Introduction to Japanese Culture through Literature,
1868 to Present
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3 semester hours |
Course JPN 321 |
18 assignments |
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This course is
designed to provide a general introduction to the culture of Japan. The time
frame incorporates what is generally referred to as the "Modern age",
that is, from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 until the present. This
introduction will concentrate on the literary arts but you will also become
conversant in film, architecture, and the fine arts. Likewise, a substantial
portion of your readings will cover the contemporary history of Japan. This
course is then, in many ways, a traditional "survey" course,
providing an outline sort of framework for understanding the years in question.
It is the instructor's intent to use literary works as the starting point for
discussion of issues and values that the Japanese themselves find important.
That is, cultural products will provide clues to values and issues within the
society. The literary works will be placed in the context by which they are
seen as important not only to non-Japanese readers, but especially to the
Japanese reading public to which they were aimed. This course will then have a
strong cross-cultural aspect as we discuss issues of relevance to the Japanese
audience that may or may not have been relevant to others. (This course
fulfills the cross-cultural requirement.)
The instructor would like
to note that one of the authors you will read--Oe Kenzaburo--received
the Nobel Prize for literature in 1994. He is part of Japan's lively and
invigorating cultural tradition. You will find him, and many of his
compatriots, challenging yet very interesting. You may also find the works
shocking and disturbing. You will learn much about Japan in these readings; you
will also learn much about the human condition. Your continuation in this
course assumes that you understand that a number of the works will treat themes
and include descriptions of a sexual or violent nature.
READING SKILLS
Reading is an important component to any course of study. It becomes even more
crucial given that this is a course dependent upon correspondence; it is by
definition constructed upon a foundation of critical reading and built by the
student's writing. It is the instructor's hope that not only will you learn
much of Japan, but that you will also learn how to be an interactive reader. It
is requisite to this course that your read the assignments interactively. I
expect that you will underline as you read, and make yourself an outline of
what you have read. Some of the assignments are based on this sort of reading,
and develop from thissort of activity.
Underlining, annotating,
and outlining your texts will take extra time and effort. It may at times seem
to be more trouble than it is worth: you will find however that the extra
effort required will reap benefits at the end. For one, your understanding of
the material will be greatly increased. Secondly, you will find you are able to
access information and points more efficiently when completing assignments and
writing your papers. Further, careful reading will help you learn how to be an
effective and persuasive writer. As you begin to read, pay attention to the
technical means by which various writers express what they have to communicate:
varying sentence length, vivid images, active verbs, are just a few of the
methods employed. Think as well about the organization of material: what is it
that you encounter first, how is that developed later in the essay or story. To
that end, it is important that you review the assignment before you read the
selection assigned for each lesson. The instructor has attempted to situate the
text and also guide your reading with questions that will help to organize the
material for you and for your completion of each assignment.
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Murakami Haruki. Wild Sheep Chase.
Trans. Alfred Birnbaum. New York:
Kodansha. 1989.
Natsume Soseki. Kokoro. Trans. Edwin McClellan.
Chicago: H. Regnery. 1957.
Varley, H. Paul. Japanese
Culture: a Short History. fourth ed.
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 2000.
Course insert (Available through the Independent Study Office).
video to rent: Akira (This video should be
available at any major video rental store. If not in stock, the video
store should be able to order it for you.)
Your readings for
this course will span four crucial periods in recent Japanese history.
These periods correspond to the year names assigned in Japan; each year name
corresponds to the reign of a single emperor. These periods are: Meiji
(1868-1912); Taisho (1912-1926), Showa (1926-1989, and Heisei (1989 - present).
As you can see, these are by no means equally divided. The units for the course
are divided according to these time frames. The instructor strongly suggests
that the assignements be completed in the order present here. Many assignment
names are those of the Japanese artist to be discussed in that particular
assignment. (Following Japanese convention names are given family name first.)
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There are 18
separate, required assignments for this
course. Successful completion of this course is dependent on your successful
completion of each assignment. The final exam will be cumulative, covering all
the issues from Assignment 1 to Assignment 18.
When completing the
assignments, please ask questions and add observations of your own. This course
will work best if there is a dialogue between instructor and student.
For more on what
is expected of paper assignments, click here.
Your final grade
will be determined by weighing the 18 assignments as 75%, and the final exam as
25%, of the total course grade. All work will be evaluated with regard to your
understanding of the issues covered and your grammatical and structural
presentation of your understanding. I am interested in your interaction with
the material, by the (thoughtful) questions you may raise and the related
issues you may explore.
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on May 20, 2006
Questions, comments, or suggestions about this page may be sent to Professor Slaymaker at nihongo.isp@spamex.com