About ESP
The European Studies Program is designed to educate future leaders who act as a bridge between Europe and Japan in various fields of the society. In the program, the students acquire basic knowledge and methodologies of European studies through the program’s core courses. In April 2006, the program is founded in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Komaba campus of the University of Tokyo. The Center for German and European Studies is coordinating this program in partnership with other graduate schools and research institutes at Hongo campus of the University of Tokyo.
The Students belonging to four departments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Komaba campus can register for the program. The departments are Department of Advanced Social and International Studies, Department of Area Studies, Department of Language and Information Sciences, and Department of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies. The standard term to complete the program is four semesters i.e. two years. In the program, the students have to take required courses, that is, Methodology for European Studies and Supervised Readings, and choose at least two elective-required courses, which are History of European Integration, EU Law, Modern European Thought, German Politics, and Contemporary German History. Field research in Europe is highly recommended and the Center for German and European Studies gives top priority to ESP Students for its field research stipend. After completion, the "M.A in European Studies" is granted.
In 2007, the Center for German and European Studies began to organize the European Fall Academy in cooperation with the ASKO-Europe-foundation and the European Academy Otzenhausen in Germany. This academy is two week course to take lecture by the Professors in Europe and to visit European organizations including the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice.