Japanese
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) offers a major and minor in East Asian Languages and Cultures that allows cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of East Asia. Students can choose either to focus in one of our three linguistic and cultural traditions — Chinese, Japanese, and Korean — or to explore different traditions and societies by taking courses in multiple regions. Our major opens up career opportunities in diplomacy, business, law, journalism, and higher education, in addition to providing preparation for further study in the relevant languages and cultures. The major entails advanced training in the chosen language and a sound background in the respective literature and culture. Students are encouraged to enhance their cultural knowledge by enrolling in relevant courses offered through other departments and programs such as Anthropology, Art History, Film and Media Studies, History, Global Studies, Performing Arts, and Religious Studies.
For information about the major, please visit the EALC Majors page.
For information about the minor, please visit the EALC Minors page.
Language Placement: Placement tests are required for all students entering our language programs, with the exception of those students who have had no previous knowledge of the language and are planning to enroll during the first semester of the first year of instruction. Students who test into second-year Japanese and satisfactorily complete (with a grade of B- or better) at least one semester of language study may petition for 3 units of retroactive credit; students who test into third year or above and satisfactorily complete (with a grade of B- or better) at least one semester of language study may petition for 6 units of retroactive credit. Credit is limited to 3 units for those testing into second year and 6 units for those testing into third year or above. Please note that students with native language proficiency as determined by the Japanese language section, as well as students who enroll in courses below their placement level, are ineligible for retroactive credit units. Students who misrepresent their language proficiency so as to gain entrance to a course at the elementary or intermediate level will be dropped from that course.
Contact Info
Phone: | 314-935-4448 |
Email: | ealc@wustl.edu |
Website: | http://ealc.wustl.edu |
Chair
Lingchei Letty Chen
PhD, Columbia University
Professors
Rebecca Copeland
PhD, Columbia University
Marvin H. Marcus
PhD, University of Michigan
Associate Professors
Ji-Eun Lee
PhD, Harvard University
Zhao Ma
PhD, Johns Hopkins University
Jamie Newhard
PhD, Columbia University
Assistant Professors
Jianqing Chen
PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Jiayi Chen
PhD, University of Chicago
Hyeok Hweon Kang
PhD, Harvard University
Teaching Professors
Mijeong Mimi Kim
EdD, University of San Francisco
Xia Liang
MA, Beijing Normal University
Wei Wang
PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
Senior Lecturers
Wenhui Chen
MA, National Taiwan Normal University
Ke Nie
MA, Capital Normal University
Lecturers
Hea-Young Chun
MA, Seoul National University
Motomi Kajitani
MA, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Taewoong Kim
PhD, The University of Oklahoma
Jiyoon Lee
MA, University of Oregon, Eugene
Alessandro Poletto
PhD, Columbia University
Kaho Sakaue
MA, Purdue University
Jingyi Wang
MA, Capital Normal University
Mano Yasuda
PhD, The University of Oklahoma
Professors Emeriti
Beata Grant
PhD, Stanford University
Robert Hegel
PhD, Columbia University
For information about the East Asian Languages and Cultures major, please visit the EALC Majors page.
For information about the East Asian Languages and Cultures minor, please visit the EALC Minors page.
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L05 Japan.
