Program Overview

Introduction to the University Program

The University of Osaka offers a unique and comprehensive program in Musicology and Theatre Studies. This program provides students with a broad overview of general musical cultures and a wide variety of performing arts.

Program Description

Musicology students have the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of musical activities, encompassing Western classical music, folk and traditional music of the world, including that of Japan, and popular music of all sorts. Theater Studies students learn about a wide variety of performing arts, ranging from Western European theater and classical Japanese theater to musicals and ballet. In addition to the histories of music and theater, students explore how music and theater relate to neighboring disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, aesthetics, and literature.

Faculty Members

The department boasts a sizable number of faculty members, including:

• ITO, Nobuhiro (Ph.D.) - Musical Folklore of Central Europe; Music History in Central Europe, Study on Vienna-Budapest Operettas
• WAJIMA, Yusuke (Ph.D.) - Popular Music Studies; Ethnomusicology, History of Japanese Popular Music
• NAKAO, Kaoru (Ph.D.) - Theatre Studies; History of Noh Theatre, Theory of Noh Text Analysis
• KOGO, Naoko (MA) - Dance Studies; History of German stage dance, Theory of Dance and Performance
• SUZUKI, Seiko (Ph.D.) - Aesthetics and art studies, History of Modern and Contemporary Music of Japan
• YOKOTA, Hiroshi
• ITO, Nabi (Ph.D.) - Literature - British/English-language, Aesthetics and art studies

Undergraduate Program

The undergraduate program offers a wide range of courses, including:

• Philosophy, Thought and Culture
• Ethics
• Chinese Philosophy
• Indian Philosophy
• Japanese History
• Asian History
• European and American History
• Archaeology
• Japanese Studies
• Human Geography
• Japanese Linguistics
• Japanese Literature and Japanese Historical Linguistics
• Comparative Literature
• Chinese Literature
• English and American Literature and English Linguistics
• German Literature
• French Literature
• Aesthetics and Science of Literary Arts
• Musicology and Theatre Studies
• Art History

Graduate Program

The graduate program in Musicology and Theatre Studies provides students with the opportunity to engage in specialized research. Students are expected to write and prepare oral presentations for academic conferences, partake in the plentiful opportunities for participation in concerts and play performances, and always act with research outreach in mind. The great diversity of graduate students' specializations and intellectual backgrounds encourages lively debate in daily lectures and seminars.