Japanese Culture Courses
01:565:425
- Course Title: Rutgers Meet Japan: Revisiting Early U.S.-Japan Encounters
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall
- Credits: 3
Course Description:
01:565:425 Rutgers Meet Japan: Revisiting Early U.S.-Japan Encounters
In 1867 Kusakabe Tarō (1844-1870), a samurai from Fukui, left Japan to study at Rutgers. After his untimely death in 1870, his mentor and friend, William E. Griffis, a Rutgers alum, was invited to teach Western-style education in rapidly modernizing Japan. This course examines this crucial moment of early U.S.-Japan relationship and cultural exchange. Through extensive reading of primary, secondary, and visual sources, students will learn to critically examine the diverse perspectives through which the encounter was experienced, remembered, and told. It also examines how cultures may be misrepresented or redefined during the process. The course ultimately explores how cultures meet, conflict, and achieve mutual understanding and appreciation. The class will make special visits to the William E. Griffis Special Collection in the Alexander Library and the Zimmerli Art Museum, and the students will work with primary sources and prints from the collections. The course also offers opportunities for students to engage with Japanese students at our partner institutions through online meetings and collaborative projects.
01:565:480
- Course Code: 01:565:480
- Course Title: Seminar on Modern Japanese Literature
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
- Credits: 3
01:565:480 Seminar on Modern Japanese Literature
Description: Critical literary developments of modern Japan, from the late-nineteenth century to the postwar period, with a close reading of literary texts. Particular attention paid to understanding various analytical frameworks, from historical to theoretical.
Number of Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
01:565:333
- Course Code: 01:565:333
- Course Title: Anime: Introduction to Japanese Animation
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
- Credits: 3
01:565:333 Anime: Introduction to Japanese Animation
Description: Anime as an object of cultural, historical, and media analysis. Development of Japanese animation from post-1945 to the present, with special focus on examples from the 1980s onward. Utilizes a variety of approaches to anime, including media theory, reception theory, issues of globalization, and cross-cultural adaptation.
Number of Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Semesters Offered: Varies
01:565:241
- Course Code: 01:565:241
- Course Title: Premodern Japanese Literature in Translation
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall
- Credits: 3
01:565:241 Premodern Japanese Literature in Translation
Japan is an interesting example of a pre-literate society that attained literacy through its encounter with a neighboring culture that had developed reading and writing on its own, in this case China. In this course, you'll learn about the process whereby elites in Japan gradually mastered Chinese literacy and eventually invented a way to read and write their native Japanese language through a centuries-long process of adapting Chinese script (characters) for their own use. You'll have a chance to read and discuss works of classical, medieval, and early modern Japanese literature, including the Ainu and Okinawan traditions, from the 6th to 18th centuries. You'll study various literary genres such as poetry, prose, drama, and oral literature. We will focus on the four major social, political, and cultural contexts from which Japan's literary texts emerged: (1) the imperial court, (2) Buddhist temples, (3) warrior society, and (4) the urban merchant-class. We'll pay special attention to the ongoing vitality of courtly traditions throughout the medieval and early-modern eras. All readings are in English translation.
Required Texts: Helen H. McCullough, ed. Classical Japanese Prose (Stanford UP, 1990) ISBN 9780804719605, Virginia Skord, tr. Tales of Tears and Laughter: Short Fiction of Medieval Japan. (University of Hawaii Press, 1991) ISBN 9780824815691, Ihara Saikaku, Five Women Who Loved Love (Tuttle Books, 1956) ISBN 9780804801843
Japanese Literature in Translation satisfies the following Department of Asian Languages and Cultures Learning Goals for Japanese majors and minors:
- Majors will be able to demonstrate substantial knowledge of Japanese literature, and culture and pursue advanced study and/or employment in a capacity requiring such cultural knowledge. Minors will be able to analyze and interpret texts and relate relevant issues to other areas in the humanities. (See full statement of ALC Learning Goals at http://sas.rutgers.edu/component/docman/doc_download/532-sas-learning-goals)
Modules on the Canvas course site indicate when assignments are due and provide PDFs for all readings except those from our required texts. Canvas gradebook will show all your grades as assignments are completed; please check gradebook regularly and let me know if any discrepancies immediately.
Grading: Daily discussion posts (20x2.5 pts=50%) 22 posts, drop 2 lowest scores, Leading discussion (5%), Class presentation (5%) , Group media project (10%), Final paper (30%)*
Each student will be assigned to lead discussion once during the semester and do one class presentation on a story from Tales of Tears and Laughter (5% each).
*Final paper: 1,500-2,000 words;
01:565:242
- Course Code: 01:565:242
- Course Title: Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
- Semester(s) Offered: Spring
- Credits: 3
01:565:242 Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
Description: Japanese literature from 1885 to the present. The influence of Western cultural ideals on modern Japanese literature. Emphasis on the novel as a literary form. Readings from Kawabata, Soseki, Mishima, Akutagawa, and Tanizaki.
Number of Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Semesters Offered: Irregular