L05 Japan 103D First-Level Modern Japanese I
This is the first semester of an academic-year course in beginning Japanese. It is designed for students who have had no prior study of Japanese. The course emphasizes the acquisition of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through meaningful communicative practices. It covers everyday vocabulary, expressions and basic grammatical structures and introduces all Japanese phonetic syllabaries (hiragana and katakana) as well as kanji characters. Cultural aspects of the language will also be introduced to deepen students' cultural awareness and to communicate appropriately in the global era. After completing this course, students are able to have basic conversations such as self-introduction, shopping, making invitations, describing locations, etc. They are able to read and write simple texts on topics related to oneself. Note: students with some previous Japanese language background must take a placement test; students who misrepresent the extent of their background so as to gain entrance to this course will be dropped from this course. Minimum grade of B- required for continuation to Japanese 104D.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 104D First-Level Modern Japanese II
This is the second semester of an academic-year course in beginning Japanese. This course emphasizes the acquisition of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through meaningful communicative practices. It covers everyday vocabulary and expressions, and introduces approximately 90 kanji characters. More grammatical structures and conjugation patterns will be introduced and practiced. Cultural aspects of the language are also incorporated in classroom practice to deepen students' cultural awareness and successful communication in the global era. After completing this course, students are able to understand and participate in daily conversation such as making requests, comparing things, expressing one's ideas and desires, and describing one's family members. They will be able to understand how to read and write novice-level materials on topics related to oneself and their immediate environment. Prerequisite: L05 103D (grade of B- or better) or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 150 First-Year Seminar: Exploring East Asian Classics
This first-year seminar introduces students to major works of the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese traditions. Although written centuries in the past, these texts still reverberate with meaning today and offer important means to understand the often chaotic and confusing events occurring daily around us. What is the self? What is the relationship between the individual and society? How do we live an ethical life? What is literature and for whom is it intended? In grappling with these questions, students will directly engage with the texts through close reading and in-class discussion. Students will, at the same time, also ask broader questions that concern how knowledge is produced, spread, and consumed: what is a canon? Who are the gatekeepers? What does it mean to approach East Asia through a set of "canonical" texts? Among the texts considered will be The Analects, Daodejing, Lotus Sutra, Tale of Genji, Tales of the Heike, Tales of Moonlight and Rain, Samguk yusa, and Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong. Prerequisite: first-year, non-transfer students only.
Same as L04 Chinese 150
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA EN: H
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L05 Japan 213 Second-Level Modern Japanese I
This is the first semester of an academic-year course in intermediate Japanese. The course emphasizes the acquisition of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through meaningful communicative practices. It covers the basic vocabulary, expressions, and more grammatical structures and conjugation patterns. About 100 new kanji characters are introduced. Cultural aspects of the language are consistently incorporated in classroom practice to deepen students' cultural awareness and successful communication in the global era. After completing this course, students are able to understand and participate in daily conversation about their experience, past, present and future events in more complex Japanese, and to be able to express opinions/thoughts and present information. They are able to read and write more complex texts on topics related to oneself and their immediate environment with a solid understanding of main ideas and supporting details from a variety of texts. Prerequisite: L05 104D (grade of B- or better) or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 214 Second-Level Modern Japanese II
This is the second semester of an academic-year course in intermediate Japanese. The course emphasizes the acquisition of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through meaningful communicative practices. It introduces more vocabulary, expressions, grammatical structures and conjugation patterns such as passive, causative, causative-passive and honorifics. Cultural aspects of the language are consistently incorporated in classroom practice to enforce students' cultural awareness and communication success in the global era. After completing this course, students are able to understand and participate in conversation in complex Japanese, and to be able to express opinions/thoughts and present information using appropriate vocabulary, expressions and basic grammar in context. They can communicate appropriately using a variety of speech styles. They are able to read and write more complex texts with a solid understanding of main ideas and supporting details on familiar topics from a variety of texts. Prerequisite: L05 213 (grade of B- or better) or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 221 Topics in Japanese Literature and Culture
A topics course on Japanese literature and culture. Subject matter varies by semester; consult current semester listings for topic.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 226C Japanese Civilization
This course will present a comprehensive overview of Japan, its history, its institutions and cultural products, and its society and people. The first half of the course will comprise a survey of Japanese history, with an emphasis on its social and cultural aspects, from the earliest period to the present day. Having established the historical framework- with its interweave of native and foreign elements, Kyoto-based imperial aristocracy, the samurai class and their crucial role, Zen-inspired meditative arts, and exquisitely diverse cultural products- the class will move on, in the second half, to an examination of recent and contemporary trends and issues. These will center on Japanese education, social and family structures, urban centers and the rural periphery, economic and socio-political trends, Japan's distinctive and vibrant popular culture, contemporary problems and challenges, and the nation's dramatically shifting position in East Asia and in the 21st-century global order.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 280 Sophomore Seminar: The Public Servant and Other Heroes: A History of Japan through Film
This course is an examination of key turning points in Japan from the mid-19th century to the present. It focuses on the important role that bureaucracies, staffed by public servants, have played in shaping the political and social life on the archipelago and in the region. We will engage representations of political and social life in Japan by making use of its rich visual culture by viewing and discussing Japanese films. The assigned films, which will be screened in Japanese with English subtitles, will likely include The Twilight Samurai, To Live, and Shin Godzilla, among others. These films provide representations of how people in Japan have responded to crises, including revolution, war, and natural disasters. Through written and visual materials, students will gain a better understanding of history in Japan, public service, and the utility of film for engaging the past. Film screenings are mandatory.
