Rich Resources Stored at the International Institute of American Studies

The International Institute collects materials related to American Studies on the basis of recommendations made by the Book Selection Committee. As of 2007, the Institute’s library holds approximately 77,000 foreign and 8,000 Japanese volumes, 650 titles on microfilms, and 200 titles on microfiche, all of which are open to students of American Studies. The collection includes original and reprinted primary sources, papers of American Presidents and other notable figures, statistical materials, and governmental publications（e.g. Foreign Relations of the United States, from 1861 to the present）.

The International Institute subscribes to about 300 major scholarly and general periodicals. It has also been collecting audio-visual materials useful for lectures and classes, such as the 2,100 slides in its American Art History Slide Collection.

Since the International Institute joined the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1979, it has acquired numerous computer readable magnetic tapes and CD-ROMs, adding yet more important assets to the International Institute's collections.

The collections of books and research materials in the International Institute far exceed those held by similar institutes in Japan as well as in other countries. It is second only to International Institutes in the U.S.A. in terms of the scarcity value and volume of its materials. The International Institute's collections are truly academic assets of which Doshisha University can be proud.

Research Activities of the International Institute of American Studies

The International Institute organizes several interdisciplinary group research projects in which both Doshisha and non-Doshisha specialists collaborate. All of these form the core of the International Institute’s activities as a research institute. The results of such research are published in part in the International Institute’s annual journal, Doshisha American Studies, and in other publications as well.

The International Institute periodically holds public lectures in the spring and fall, and, on appropriate occasions, it sponsors lectures and symposia for specialists, inviting distinguished guests, both Japanese and non-Japanese.

Through all these activities, the International Institute hopes to serve as a center, in the true sense of the word, where students of American Studies can communicate and collaborate with each other.

The American Studies Foundation of Japan designates the International Institute as one of two institutions where “Occasional Fellows” may go to further their research. Applicants for such grants （transportation, accommodation, etc.） should address their inquiries to the Foundation.

Doshisha American Studies Journal

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