Japanese (JAPN)

An exploration of significant questions and integrative concepts in Japanese Studies, their grounding in the process of scientific discovery and application, and their broader relevance to society. Designed for first-year students. Although topics vary, the courses also seek to improve students’ communication skills beyond the written word.

Training in grammar, pronunciation, aural-oral skills, reading and writing. The work includes intensive practice in speaking and understanding. All scheduled sessions associated with the course are required.

Training in grammar, pronunciation, aural-oral skills, reading and writing. The work includes intensive practice in speaking and understanding. All scheduled sessions associated with the course are required.

An exploration of a specific topic in Japanese Studies. A grade of C- or better fulfills the COLL 150 requirement. Although topics vary, the courses emphasize academic writing skills, reading and analysis of texts, and discussion.

Training in conversation, grammar, reading and elementary composition. All scheduled sessions associated with the course are required.

Training in conversation, grammar, reading and elementary composition. All scheduled sessions associated with the course are required.

This course introduces students to approaches, methodologies, theories, and concepts central to the study of modern Japan. Our understanding of Japan in the present-day US has been shaped within a specific historical context, namely, the development of the field of Japanese Studies (as part of area studies) in the Cold War era, and as such, this understanding is based upon certain assumptions about Japanese history, culture, and society. Our aim in this class is to gain academic skills that enable us to examine these stereotypical ideas critically, to study Japan in more historically rooted and intellectually informed manners, to avoid essentializing and overgeneralizing it, and to find alternative ways of thinking.

Taughtt in English. An introductory study of a broad topic in Japanese literature or culture that is not covered by regularly offered courses. May have cross-cultural components. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.

This survey covers over one thousand years—from the eighth century to the beginning of the nineteenth--and a variety of genres, including poetry, tales, diaries and personal essays, and drama. It moves from the court intrigues of The Tale of Genji to the samurai epic The Tale of the Heike, to the solitary musings of Bashō’s Narrow Road to the Interior, and introduces stories, characters, images, and themes that surface again and again in modern and contemporary literature, film, and animation. Taught in English.

An introduction to Japanese literature through readings of modern and contemporary short stories, novels, drama, and poetry. The course deals with both literary and cultural issues from the 18th century to the present day, examining them in context of specific themes, which may include nation, capitalism, race and ethnicity, or gender and sexuality. Taught in English. Students with advanced language skills may, with the consent of instructor, take a 4th credit for reading and discussions (one additional hour per week) in the original language.

This class introduces students to the history of the samurai and their modern-day representations. In Part I of the course, we will survey the rise, the golden age, and fall of the warrior class in Japan between the tenth and nineteenth centuries. In Part II, we will look at how the samurai were remembered, imagined, and narrated, and what political and cultural meanings were ascribed to them in the modern era, from the late nineteenth century. By examining the relations between history and representation (remembering that history is a form of representation, after all), we will try to understand critically why the samurai keep resurfacing in the popular imaginary of Japan as a significant element of national culture. Taught in English.

An introduction to contemporary Japanese literature, beginning in the 1970s and continuing to the present day, covering the rise and fall of the “Bubble” economy during the 1980s, the ensuing “Lost Decade” of stagnation in the 1990s, and the precarious present of post-Fukushima, post-millennial uncertainty of the 2010s and beyond. For international audiences this period also sees the shift of interest in Japanese literature from the male-dominated canon of the past to younger, female authors, as well as minority communities.  Taught in English.

This course explores the supernatural world and its inhabitants as imagined in Japanese literature and visual culture from ancient times to the present day. Our survey will take in a wide variety of fantastic phenomena, including spirit possession and exorcism in The Tale of Genji, the “hungry ghosts” of medieval Buddhist folklore, interwar Gothic tales of the bizarre, and recent Japanese horror films such as The Ring. In the process, we will consider the various roles that the supernatural has played in Japanese culture at various historical moments. Taught in English.

Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe are the three major cities in the Kansai region, the second largest economic zone in Japan after the Kantō (Tokyo) region, with a population of roughly 20 million. In this two-week, three-credit course, we will engage with various cultural texts on these cities and visit relevant sites. We adopt an interdisciplinary approach that combines history (the study of change over time), geography (the study of relations between places), and cultural studies (the study of connections between cultural texts and power). The main goals are to familiarize ourselves with this region’s history, culture, and geography and to understand the meanings of “place” as a critical concept by which to appreciate cultural representations. 

An introduction to East Asian cultures through the modern and contemporary film of China, Taiwan and Japan. The class takes a cross-cultural approach by looking at various social, political and cultural themes as they vary across time and across Asian countries.

Topics will be indicated in the schedule of classes. Course will be taught in Japanese. Credit variable.

Continued training in conversation, grammar and composition.

Continued training in conversation, grammar and composition.

Continued training in conversation, grammar and composition. This course is designed for students who have completed JAPN 301/302 but need more practice at this level before taking a 400 level Japanese language class. Instructor permission is required.

An in-depth study of a theme in Japanese culture that is not covered by regularly offered courses.Course materials and instruction in both English and Japanese. May have cross-cultural components.May be repeated for credit if topic varies.

An in-depth study of a major author, genre, period or theme in Japanese literature or culture that is not covered by regularly offered courses. May have cross-cultural components.

An introduction to the cinema of Japan from the silent era through the golden age of the 1950s to contemporary Japanese animation. This course will also introduce students to representative directors, genres, and works.

This course delves into the dynamics of travel, migration, occupation, and other cross-border movements between Japan and the global community during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We aim to uncover the meanings embedded within these cross-border movements, viewing them not merely as individual acts, but as reflections of critical issues spanning nation-state dynamics, civilizations, capitalism, racism, colonialism, imperialism, war, citizenship, and identity. In the contemporary United States, where physical and social mobility holds significant value, cross-border movements are often perceived as personal decisions. However, it is imperative for us to acknowledge that such movements are influenced by a multitude of political, geopolitical, and economic forces. By examining the historical backdrop for these movements, we can better understand the motivations and impulses driving individuals to traverse borders.

An examination of the historical development, theoretical conceptualization, and everyday life of the Japanese city from the 19th century to present day. The class will look at representations of the city in literature, film, architecture and city planning. This course taught in English.

This course examines the wide range of representations within the realm of modern Japanese culture. These representations include novels, films, anime, and manga. Instead of viewing “culture” as a discrete object of analysis, we understand it as a historically constituted and inherently political category and consider how the study of culture enables us to deepen our understanding of Japanese society. Students develop their own research projects and complete research papers. This class will be conducted in a seminar style. Taught in English.

Continued training in conversation, grammar and composition, in a variety of situations and materials.

This course focuses on contemporary Japan to develop culturally appropriate communication skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing). Students are introduced to and expected to analyze various authentic materials (written, online and visual).

An in-depth study of a major author, genre, period or theme in Japanese literature or culture. Course taught in Japanese. Readings in English and Japanese.

This course is designed to permit in-depth study of Japanese texts in an area of language or literature not available in current course offerings. A written petition to the instructor and approval of the section coordinator are required before registration.

A mentored teaching internship experience for students to work closely with a faculty member in teaching either a language or content course.

This is the capstone course for the Japanese Studies major. Each seminar is organized around a specific theme (Post-War Culture, Popular Culture, The Japanese City), which may change from year to year. Students conceive and complete a research project on a common theme, and present their work in a research paper and colloquium. Course may be repeated for credit when topics differ. Fulfills the Major Writing Requirement and the Major Computing Requirement. Qualified students may take the course before their senior year with permission of the instructor. Course may be repeated for credit when topics differ.