Same as L97 GS 280
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 2980 Undergraduate Internship in Japanese
Students receive credit for a faculty-directed and approved internship. Registration requires completion of the Learning Agreement, which the student obtains from the Career Center and which must be filled out and signed by the Career Center and the faculty sponsor prior to beginning internship work. Credit should correspond to actual time spent in work activities (e.g., eight to ten hours a week for thirteen or fourteen weeks to receive 3 units of credit; 1 or 2 credits for fewer hours). Credit/no credit only.
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
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L05 Japan 299 Independent Study
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor or department.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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L05 Japan 320C Japan Since 1868
For some, the word Japan evokes Hello Kitty, animated films, cartoons, and sushi. For others, it makes them think of the Nanjing Atrocity, "comfort women," the Bataan Death March, and problematic textbooks. Still others will think of woodblock prints, tea ceremonies, and cherry blossoms or perhaps of Sony Walkmans and Toyota automobiles. At the same time, still others may have no image of Japan at all. Tracing the story of Japan's transformations — from a preindustrial peasant society managed by samurai-bureaucrats into an expansionist nation-state and then into its current paradoxical guise of a peaceful nation of culture led by conservative nationalists — provides the means for deepening our understandings of historical change in one region and grappling with the methods and aims of the discipline of history.
Same as L22 History 320C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 324 A User's Guide to Japanese Poetry
This course introduces the art and craft of Japanese poetry, one of the world's great literary traditions. Exploring the many styles of traditional verse--the poetic diary, linked verse, haiku, and others--and their historical contexts, students gain insights into Japanese aesthetics and study the unique conventions of Japanese poetic production that have evolved over a span of some 1500 years. The course also incorporates a "haiku workshop," where we engage in group-centered poetry writing and critiquing. No prior knowledge of Japanese is required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 326 Samurai, Rebels and Bandits: The Japanese Period Film
Tales of heroism, crime, revolt and political intrigue. Bloody battles, betrayal, madness and flashing swords. This is the world of jidaigeki eiga, the Japanese period film. In this course, we analyze the complex (and often flamboyant) narrative, visual and thematic structures of films about the age of the samurai. We discuss jidaigeki representations of violence and masculinity, self-sacrifice and rebellion, and the invention of tradition as well as critical uses of history. In addition to the historical content of the films, we study the historical contexts that shaped jidaigeki film production and discuss relevant transformations in Japanese cinema and society. Period films have been shaped by and exert strong influences on Japanese theater, oral storytelling, popular literature, comics, and international film culture, all of which are helpful for understanding the films. As we track changes in jidaigeki style and subject matter, the course introduces theories for interpreting narrative structure, genre repetition and innovation, intertextuality, and representations of "the past." All readings are in English. No knowledge of Japanese required. No prerequisites. Required screenings Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
Same as L53 Film 326
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 332C Japanese Literature: Beginnings to 19th Century
This survey of Japanese literature covers antiquity to the early 19th century. Emphasis is on the ideological and cultural contexts for the emergence of a variety of traditions, including poetry, diaries, narrative, and theater. Fulfills premodern literature requirement for EALC degrees. No knowledge of Japanese language is required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 333C The Modern Voice in Japanese Literature
