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.