Graduate School of Manga: Master’s Program in Kyoto Seika University

The curriculum for the Graduate School of Manga’s Master’s Program features Special Lecture Classes such as the Manga Theory Special Lecture and the Manga Discipline Special Lecture, training the ability to consider manga from different ways. Also, the Specialized Research Classes aim to help scholars establish students own stance and attitude towards manga. They mainly focus on research.

For the Special Lecture Classes, they divided into five parts:

1. Manga Theory Special Lecture-Introduces previous research fields from semiology, the history of ideas, gender theory, and also fan culture research. Verifies the special characteristics of manga due to historical backgrounds, and social and cultural contexts, and re-considers the field from global perspectives.
2. Manga Discipline Special Lecture1-Based on recent manga research that places emphasis on reader theory, issues of manga “authorship” will be illuminated.
3. Manga Discipline Special Lecture 2-This class looks at essential foundation knowledge in animation research and its connections with manga and associated media.
4. Manga Discipline Special Lecture 3-Studies the necessary methods of gathering and sorting information in order to conduct social historical survey research in the manga.
5. Manga Discipline Special Lecture 4-Considers the growth of the content business into an important commercial industry through changes in the needs of people and the progress of mobile phone technology. 

For the Specialist Research Classes, they divided into ten parts:

1. Manga Research 1-In the Meaning and Expression of Story Manga Work, in order to consider the relationship between meaning and expression in a completed story manga.
2. Manga Research 1 (Theory)-Considers manga and the various means of its research through reports by scholars on reference literature.
3. Manga Research 2-In Experiments in Online Manga, scholars examine the presentation of manga on the World Wide Web and concurrently actually produce their own works.
4. Manga Research 2 (Theory)-Considers various academic theories and how they can be applied to manga research, including representation, linguistic analysis, media theory, cultural history, and comparative culture, cultural studies, contemporary society, and commerce.
5. Manga Research 3 (Story Manga)-Through production work, scholars deepen student's thinking as regards manga themes and methodologies and produce research dissertations and manga work that can objectively present findings.
6. Manga Research 3 (Cartoon)-Moving one step on from existing satire, scholars work to establish own individual styles.
7. Manga Research 3 (Theory)- Scholars acquire writing ability beyond academic dissertations, through creating manga synopses.
8. Manga Research 4 (Story Manga)-Following on from the Manga Research 3, at tutorial staff seminars scholars discuss planned graduation exhibition works.
9. Manga Research 4 (Cartoon)-Aims to create work reflecting artist identity appropriate for final graduation artwork. 
10. Manga Research 4 (Theory)-Focuses mainly on creating the final Master’s thesis but, in addition to individual tutoring, also utilizes graduate student discussion as a site for mutual criticism.

Generally, I think this course is more focusing on theory instead of design skill, characters design, etc. Hence, I think it will be really useful for being a manga/anime designer.

Kyoto Seika University Details:
Address / Contact
Kyoto Seika International Office 
137 Kino-cho, Iwakura, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8588 JAPAN
Tel: [+81] 75 702 5199
Fax: [+81] 75 702 5390

Email: ksuinted@kyoto-seika.ac.jp