This survey explores the emerging modern voice in Japanese literature, with emphasis on prose fiction. After a brief introduction to earlier centuries, the class focuses on the short stories and novels of the 20th century. Among the authors considered are Natsume Soseki, Nagai Kafu, Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, and Nobel laureates Kawabata Yasunari and Oe Kenzaburo. Discussions center on issues of modernity, gender, and literary self-representation. Fulfills modern literature requirement for EALC degrees. No knowledge of Japanese language required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L05 Japan 3340 Topics in East Asian Religions: The Lotus Sutra in East Asia: Buddhism, Art, Literature
This course is an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, the most popular and influential scripture in the history of East Asian Buddhism. After a close reading of the entire text and a discussion of its major ideas, it's contextualized within the history of Buddhism and, more broadly, of East Asia, by examining its contributions to thought, ritual, literature and art in China, Korea and Japan, from its first translations into literary Chinese - the canonical language of East Asian Buddhism - to modern times. Topics covered include: the ontological status of the Lotus and, more broadly, of Mahayana scriptures; commentarial traditions on the meaning of the Lotus and its place within Mahayana Buddhism; practices associated to the worship of the Lotus - e.g., copying, reciting, burying; the worship of buddhas and bodhisattvas appearing in the sutra; Lotus-inspired poetry, and visual and material culture; Lotus-centered Buddhist traditions. Readings (all in English) are drawn from Buddhist scriptures and commentaries, tale literature, hagiographic narratives, poetry, archeological materials, and other literary genres. Given the importance that the Lotus has played in East Asia, this course functions broadly as an introduction to East Asian Buddhism. Previous coursework on Buddhism or East Asia is recommended but not required, and no prior knowledge of any East Asian languages is required.
Same as L81 EALC 3340
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 336 The Floating World in Japanese Literature
This survey of Japanese literature covers the 17th to the 19th century. Primary focus is on the Genroku era (1688-1703), which witnessed the growth of lively urban centers and the emergence of a robust literary voice. Emphasis is on the ideological and cultural contexts for the development of a variety of new innovations in the genres of poetry (haiku), theater (kabuki and bunraku) and prose (kana zoshi). No knowledge of Japanese language is required. Sophomore level and above recommended.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Art: HUM
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L05 Japan 3412 Japanese Art
Surveying the arts of Japan from prehistory to present, this course focuses especially on early modern, modern and contemporary art. Emphasizing painting, sculpture, architecture and print culture, the course also explores the tea ceremony, fashion, calligraphy, garden design and ceramics. Major course themes include collectors and collecting, relationships between artists and patrons, the role of political and military culture or art, contact with China, artistic responses to the West, and the effects of gender and social status on art.
Same as L01 Art-Arch 3412
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: AH, GFAH BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 346 Japanese Literature in Translation: Mystery Fiction
In this course students explore the tantalizing, thrilling, and sometimes macabre genre of mystery fiction in Japan. Emerging in the late 19th century, largely in response to the disruptions of industrialization, the mystery genre offered writers a way to make sense of a chaotic, unfamiliar world. The genre has also allowed a means of social critique and radical experimentation. The class considers the works of Edogawa Rampo, Matsumoto Seicho, Miyabe Miyuki, Kirino Natsuo, and others. All readings in English. No prior knowledge of Japanese required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H UColl: CD
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L05 Japan 3482 The Floating World of Japanese Prints
The relationship between Japanese printmaking and popular culture from 1600 to 1900. Woodblock and copperplate printmaking techniques, key masters, kabuki drama, pleasure quarters, fiction, travel, modernization will be explored. Prerequisite: L01 111, Intro to Asian Art, or background in printmaking or Japanese culture.
