Message from the Dean

Why Culture and Information Science?

At the Faculty of Culture and Information Science, students study a front-line discipline that integrates culture and data science. The name of our department may seem unusual, but we at the Faculty of Culture and Information Science are very particular about it. This is because we strongly believe that human culture—accumulated over generations as a product of life itself—is the central driving force behind humanity’s evolution and prosperity. We also strongly believe that culture and information science—the deep scientific pursuit of human culture—is a discipline that can and does contribute to pioneering a better future society for all of humanity. In particular, we believe that a fusion of humanities with the sciences that integrates the cultural wisdom of humankind throughout history is key. When explored through data science—the derivation of new value from data—this fusion provides critical clues to solving difficult problems facing humanity, such as poverty, war, climate change, COVID-19, etc.

Why a Fusion of the Humanities and Sciences?

In Japan, high school students are still channeled into the humanities or the sciences. You may even consider yourself to be a “humanities person” or a “science person.” However, Japan is the only country in the world that applies a fixed categorization to people in this manner. There are humanities- and science-based approaches to conceptual thought and research methods, but it is human nature to combine both in a search for answers.

So why is it necessary to create a fusion between the boundaries of the humanities and sciences? In recent years, remarkable developments in technology have made it possible to accomplish things that were previously inconceivable. The successive creation of content that was once nothing more than a dream through AI technology, combined with the power of data science, has made it possible to uncover knowledge in ways that were previously impossible for a single human being to imagine, much less undertake. However, it is not about what technology can do. The important part is to be able to look beyond the technology to the question of what human beings strive to become, and to be able to engage with that question with a sophisticated degree of insight. In other words, it is necessary to be able to correctly identify questions worth solving, establish a path toward solving those questions, and accurately solve them based on scientific evidence. As you will have already noticed, this process requires both humanities-oriented thinking and science-oriented methodology, which have often remained strictly divided until now. It is for this reason that the Faculty of Culture and Information Science has been committed to the fusion of the humanities and sciences since its establishment.

To Students Aiming to Study at the Faculty of Culture and Information Science

Throughout its long history, humankind developed cultural elements through learning from others who differ from oneself. At the Faculty of Culture and Information Science, we want students to experience the joy of co-creating new valuable work and contributing to the intellectual diversity of society, while immersing themselves in front-line academic fields and learning from other students and faculty members who have different backgrounds, knowledge, and values from their own. The Faculty of Culture and Information Science looks forward to welcoming all students and nourish their potential, with the determination to take on new challenges in the spirit of growth.

Dean Mamiko Sakata, Ph.D.

Dean Sataka was born in Himeji City, in Hyogo Prefecture. She completed her doctoral program at the Graduate School of Human Sciences, Kobe University, acquiring her Ph.D in 2002.

After working as a researcher at ATR IM&C Laboratories and as a lecturer at Fukushima College, she became a full-time lecturer at FCIS in April 2005, and earned the rank of professor in 2018.

While holding various positions within Doshisha University, including Director of the Office of Support for Students with Disabilities, Director of the Office of Gender Equality Promotion and Support, Director of the Student Diversity and Accessibility Support Office, and Assistant to the President, Dean Sakata also served as the Chair of the Self-Assessment and Evaluation Committee within the faculty for five years from 2018, playing a central role in steering the faculty concept and the design of the new curriculum. She has served as Dean of the Faculty since 2023.