ANTHRO 254a: Japan: Culture, Society, Modernityhttp://www.disabilitystudies.jp/nakamura
ANTHRO 254a: Japan: Culture, Society, ModernityProfessor: Karen Nakamura
Teaching Assistants: TBA
Lectures: TBA
Lecture Location: TBA
Section 1: TBA
Section 1 Location: TBA
Section 2: TBA
Section 2 Location: TBA
This course offers an introductory survey of Japan from an anthropological perspective. It is open without prerequisite to anyone with a curiosity about what is arguably the most important non-Western society of the last 100 years, and to anyone concerned about the diverse conditions of modern life. We will range over many aspects of contemporary Japan, and draw on scholarship in history, literature, religion, and the various social sciences. The course does, however, revolve around three broad issues that provide an underlying thematic coherence and that demonstrate how anthropologists approach a society of such complexity and depth.
a. What is it that makes Japan a recognizable cultural and social entity? What cultural idioms and social institutions are distinctive, salient features of Japan and the Japanese? How can we talk about the "distinctiveness" of Japan without falling into the all-too-common trap of attributing a "uniqueness" to Japan?
b. What has been the course of social and cultural change in modern Japan? In what ways are Japan's present patterns continuous or discontinuous with its past? What have been the cultural politics of tradition? Is Japanese "modernity" the same as Euroamerican "modernity"?
c. Profound changes are now taking place in Japanese society as new social actors are appearing among the youth, the adults, and the elderly. What is the new social formation that is replacing the patterns of life that characterized Japan in the late twentieth-century?
These questions both motivate and organize this course. They are the central issues for any considered judgment of a country whose roots are deep in the East Asian past but whose place is now among the most influential nations of the world. The study of Japan challenges us to reevaluate the premises of Western social theory, and it rewards us with fresh understandings of the transformations to modernity and the nature and direction of modern life.
| Class Calendar (Overview of Topics) |
Assignments |
This course is open to all students.
Writing requirements
The course requires you to prepare three essays, which test your assimilation of and reflections on lectures, readings, and videos. Instructions for both assignments are posted at the class web site. The first will be an essay of 3-4 pages that will be due on Thursday, September 21, by 4:30 p.m. A second essay of about ten pages will have two deadlines; a rough draft is due on Monday, October 30, by 4:30 p.m. The final draft is due on Friday, November 17, by 4:30 p.m. A third essay of about five pages will be due on Friday, December 8, by 4:30 p.m. on a topic that will be assigned in November.
In addition, students must complete one of the following two options: graded section participation or a final examination. Please note that you MUST select the the section option if you wish to receive WR credit in this course.
Option 1: Course discussion sections
Beginning in the second week, eleven weekly discussion sections will be held during the Friday class period. All students may attend these classes, but to qualify for the "sections" option and for WR credit, you must (a) attend at least nine of the sections, (b) participate actively in the discussions, and (c) complete the short written exercises that will accompany most weeks' section meetings. Those of you selecting this option will receive a grade for section participation based on an evaluation of your written responses and general participation. This grade will be about 25% of your course grade.
Option 2: Final examination
If you do not complete the discussion section option for a grade, you must take a final examination,which will be held at the scheduled time during the examination period on Monday, December 18 at 9:00 a.m. The exam will require that you write for two hours without notes on four essay questions that will be selected from a longer list of questions distributed at the final class. I encourage you to view the final examination instructions and previous years' questions during the course to better prepare yourself for its format. Please note, too, that the examination is only offered at the assigned time. Given its format, it cannot be taken in advance. Please consider this in making your end-of-term travel plans.
As a general rule, the course grade will weigh your work in the following proportions: first essay = 20%; second essay = 35%; third essay = 20%; section participation or final examination = 25%.
The essay grading in this course is done both by me and by the Teaching Fellow(s). We will first discuss each assignment and its guidelines for evaluation; the TA will then read the papers, and pass them to me for my own reading and a final determination of the grade. If you wish to talk about our comments and/or grading of your essays, you are free to consult with either the TA or myself.
Deadlines and extensions policy
Please note carefully my policy about deadlines! I make available the topics of these assignments well in advance of the deadlines, and offer advice and feedback for those interested along the way. I do not give extensions of these deadlines except for unforeseen real-life emergencies. This does not include concert appearances, theater performances, sports competitions, holiday travel plans, computer malfunctions, and other obligations at the deadline. I do not accept Dean's excuses. However, late essays submitted within ten days of the deadline will be accepted, but they will be ineligible for grades above B.
The required books will be available at the Labyrinth Bookstore. Course readings in the forms of articles will be distributed in class and also available through the ClassesV2 system.