Same as L01 Art-Arch 3482
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: AH, GFAH BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 365 Topics in Modern Japanese Literature: Japanese Fiction in the Postwar Period
This course explores the broad spectrum of Japanese postwar fiction, ranging from the end of the Pacific War to the early 1970s. Readings include the works of established authors such as Kawabata Yasunari, whose career resumed following the war, together with new writers, including Abe Kôbô, Mishima Yukio, Ôe Kenzaburô, Kôno Taeko, and Tsushima Yuko. The course considers the literary response to the spiritual and economic upheaval following Japan's defeat in WWII, conditions under the US Occupation and the rise of new prosperity. Particular attention will be given to changing notions of family, identity, history, gender, sexuality, marginality, myth, and nationalism. Readings will be in English.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 390 EALC Seminar: Screening East Asia: From Scroll Painting to Haptic Interface
This course introduces students to East Asian media cultures by focusing on a specific topic: the "screen." Students will explore how screen is not only an architectural construct (the painted screen) or a projection surface, but an electronic display, interface, or game console. Through examining a selection of scroll paintings, films, and digital artworks in Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan, they will learn to be attentive to the material, infrastructural, and formal conditions of how mass media is produced, exhibited, and consumed. Other media objects and phenomena to be discussed include manga and anime, console games, advertising walls, immersive installations, TikTok/Douyin short videos, digital filters and selfies, touch-based interfaces, among others. The class will also scrutinize the employment of the screen as motifs and metaphors in East Asian visual cultures and discuss how these metaphors and motifs negotiate questions of national identity, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, socialism/post-socialism, colonialism/post-colonialism, global expansion of capitalism. This class will also offer students a chance to explore multimedia productions as a new mode of critical thinking and creative expression. This course is primarily for sophomores and juniors with a major or minor in the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures. Other students may enroll with permission. No prior knowledge of East Asia is required.
Same as L81 EALC 3900
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, HUM, IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 412 Third-Level Modern Japanese I
This is the first semester of an academic-year course in pre-advanced Japanese. The course emphasizes the acquisition of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through meaningful communication. Various projects will be assigned throughout the semester in addition to the course readings, conversation exercises and class discussion. After completing this course, students are able to communicate in Japanese in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner, to read semi-authentic materials more extensively on topics about Japanese culture, and gather information about the topics of their interest by using a variety of resources. Undergraduates enroll in the 400-level section; 500-level section is for graduate students only. Prerequisite: L05 214 (grade of B- or better) or placement by examination. Credit 4 units for undergraduates, 3 units for graduate students.
Credit variable, maximum 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 413 Third-Level Modern Japanese II
This is the second semester of an academic-year course in pre-advanced Japanese. The course emphasizes the acquisition of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through meaningful communication. Various projects will be assigned throughout the semester in addition to the course readings, conversation exercises and class discussion. After completing this course, students are able to communicate in Japanese in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner, to read semi-authentic materials more extensively on topics about Japanese culture, and gather information about the topics of their interest by using a variety of resources. Undergraduates enroll in the 400-level section; 500-level section is for graduate students only. Prerequisite: L05 412 (grade of B- or better) or placement by examination. Credit 4 units for undergraduates, 3 units for graduate students.
Credit variable, maximum 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 425 Topics in Religion and Culture in East Asia: The Buddhist Culture(s) of Japan
This course explores the interaction between Buddhism and its cultural heritage (texts, ideas, deities, practices) and other aspects of premodern Japanese culture, in particular those traditions of kami worship today known under the term Shinto. After some introductory sessions covering the inception of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent and its eastward expansion to China and the Korean peninsula, the course will focus on Japan and, the interactions between Buddhism, other continental traditions, and, in particular local traditions of kami. Through a largely chronological (but at times thematic) examination of key moments, ideas, and practices spanning over a thousand years, this course attempts to investigate the modalities and implications of cultural transmission, including questions of identity, hybridization and appropriation. Basic historiographical and methodological issues, as well as the modern implications of the study of pre-modern histories, will also be discussed. Students will also be introduced to some basic issues in the area of iconology and museology. Previous coursework on East Asia and/or Buddhism is recommended but not required, and no prior knowledge of Chinese, Korean, or Japanese history or language is required. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Same as L81 EALC 425
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 431 Renegades and Radicals: The Japanese New Wave
In 1960, the major studio Shochiku promoted a new crop of directors as the "Japanese New Wave" in response to declining theater attendance, a booming youth culture, and the international success of the French Nouvelle Vague. This course provides an introduction to those iconoclastic filmmakers, who went on to break with major studios and revolutionize oppositional filmmaking in Japan. We will analyze the challenging politics and aesthetics of these confrontational films for what they tell us about Japan's modern history and cinema. The films provoke as well as entertain, providing trenchant (sometimes absurd) commentaries on postwar Japanese society and its transformations. Themes include: the legacy of WWII and Japanese imperialism; the student movement; juvenile delinquency; sexual liberation; and Tokyo subcultures. Directors include Oshima Nagisa, Shinoda Masahiro, Terayama Shuji, Masumura Yasuzo, Suzuki Seijun, Matsumoto Toshio, and others. No knowledge of Japanese necessary. Mandatory weekly screenings.
