Students use their Liberal Arts education, English language education, exchange programs and other opportunities provided by ICU to the full in order to understand the origins and characteristics of the United States of America both objectively and empirically. The major begins with the Principles of American Studies course, which facilitates a broad understanding of the origins and characteristics of the United States. This is followed by foundation courses such as Issues in American Culture, History of the United States , and History of American Literature, which introduce students to interdisciplinary research methodology. At the same time, students take specialized courses that introduce American religion, education, language, and ethnicity, such as Society and Culture in the U.S.A. , American Prose, and American Poetry. Finally, they decide on a senior thesis topic and write their thesis in English. Students may also participate in the ICU's student exchange programs and take courses relevant to American Studies at a university in the United States. This is an extremely worthwhile addition to their studies in the major.

Environmental Studies is a field that offers critical literacy for citizens of the earth, raising questions that people everywhere should strive to answer. It focuses on environmental issues that straddle the natural, human and social environment, and produces individuals able to think and act positively in confronting problems in the world today. For those aspiring to specialized roles in tackling environmental issues, Environmental Studies cultivates strong academic foundations and the ability to resolve key problems. Some of the goals in this major include to assume positions of leadership in helping to solve some of the critical environmental issues confronting the world today and contribute to the realization of the Environmental Policy for ICU.

The major in Japan Studies explores the people, languages and cultures of Japan; it encompasses the interdisciplinary study of Japanese politics, economics, international relations, religion and other areas. The major employs a critical perspective to discuss representations of "Japan", in addition to interrelating and integrating knowledge about Japan. The goal is to enable students not only to advance their understanding of Japan, but also to apply what they have learned in their future academic and professional careers.

In the General Education courses, students are expected to expand their horizons of thought before starting the interdisciplinary major program. Those courses include "Invitation to Asian Studies". The Foundation courses provide students with basic knowledge and research skills needed for the Asian Studies major. Students are also encouraged to study Asian languages, such as Chinese and Korean. In Area Major Courses, students advance their understanding of Asia, by focusing on some issues such as philosophy, history, politics, economics, international relations, education, culture, society, and languages. Students are also encouraged to participate in the study abroad programs in Asian universities and service-learning experiences in the Asian region.

This major aims to break new ground in the field of Gender and Sexuality Studies through full deployment of interdisciplinary approaches to question existing "knowledge" from the perspectives of gender and sexuality. This area of study is still new and dynamic developments are expected over the coming years, but issues of gender and sexuality are also being taken up in other fields of research. It is anticipated therefore that students in this major will firstly employ a gender/sexuality perspective to comprehend the basic concepts and social constructions of sex, gender, and sexuality. Secondly, they should understand the processes of constructing/reconstructing a gender order in educational, occupational and domestic settings, and be able to identify gender messages in languages and various media, which are accepted as a matter of everyday occurrence, from a gender/sexuality perspective. Thirdly, they should develop positive attitudes to engaging with theoretical problems of a large scale, such as inequality, class, power, and the conflict between "nature" and "culture."

Peace Studies aims to nurture the next generation of peacemakers who can respect the law and devote themselves to peace and the democratic progress of a global community based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students study the influence of societal structures, political and economic conditions, educational practices, and the historical roots of war, conflict, poverty and human rights suppression in order to seek the means for a peaceful resolution to these interrelated issues. Students examine peace issues utilizing an interdisciplinary approach,covering areas such as philosophy, religion, law, politics, economics, social sciences, anthropology, education, psychology and international relations, in order to acquire theory and practice in peace-related contexts. Students learn skills to integrate their theoretical understanding with practical experiences in the field.

Students will learn about Japanese postwar reconstruction and development experiences, as well as its history of development assistance, and acquire a basic understanding of the theoretical studies and policy research concerning economic development, human/social development, and development and the environment in a globalizing world. You will also examine developmental issues using an interdisciplinary approach, covering fields such as history, political science, social science, anthropology, education, international relations, technology and environmental studies, and will also develop practical skills and techniques. Students will cultivate skills to integrate their practical experiences in the field and at development related institutions with their theoretical studies.

Global Studies aims to educate responsible, global citizens who can identify significant world issues, examine the structure and related phenomena of global governance using an interdisciplinary approach, and exercise leadership and create partnerships to promote conflict resolution in the global community of the 21st century. Students learn to draw connections between global processes and their effects on local communities, develop critical skills to understand the roles played by different entities acting on a global scale: states, corporations, NGOs, international agencies, activists, etc, and develop the ability to use interdisciplinary approaches to gain insight on issues such as religion, politics, economics, culture, language, ethnicity and the environment from an academic viewpoint.