Education Business
Introduction to gender-related subjects
Aoyama Gakuin University offers a wide variety of courses related to gender and sexuality. We will list relevant courses from The Aoyama Standard Courses and faculty-specific courses, dividing them into A courses (courses that focus on gender as a core subject) and B courses (courses that include gender as part of the curriculum or that address gender at least once), and post them on the student portal.
Offered courses
We will offer classes related to gender and sexuality in The Aoyama Standard Subjects that all students can take.
Student courses and events
We plan and hold related lectures and events to raise interest and deepen understanding of gender and sexuality among students, faculty and staff.
Details of the call for participants will be posted in the event news section of this website, so please check there.
2025 Event Report
-
Talk & Workshop: "What I Saw After Standing Still - Our Society as Visualized Through Photography"
STAND Still Tokyo, an organization founded by sexual violence survivors from diverse backgrounds, has been working on the "STAND Still Project," which involves confronting oneself and expressing unspoken (or unspeakable) voices through photography.
As a related event to the photo exhibition held at the Gender Studies Center Gallery in 2025 (May 19th - June 14th), we created a space for people to think about and discuss the possibilities of expression and empowerment through the visualization of their own perspectives through photography.
Date and time: Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 15:00-17:00
Venue: Seminar Room, 2nd Floor, Schoonmaker Memorial Hall (former Women's Junior College Library), Aoyama Campus
Speakers: STAND Still Tokyo -
Gender, sexuality, and literature: "QUEER LIBRARY WEEKS"
Following Pride Month (June), we have organized "QUEER LIBRARY WEEKS," a period for reflecting on gender and sexuality through literature.
As part of this project, we held two workshops during the specified period.
Additionally, for two weeks, the Gender Studies Center's library was transformed into a WEEKS-themed space, with special displays and book recommendations from the staff.
Date and Time: Monday, June 30th - Friday, July 11th
[Workshop Details]
① WEEKS Project Workshop: "Reading Books from a Queer Perspective."
In this workshop, we invited Ms. Aoi Yasuda, who runs a reading salon and curates books for the "Aesop Queer Library"*, to speak about "interpreting literature" from a queer perspective.
Furthermore, we created an opportunity for all participants to actually read works of modern Japanese literature, such as Edogawa Ranpo's "The Demon of the Isolated Island" and Mori Ogai's "Vita Sexualis," and to share and discuss their interpretations.
Date and time: Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 15:00-17:00
Venue: Multipurpose Room, 2nd Floor, Schoonmaker Memorial Hall (former Women's Junior College Library), Aoyama Campus
Instructor: Aoi Yasuda
②WEEKS Project Workshop: "Thinking about Gender and Sexuality through 5-7-5-7-7 Haiku"
In this workshop, we invited literary artist Kiichi Hotta, who has previously expressed his thoughts on gender and sexuality through poetry, to lecture on the history of poetry and the interpretation of his works from the perspective of gender and sexuality.
In the second half of the workshop, all the participants tried writing poems together.
Date and time: Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 15:00-17:00
Venue: Multipurpose Room, 2nd Floor, Schoonmaker Memorial Hall (former Women's Junior College Library), Aoyama Campus
Instructor: Kiichi Hotta -
Preview screening of the film "The Blue Boy Incident"
The "Blue Boy Incident," in which the doctor who performed surgery on the so-called "Blue Boys" was arrested, was brought to life in 2025 by Hanae Iizuka, a promising young director who has garnered significant attention both domestically and internationally for her original and creative work.
Prior to its theatrical release on November 14th, a preview screening of the film "The Blue Boy Incident" was held on campus, co-hosted by the Sibuya Ward Inclusive City Promotion Division and the Schoonmaker Memorial Gender Studies Center Aoyama Gakuin University.
Following the film screening, we welcomed director Hanae Iizuka and lead actress Miyu Nakagawa as guests for a talk session.
Date and time: November 5th (Wednesday) 18:00-20:40
Venue: Honda Memorial International Conference Hall, 6th Floor, Building 17, Aoyama Campus
Speakers: Hanae Iizuka (film director), Miyu Nakagawa (actress) -
Lecture: "LGBTQ+ and University Life - Mental Health/Healthcare for LGBTQ+ Individuals"
In this lecture, we invited Dr. Katsumi Harima, a psychiatrist with extensive knowledge of mental health and healthcare issues for LGBTQ+ individuals, to share time with the participants to consider university life built on diversity.
Date and Time: Thursday, November 27th, 15:05 - 16:35
Venue: Seminar Room, 2nd Floor, Schoonmaker Memorial Hall (former Women's Junior College Library), Aoyama Campus, and online
Lecturer: Katsumi Harima (psychiatrist) -
Lecture: "Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender/Non-Binary People - Mental Healthcare/Healthcare for LGBTQ+ Individuals"
In this lecture, we invited Dr. Makoto Ikebukuro, an obstetrician and gynecologist with extensive knowledge of gender-affirming care worldwide, to speak about the latest medical care for transgender and non-binary people. Participants then discussed what constitutes a "society where people can live with peace of mind."
Date and time: December 10th (Wednesday) 15:05-16:35
Venue: Seminar Room, 2nd Floor, Schoonmaker Memorial Hall (former Women's Junior College Library), Aoyama Campus, and online
Lecturer: Makoto Ikebukuro (Obstetrician and Gynecologist)