Same as L53 Film 431
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L05 Japan 443 Memory, Tears and Longing: East Asian Melodrama Film
Excessive emotion, unreasonable sacrifice, hidden truth, untimely knowledge, and forbidden desire — the power of melodrama and its moving representations have fueled the popularity of hundreds, if not thousands, of books, plays and films. Melodrama has variously been defined as a genre, a logic, an affect, and a mode, applied to diverse media, divergent cultural traditions, and different historical contexts. The course provides a survey of East Asian melodrama films — as well as films that challenge conventional definitions of melodrama — by pairing Japanese, Korean, and Chinese-language productions with key critical texts in melodrama studies. We will see classics such as Tokyo Story, Two Stage Sisters, and The Housemaid. We will examine melodrama's complex ties to modernity, tradition, and cultural transformation in East Asia; special emphasis will be placed on representations of the family, historical change, gender and sexuality. In addition to historical background and film studies concepts, we will also consider a range of approaches for thinking about the aesthetics and politics of emotion. No prerequisites. No prior knowledge of East Asian culture or language necessary. Mandatory weekly scheduled screening.
Same as L53 Film 443
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L05 Japan 445 Japanese Fiction: Meiji Women Writers (Writing-Intensive Seminar)
The Meiji Period (1868-1912) in Japan was a time of tumultuous change. During the era Japan made sweeping reforms to its government, educational system, and social structures. Meiji men were encouraged to "modernize" along Western lines, while women were expected to serve as "repositories of the past." Most women prized the elegant traditions and saw these as important markers of cultural identity. But not all were willing to completely abdicate their place in the modernizing impulse. This writing intensive course will examine these women's literary works, paying attention to the way they developed strategies to both "serve the nation" and find an outlet for their own creative voice. Works to consider include the short fiction of Higuchi Ichiyo, Shimizu Shikin, and Tamura Toshiko, the poetry of Yosano Akiko, the essays of Kishida Toshiko, and the translations of Wakamatsu Shizuko. All readings are available in English translation and students need not be familiar with Japanese, though background in Japanese Studies, Women's Studies, or literary studies will be helpful. This is a Writing-Intensive Seminar. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 4450 Horror in Japanese Media
Elements of the macabre and horrific have been present in Japanese culture and media since time immemorial. The 11th-century work The Tale of Genji, for example, features an elite lady's "living ghost" killing off her main rivals for the prince's affections. Tales of ghosts, demons, and the supernatural entities known as yokai continued to appear in collections of Buddhist didactic and folktale literature of the following centuries, finding renewed popularity in the 17th-19th centuries in the form of kaidan or "strange tales" which were enjoyed as printed works, parlor games, and stage plays. Some of the very first films made at the turn of the 20th century in Japan were about the popular ghosts of yore. Building on this long legacy of fearsome creatures in popular media of times now past, this course will consider selections of Japanese horror media (film, literature, anime, manga, and video games) from the mid-20th to early 21st centuries, highlighting the intertextuality that different media within the horror genre has and how the horror genre itself even bleeds into other genres. Analyzing major figures and themes in each work, this course will explore how Japanese horror -the strange realm home to ghosts with a grudge, misunderstood monsters, and merciless murderers-can function not only as thrilling entertainment but can also reflect Japanese societal and cultural anxieties present in the real world, ranging from the problems that technology may create in a changing world to the threats posed by shifts in traditional family dynamics. Although this course will focus on horror media in the Japanese context, understanding how horror can function to highlight such anxieties will prepare students to consider the deeper possibilities of horror media in their own respective cultural contexts. All readings will be in English, and visual media will be in Japanese with English subtitles. Required Screenings
Same as L53 Film 445
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 4451 Topics in Modern Japanese Literature
A topics course on modern Japanese literature; subject matter varies by semester. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 446 The Japanese Theater
This course is an investigation, using English materials, of the major developments and forms of the Japanese theater, from Noh and its antecedents to the rise of a modern drama. While less concerned with the performative aspects of theatrical arts (though these will be introduced via videos), emphasis is placed on the ways in which dramatic texts influenced and borrowed from the literary tradition. Readings are from major theatrical texts, secondary studies on Japanese theater, and literary sources. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 448 Japanese Poetry
