in challenging times. The world is experiencing environmental degradation, overexploitation of natural resources, extreme disparities in wealth and health conditions, regional conflicts, human rights violations, a worldwide pandemic, and more. These problems, both global and local in scope, are causally related in today’s highly interdependent world, and any hope of resolving them must come from collaborative efforts on the part of experts and citizens from all corners of the world.

Keio University is committed to playing its part in this global endeavor, and the Faculty of Law in particular is geared to tackling such issues through the study of these two academic disciplines. However, given the complexity of the problems we face, it is indispensable to employ a multidisciplinary approach as well, and to this effect it is crucial to have a relatively good understanding of other disciplines, from the arts and humanities to the natural sciences.

Fortunately, the Faculty of Law is staffed not only by specialists in those disciplines but also by educators who specialize in areas ranging from history, literature and philosophy to psychology, physics, biology and chemistry. Together, the Faculty provides courses that aim to achieve an ideal synergy of specialized knowledge and liberal arts education.

Finally, competency in foreign languages is becoming ever more important in this day and age. Once again, the Faculty offers an impressive array of language courses that will prepare students to communicate and interact with people from different parts of the world.

I hope you will join us in our endeavor.

Professor Ken Tsutsumibayashi

The Faculty of Law consists of the Department of Law and the Department of Politics. Studies of law and political science are closely interrelated as disciplines essential for the formation of society. The Department of Law specializes in the discipline of law while providing political science courses as well. Likewise, the Department of Politics concentrates on political science while also providing courses on law. Making law the basis for rules in society requires legal students with a well-rounded education--knowledge of law and political science is not sufficient to that end. Therefore, we have a third pillar of education at the Faculty of Law--a curriculum for students of both departments, comprising a wide range of liberal arts and natural sciences courses, such as history, philosophy and subjects related to medicine and science and technology, among others, as well as foreign language courses. We strive to nurture students who have an international perspective and a strong sense of social responsibility. We expect these qualities will enable our students to go on to succeed at the front line of society not only as specialists but also as generalists and internationally-minded persons.

Curriculum at Hiyoshi Campus for First- and Second-Year Students	Curriculum at Mita Campus for Third- and Fourth-Year Students
Law / Political Science	Specialist-fostering Courses
For freshmen and sophomores, courses are tailored to enable them to prepare for future enrollment in graduate schools if they choose to do so. Moreover, course content and course sequence are organized with special consideration given to their individual learning levels and adjacent disciplines, such as economics and information processing. Seminars are offered to help students quickly gain research and presentation skills in their areas of academic interest.	We offer many specialized courses designed to let students develop their academic curiosity. The knowledge and expertise they acquire in those courses will become significant strengths in their future careers. Students have the opportunity to enroll in seminars. Each seminar consists of a supervising professor and a small number of students exploring specific topics in depth through joint reading and focused discussion. Seminar participation often also involves study trips and meetings with previous students to build strong bonds with alumni and other students.
Generalist Courses	Internationally-minded Persons Courses
Students can choose the languages they want to learn and types and levels of courses in line with their purposes and motivations. ▼Regular courses Lessons are held twice a week. Students can learn a foreign language thoroughly from the beginner level. ▼Intensive courses Lessons are held four times a week. Students can learn a language of their choice in small classes, many of which are taught by native-speaking teachers.	Students can take new foreign language courses from the beginner level as required by their specialized studies.
Humanities & Natural Sciences	Languages
The minors curriculum in the Faculty of Law is unique in that students can take courses related to humanities and natural sciences on a systematic concentration basis rather than on an across-the-board selection basis.	By joining humanities and natural science research seminars, students can deepen their knowledge of their areas of interest. Students who complete the minor requirements over four years of learning are eligible for a minor in humanities and natural sciences.

A university is a place to discover new knowledge. It is also a place to develop your thoughts and enhance your imagination. With knowledge gained through lectures, discussions and readings, you can explore new ideas and imagine what you have never experienced. This will promote your creativity and your passion for your own life development.
Visualizing what might follow prepares you for the future. In your daily life, you can think forward and imagine the consequences of your own decisions. You can reflect and envision how your action or words might influence others. You will become a better communicator and problem solver, but also your imagination can make you more considerate, compassionate and caring.
Imagine yourself five or ten years from now. What kind of person do you see yourself to be? If you can imagine the possibilities of the future, then you will be able to make wise choices of what to learn and how to realize your dreams. Yukichi Fukuzawa remarked that education, “instructs men in the principles of independence and self-respect, and enables them to form plans for putting the principles into practice.” Learning to be independent and building self-esteem through wise actions is just the beginning of your university education. From learning you proceed to imagining; from imagining you become inspired to strive for a better future for yourself and for our world.

Professor Norihiro Okubo