EALC 069 - Japanese Popular Culture

Institution:

University of Pennsylvania

Subject:

Description:

Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Harrington. Offered through the College of General Studies--See the CGS course guide. This course is based upon the premise that popular culture is a legitimate object of study in today's universities, and that through the careful study of objects of Japanese popular culture such as anime (animated films), manga (comic books), films, short stories and popular music, each one of us will be able to write short histories of various aspects of contemporary Japan. In order to further our individual historiographical projects, we will learn some theoretical methods for studying and writing about the relation between our everyday lives, the processes of globalization, and the pleasure or displeasure that we derive from the objects of popular culture. Through the study of Japanese popular culture, we will learn to analyze critically some of the functions of these objects as sources of meaning, escape, and identity formation in our everyday lives. The topics we will study include the fiction of Banana Yoshimoto, such anime and manga as Akira, Barefoot Gen, Grave of the Fireflies and Miyazaki's Nausicaa, popular music, TV dramas, and the Pop Art of Yoshitomo Nara.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.upenn.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 898-5000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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