Archaeology and Cultural Resource Studies Program

This program covers the broadest fields of any program in the School of Humanities, and takes various approaches to engage with cultures from around the world, both past and present. These approaches include archaeology, art history, architectural history, religious studies, comparative cultural studies, and science of cultural properties. By reexamining these as a whole, as “cultural resources,” the program aims to create new value.

Educational Policy

The Archaeology and Cultural Resource Studies Program comprises two fields of study: the newly established field of cultural resource studies, and the field of archaeology, on which it is based; at Kanazawa University, our archaeology department has earned particular acclaim from outside the University. The field of cultural resource studies looks at the various cultures created by humanity worldwide, and asks what they are, what significance they hold for humanity as a whole, and how to best preserve and make use of these cultural resources for the future. The teaching staff includes teachers with science backgrounds, for an interdisciplinary education that transcends conventional boundaries between the humanities and the sciences.

Studying in This Program

The foundational lectures include methodology of cultural resource studies, which spans the entire program, as well as overview subjects specific to fields like cultural resource studies, comparative cultural studies, cultural heritage studies, and archaeology. Based on these, students then select and take more advanced and specialized lecture and practical seminar subjects in fields such as comparative cultural studies, architectural history, cultural heritage studies, Western art history, or regional archaeology. There are also various practical training subjects, including practical training in archaeology or cultural heritage studies, through which students learn practical approaches. The program emphasizes going out into the field for firsthand experience in addition to classroom studies.