Three university-wide policies

Three educational policies of the Senshu University

The Senshu University’s mission as an educational institution is to promote “Socio-Intelligence”, a human capacity that is built around a core of advanced knowledge and skills and the thinking ability based on such knowledge and skills, supported by an insight into humanity and solid ethics, and a capability and willingness to proactively work on and improve social issues based on global perspective and creativity.
The university’s three educational policies, that are the Diploma Policy for awarding degrees and certifying graduation, the Curriculum Policy for planning and providing courses and programs, and the Admission Policy for accepting and screening prospective entrants who seek education at our university, are all formulated to execute this mission.

Diploma Policy: Awarding of degrees and certification of graduation

The Senshu University, with its educational mission to promote “Socio-Intelligence”, a human capacity built around a core of advanced knowledge and skills and the thinking ability based on such knowledge and skills, supported by an insight into humanity and solid ethics, and a capability and willingness to proactively work on and improve social issues based on global perspective and creativity, establishes the following set of criteria, or Diploma Policy, to award degrees to and certify graduation of students who have attained the below-described qualities and capabilities:
  1. Advanced knowledge and skills and the thinking ability supported by such knowledge and skills, which form an essential part of “socio-intelligence”, with a capability and willingness to put such knowledge and skills to practical use. (Knowledge and understanding)
  2. Understanding of what socio-intelligence means and why it is important, supported by an insight into humanity, solid ethics, global perspective and a capability and willingness to work on and improve social and public issues at progressively greater degrees for the rest of his or her life. (Interest, willingness and attitude)
  3. Logical thinking, effective communication skills and information literacy, which form the basis of an ability to collect, analyze and convey useful information. (Skills, power of expression, power of thinking and judgment)
  4. Capability and willingness, supported by the knowledge and skills acquired through learning at the university, to work on and improve social and public issues in a proactive and creative manner. (Power of thinking and judgment)

Curriculum Policy: Planning and implementation of courses and programs

​The Senshu University, in order for its students to attain the qualities and capabilities that they are expected to fulfill as the requirement to graduate and/or receive degrees, systematically and effectively plans educational courses and programs to be provided by its schools and departments in an optimum mix of classroom lectures and practical studies. The planning and implementation of educational courses and programs and the evaluation of students’ learning achievements will be done in the following manner:
  1. An overview of educational courses
    The day division of the university provides four categories of courses, that are “transitional curriculum” (this is a single-course category), “introductory curriculum”, “liberal arts curriculum” and “specialized curriculum”, while the evening division provides “liberal arts courses” and “specialized courses”. The courses are designed so as to assure systematicity and sequentiality in teaching and to organically link general knowledge acquisition and specialized studies in students’ learning experience.
  2. Teaching method and content
    • Transitional curriculum (Senshu University introductory courses)
      The transitional curriculum is designed to assist new entrants through the “transit” from high school education to a completely different world of university education, to cultivate in them a sense of pride and awareness as a Senshu student and initiate them into the process of developing a “socio-intelligence”. The course is implemented through a so-called “Senshu University Introductory Seminar”, a small-group tutorial program that prepares the students for the upcoming education through their years at the university with necessary reading, thinking, presentation and composition skills.
    • Introductory curriculum (Senshu University basic courses)
      The introductory curriculum is intended to help the students acquire basic learning skills, which will be important for attaining specialized knowledge and skills and the thinking ability based such knowledge and skills while also gaining a global perspective. These learning skills will not only be useful for learning at the university but will also be an essential tool for self-learning and improvement throughout the student’s life after graduation. The courses will be given either in a lecture style or as a practical study according to the purpose of the course.
    • Liberal arts curriculum (liberal arts courses)
      The liberal arts courses at the Senshu University are intended for the students to acquire a range of knowledge and skills that is much broader than their respective major field so that they will be able to approach topics and subjects from a versatile point of view.
      The liberal arts curriculum is grouped into “basic humanities”, “basic social sciences”, “natural sciences”, “composites” (interdisciplinary courses), “foreign languages” and “health and physical education”. Designed on the fundamental principle of “cross-school/cross-departmental learning”, the courses cultivate the basics of flexible and multidimensional thinking.
    • Specialized curriculum (specialized courses)
      The specialized curriculum assists students to acquire advanced knowledge and skills in the respective academic disciplines they choose and the thinking ability based on such knowledge and skills, as well as a capability and willingness to proactively work on and improve issues and problems that they may face. Each Department is sequentially and progressively planned to lead the students smoothly from the basic learning to more advanced and applicational studies.
  3. Evaluation of students’ learning achievements
    To evaluate the learning achievements of its students, the university surveys student performance each school year. At the same time, achievements in individual courses are continuously monitored and assessed on a case-by-case basis.
    Achievement in a lecture-based course is assessed through periodic and in-class examinations, submission of reports and assignments and reaction papers and other assignments. The students will be evaluated on the scope of knowledge obtained, the depth of understanding and the power of reasoning and expression acquired in relation to the subject taught.
    Achievement in a practical course is assessed, through submission of reports and assignments as well as in-class presentations, on the degree of understanding obtained on the subject taught, whether or not and how effectively the student can find logical solutions based on such knowledge and whether he or she can output the result in an effective manner according to the requirements.

Admission Policy: Acceptance and screening of prospective entrants

The Senshu University, in order to carry out its educational mission to promote “socio-intelligence”, uses a number of screening methods to accept students who have acquired the below-described qualities in the stages of education prior to university.
  1. A level of knowledge and skills necessary as the foundation for learning at our university
  2. Thinking and communication abilities necessary to work on social and public issues
  3. Aspiration to develop his or her socio-intelligence in a proactive manner