Aesthetics offers students a curriculum that incorporates various art genres: fine arts, liberal arts, music, clothing and ornamentation, film, theatre, dance, and architecture, with the aim of getting students to think philosophically about the role of aesthetics and the arts within society, culture and life.
While emphasizing the importance of academic study, a feature of the Aesthetics course is that it enables students to acquire knowledge and experience through practical field work and visits from staff working in art-related fields.
Art History offers students the opportunity to pursue a course in the history of fine arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, and crafts, with the aim of getting students to think about the meaning of art history in both an historical and a cultural context. The course covers the history of the arts in the West, East, and Japan, the study of individual artists and art works, and various art styles related to culture, society, ethnicity and religion.
While emphasizing the importance of academic study, a feature of the Art History course is that it enables students to acquire knowledge and experience through practical fieldwork undertaken at galleries, museums, Shinto shrines, and Buddhist temples and visits from artists.
Students gain a deeper understanding of art techniques and the origin of aesthetics through practice. They learn to cultivate an aesthetic awareness and sensibility, learning skills ranging from basic techniques to modern techniques that are related to the 4 fields of painting, sculpture, design and crafts.
Students study painting, sketching, and copper engraving (etching, mezzotint, aquatint). Design, starting with basic drawing and moving to plane surfaces, three-dimensional surfaces, then to the practice of various designs (graphic design, industrial design, universal design, CG design, web design) is also studied. There are projects in cooperation with local industry (enterprise and product development, and the sale of these products nation-wide). Additional projects introduce art to community facilities, such as hospitals.
The scope of the skills and knowledge developed through practice should not be limited to the interests of the students, but should help them to grow into citizens who can play a full role in society.
