Academic Activities (College of Literature)
Within College of Literature of Letters, academic societies have been established for each department according to their field of expertise, with members made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, full-time faculty members, and even some alumni. These societies carry out a wide range of activities that contribute to the development of research and education, not only in the area of specialized academic research, but also in areas related to the specialized field, and also publish research results. In order to promote friendship among members, they hold study groups and courses, hold lectures by inviting leading business people and researchers, and publish newsletters and research journals. The characteristics and activities of each academic society are as follows:
English Literature Society
Aoyama Gakuin University English Literature Society has a long history of over half a century, and aims to deepen members' interest and improve their knowledge in areas such as English and American literature, English linguistics, communication, and English education. The society's journal is "English Literary Thoughts" (published once a year), to which full-time faculty and doctoral students contribute. "Collection of Papers" is available for graduate students, and "Newsletter" is published for undergraduate students. Seven to ten lectures are scheduled per year. The society is very active, with a general conference in December, where lectures, research presentations, seminar introductions, and social gatherings are held.
French Literature Society
Aoyama Gakuin University University French Literature Society is an organization made up of volunteer alumni, mainly undergraduate and graduate students and faculty, with the goal of research and socializing. It was dissolved due to the so-called "campus protests," but was re-established in 1990, and in 1992, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the department's founding, it relaunched its annual research journal, "Aoyama French Literature Essays," and also began publishing an information-providing "Newsletter" every year. It continues to be a diverse and lively organization, with lectures by alumni active in various fields, seminars and lectures by well-known researchers, and film screenings.
Japanese Literature Association
Aoyama Gakuin University University Japanese Literature Society was founded in 1966 with the aim of "researching and developing Japanese literature and language." The society has over 1,000 members, including faculty, alumni, and current students, and is actively involved in activities such as holding spring and autumn conferences and lectures, and publishing the journal "Aoyama Language and Literature," as well as newsletters and a membership directory. Past speakers include researchers such as Yoshida Seiichi and Ichiko Sadatsugu, and authors such as Matsumoto Seicho.
Historical Society
Aoyama Gakuin University Historical Society is an academic organization to which all undergraduate students, graduate students, alumni, and faculty from Department of History of History belong. Every year, the society publishes its journal, Shiyuu, and holds a Historical Society conference. At the conference, in addition to research reports by graduate students, lectures are held by professors from other universities who are active at the forefront of historical studies.
Comparative Art Association
The organization, whose members are students and faculty, aims to promote research on art in general and to foster friendship through research. Activities include publishing the academic journal "Paragone" (once a year), publishing the "HIGE Newsletter" (2-3 times a year) which is written and edited by undergraduate students, and holding the Comparative Arts Society conference (once a year). There are also "research groups" in the fields of fine arts, music, theater, and film, which serve as a place to independently cultivate knowledge about art.