This course is a comprehensive survey of Japanese poetry from the 8th century to the present day. Topics include the development of the great tradition of court poetry in the Heian period (ca. 800-1200) and its full flowering during the medieval period (ca. 1200-1600), the influence of the Zen aesthetic, the emergence of linked verse and haiku, and the transformation of the classical tradition with the advent of the modern era. All works will be read in English translation, although knowledge of Japanese will be useful. Graduate students will be expected to read original materials extensively. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. Art: HUM
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L05 Japan 4482 Japanese Prints: Courtesans, Actors and Travelers
Woodblock prints of the 18th and 19th centuries and their relationship to literature and popular culture. Topics include the life of the pleasure quarters, sexuality and the "erotic," parody, kabuki theater, and the representation of women. Prerequisite: 3 units in Japanese painting, or permission of instructor.
Same as L01 Art-Arch 4482
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Art: AH, HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 449 Modern Japanese Women Writers: Writing-Intensive Seminar
Japanese women have been scripted by Western (male) imagination as gentle, self-effacing creatures. From their (re)emergence in the late 19th century to their dominance in the late 20th, Japanese women writers have presented an image of their countrywomen as anything but demure. Struggling to define their voices against ever-shifting expectations and social contexts, the women they create in their fiction are valiant, if not at times violent. This course examines the various manifestations of the female image in female-authored modern Japanese fiction. Writers to be considered are Higuchi Ichiyo, Hirabayashi Taiko, Uno Chiyo, Enchi Fumiko, Yamada Eimi, and others. A selection of novels and shorter fiction will be available in English translation, and students need not be familiar with Japanese. Prior course work in literature/women's studies may be helpful. This is a Writing-Intensive Seminar. Prerequisite: Junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD, WI EN: H
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L05 Japan 4491 Modern Japanese Women Writers
Japanese women have been scripted by Western (male) imagination as gentle, self-effacing creatures. From their (re)emergence in the late 19th century to their dominance in the late 20th, Japanese women writers have presented an image of their countrywomen as anything but demure. Struggling to define their voices against ever-shifting expectations and social contexts, the women they create in their fiction are valiant, if not at times violent. This course examines the various manifestations of the female image in female-authored modern Japanese fiction. Writers considered are Higuchi Ichiyo, Hirabayashi Taiko, Uno Chiyo, Enchi Fumiko, Yamada Eimi, and others. A selection of novels and shorter fiction are available in English translation, and students need not be familiar with Japanese. Prior course work in literature/women's studies may be helpful. Prerequisite: Junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD EN: H
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L05 Japan 450 Masterworks of Early Japanese Literature: The Tale of Genji and its Afterlives
This course is an intensive study of one of the central texts of classical Japanese literature. Selection of texts rotate among works including: The Tale of Genji, court diaries, poetry anthologies, Noh drama, The Tale of the Heike, setsuwa collections, and medieval memoirs. In addition to exploring the historical, literary, and cultural significance of the work from its genesis to the present age, students engage in a close reading of the text and an investigation of the primary theoretical issues and approaches associated with the work both in Japan and abroad. Prior knowledge of early Japanese literature or history is recommended. Texts will be read in English translation. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L05 Japan 458 Fourth-Level Modern Japanese I
This is the first semester of an academic-year course in advanced Japanese. The course emphasizes the acquisition of linguistic, pragmatic, and sociocultural competence in all four areas of the language as well as advanced level critical thinking skills. In addition to the textbook, more authentic materials such as movie clips, newspaper articles, etc. are selected for readings and discussion topics. Students will be assigned several projects in accordance with the interests and needs of participating students. After completing the course, students are able to manage various speaking styles according to the situational/relational context and express their opinions clearly and logically in speaking and writing. Undergraduates enroll in the 400-level section; 500-level section is for graduate students only. Prerequisite: L05 413 (grade of B- or better) or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 459 Fourth-Level Modern Japanese II
