This is the companion course to ASIA 2009 Modern Japanese Society (MJS).  Whereas MJS examines Japan through the lens of the social sciences  Modern Japanese Culture (MJC) approaches Japan through the humanities.  Specifically, this class will draw on such materials as novels, short stories, film, poetry, anime and theatre to introduce students to a cross-section of Japanese culture: high and low, metropolitan and peripheral, contemporary and not-so-contemporary.

In this class we will move beyond simplistic characterizations of Japanese culture and Japanese cultural identity as homogeneous, monolithic entities and arrive at understandings of Japan, Japanese culture and cultural identity as an amalgams of coexisting, competing and oftentimes conflicting narratives, each with its own historical and political context.

Through lectures and outside readings students will gain a basic familiarity with important cultural and historical trends in modern Japan.  In group discussions and the final research paper students will learn how to develop and apply historically contextualised analyses of cultural artefacts.  In writing the research paper students will master the fundamentals of academic writing (setting a viable research topic, archival work, critical analysis, conventions of academic writing, etc.) over the course of their investigation of a specific aspect of modern Japanese culture.

Attendance (10%

Tutorial Assignments (20%)

Quizzes (20%)

Research Paper (50%) comprising of the following -

Title & abstract (10%)

Annotated bibliography and outline (15%)

Final Draft (75%)

1 x 2 hour lecture plus 1 x 1 hour tutorial per week

Completion of 6 university courses (36 units).