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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
Chance. From the earliest literature to the latest think piece on Japanese society, the roles of the "warrior" and of "loyalty" in Japanese culture have fascinated those both inside and outside of Japan. In this course we will trace the development of paragons of loyalty and warrior prowess from the earliest literary works, through the epic Tales of the Heike, and on to the "Treasury of Loyal Retainers." We will read in the philosophy of fidelity and samurai codes to track the growing dedication to ideals of loyalty, exploring evidence of behavior less than loyal as we seek the real influence of these notions. Related topics will include the extremes of vengeance and fanaticism.
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3.00 Credits
Chance, L. "Crowning masterpiece of Japanese literature," "the world's first novel," "fountainhead of Japanese literary and aesthetic culture," "a great soap opera in the vein of Jacqueline Susann." Readers over the centuries have praised the Tale of Genji, the monumental prose tale finished just after the year 1000, in a variety of ways. In this course we will read the latest English translation of Murasaki Shikibu's work. We will watch as Genji loses his mother at a tender age, is cast out of the royal family, and begins a quest to fill the void she left. Along the way, Genji's loyalty to all the women he encounters forges his reputation as the ideal lover. We will consider gender issues in the female author's portrayal of this rake, and question the changing audience, from bored court women to censorious monks, from adoring nationalists to comic book adaptors. Study of the tale requires consideration of poetry, imagery, costume, music, history, religion, theater, political and material culture, all of which will be components of the course. We will also trace the effect of the tale's many motifs, from flora and fauna to murderously jealous spirits, on later literature and conceptions of human emotions.
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3.00 Credits
Kano. This course surveys Japanese literature (novels, short stories, poetry, drama, essays) from 1868 to World War II. The purpose is not only to read some of the most important and interesting literary texts of this period, but also to reflect on the ways we read and study literature, and how we draw connections between literature, self, and society. The reading material will be entirely in English.
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3.00 Credits
Kano. Who are the most interesting and important writers in today's Japan What was literature's role in post-war reconstruction and in Japan's rise as economic super-power Where can we find the most complex depiction of shifting ideas about gender and sexuality in modern Japan Why did novelists Kawabata Yasunari (1968) and Oe Kenzaburo (1994) win Nobel Prizes in literature How have Japanese writers responded to the horrors of war and to the memories of Japan's imperial past We explore these and other questions by reading literature of various genres, such as novels, short stories, plays, film scripts, poetry, manga, as well as academic essays. Class sessions combine lectures, discussion, use of audio-visual materials and creative as well as analytical writing excercises. The course is taught in English, with all readings in English-translation.
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3.00 Credits
Staff. A general survey of Japanese architecture, sculpture, and painting from Jomon pottery through Japanese woodblock prints. Topics covered include art of the tumulus era, Buddhist art of the Nara and Heian periods, medieval scroll.
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3.00 Credits
Amyx. This course examines the politics and policies of contemporary Japan, applying a range of theoretical perspectives to analyze both recent history and current events. We will survey the core political institutions of the postwar era, exam patterns of political interaction, and investigate current debates over policyThe 1990s have been marked by political change at many different levels in Japa and the course will investigate the significance of these changes, as well as enduring continuities. Recent changes have included the introduction of a new electoral system, shift from one party rule to coalition government rule, breakin the bureaucracy, a financial crisis and prolonged economic stagnation. In thlatter part of the course, we will focus in particular on the puzzle of how Jappolitical economic structures and policies could have proven so successful for long and yet so disastrous of late. Throughout the course, students will be encto think about Japanese politics in a comparative context and to consider the functioning of the Japanese political system in the context of more theoreticaldebates in political science.
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3.00 Credits
Harrington. This course introduces the major intellectual developments and problems within Japan's history. Special attention will be given to explaining why and how Japanese thinkers only selectively absorbed Chinese thinking during Japan's first "opening" to outside influence and then later tried again to be selective when engaged with the West. Japanese thinkers' differing way of understanding and utilizing Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Christianity, and European philosophy will be considered. So too, however, will be what are usually taken to be "native" patterns of thought--viz. Shinto, The National Learning School, and what came to be called "the Code of the Warrior." Surfacing at various points in this course will be questions that could be addressed to any nation or people and their intellectual history--viz. What does it mean for anyone to claim there might be "indigenous" modes of thought and appreciation Can thought and philosophy get free of being suspect as ways for the expression of nationalism in its various forms What are some of the practical consequences in and for a society, especially in our "globalized" world, when its intellectual trajectory differs from that of the "West" and important contemporary thinkers within wish to retain that divergence Because of its double and deep interaction with two "alien" thought modes--that of China and that of the modern West--Japan provides an especially fine venue for the exploration of such topics.
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3.00 Credits
Kano. This seminar deals with issues such as the cultural and historical constructions of femininity and masculinity; gendered division of education and labor; representation of gender and sexuality in literature, theater, and popular culture; and forms of activism for the rights of women and sexual minorities. This course will use films, videos, and manga, as well as readings from anthropological, historical, literary, and theoretical texts. All readings will be in English, but Japanese materials will be available to those interested.
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3.00 Credits
Hurst. Offered through the College of General Studies - See the CGS Course Guide. This course deals with the samurai in Japanese history and culture and will focus on the period of samurai political dominance from 1185 to 1868, but it will in fact range over the whole of Japanese history from the development of early forms of warfare to the disappearance of the samurai after the Meiji Restoration of the 19th century. The course will conclude with a discussion of the legacy of the samurai in modern Japanese culture and the image of the samurai in foreign perceptions of Japan.
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3.00 Credits
Kim. Is Korean cinema experiencing a "renaissance" in the 21st century We will take the recent surge of success behind Korean cinema as a way to explore our object of study: Korea and the cinema. We situate Korean cinema in broader (and at times narrow) cultural, social, and aesthetic contexts to investigate transnational media production and circulation, globalization, consumer culture, commercialization, Hollywoodization, and construction of national, ethnic, gender identities, etc. The course focuses on the works of prominent filmmakers of Korea's past and present, such as Shin Sangok, Im Kwontaek, Kim Kiduk, and Lee Ch'angdong, as well as paying special attention to genres of Korean film such as the melodrama, slapstick comedy, and erotica. No prerequisites. All films with English subtitles. Special attention to genres of Korean film such as the melodrama, slapstick comedy, and erotica. No prerequisites. All films with English subtitles.
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