This is the second semester of an academic-year course in advanced Japanese. The course emphasizes the acquisition of linguistic, pragmatic, and sociocultural competence in all four areas of the language as well as advanced level critical thinking skills. In addition to the textbook, more authentic materials such as movie clips, newspaper articles, etc. are selected for readings and discussion topics. Students will be assigned several projects in accordance with the interests and needs of participating students. After completing the course, students are able to manage various speaking styles according to the situational/relational context and express their opinions clearly and logically in speaking and writing. Undergraduates enroll in the 400-level section; 500-level section is for graduate students only. Prerequisite: L05 458 (grade of B- or better) or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS EN: H
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L05 Japan 460 Premodern Japanese I
The language referred to as classical Japanese (or literary Japanese, kobun, kogo, bungo, bungotai, etc.) was in use from the Heian period to the 20th century, and traces of it remain even in modern Japanese. This course gives students a systematic introduction to the grammar of bungo, through readings in texts from the Heian and medieval periods. By the end of the semester students should be able to read reasonably straightforward passages of bungo with a dictionary. They will also have a deeper understanding of the grammar and structure of modern Japanese, and will become more skilled at using Japanese-Japanese dictionaries. Readings are drawn from Japanese classical literary texts using materials from standard modern annotated editions. Prerequisite: L05 412-413, or concurrent registration.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 461 Premodern Japanese II
This course is a continuation of Japan 460 which reinforces and expands the student's understanding of classical Japanese grammar through close reading of texts drawn from the Heian, medieval and Edo periods, and introduces the basics of reading hentaigana, the cursive form of kana found in manuscript and woodblock print books. Readings are in classical literary texts using materials from standard modern annotated editions as well as the introduction of skills necessary for reading original texts, including kambun and hentaigana. Prerequisite: L05 413 or concurrent registration, or L05 460.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS EN: H
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L05 Japan 464 Japanese Textual Analysis
This course introduces the advanced student of Japanese to a variety of prose narratives in the modern language. Readings, which include literary texts and topical essays on aspects of Japanese society and culture, reflect the needs and interests of the enrolled students. Focus is on close reading and syntactic analysis of the selected texts. Regular translation exercises gauge the mastery of grammar, syntax, and idiomatic usages. All readings are in Japanese, with class discussion conducted predominantly in English. A final translation project, to be chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor, is required. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD EN: H
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L05 Japan 4710 Topics in Japanese Culture: Reminiscences of Childhood and Youth
Writers in Japan, as elsewhere, have fashioned accounts of childhood and youth- both fictive and autobiographical, in prose and verse- over the centuries. This course will explore the variety of such narratives, with a focus on Japanese literary works of the modern period. Following a survey of classical and pre-modern works, students will read selections by modern writers who reflected upon their origins, their upbringing, and their world in retrospect. Among them are the following: Natsume Sôseki, Tanizaki Jun'ichirô, Shimazaki Tôson, Kôda Aya, Mishima Yukio, Uno Chiyo, Yasuoka Shôtarô, and Kita Morio. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor
Same as L81 EALC 4710
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 486 Independent Work for Senior Honors
This course is taken in the fall semester. Prerequisite: senior level, eligibility for Honors, and permission of the Department.
Credit 3 units.
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L05 Japan 487 Independent Work for Senior Honors
This course is taken in the spring semester. Prerequisites: senior level, eligibility for Honors, and permission of the Department.
Credit 3 units.
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L05 Japan 491 Topics in Japanese Literature & History:
A topics course on Japanese literature and history. Subject matter varies by semester; consult current semester listings for topic. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L05 Japan 499 Guided Readings in Japanese
Prerequisites: Senior or graduate level and permission of the instructor. This course is normally taken after the successful completion of L05 459. May be repeated once.
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
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