1. art and entertainment
2. books and literature
3. textbooks

301 Language in Social Interaction I
Instructor: Yoshihiko ASAO 淺尾仁彦 (asao*at*lit.nagoya-u.ac.jp)
1. First day of class: Monday, April 13, 2nd period Rm 131
2. Prerequisites: Knowledge of the Japanese language and familiarity with basic
linguistic concepts will be a plus, but are not required.
3. General description:
The goal of this course is to learn the basics of sociolinguistics, with an emphasis on
sociolinguistic issues in Japan and/or the Japanese language. It aims to better
understand the linguistic diversity of the world and its relation to society and culture.
Some illustrative questions we will address in class are below:
! How do we use different languages, or different styles of the same language (e.g.
polite vs. plain) in different situations?
! How do we use words to achieve our goals? How can we guess an intended
meaning in conversation?
! Which language should have an official status? Should we save dying languages?
! Culture determines language, language determines culture, both, or neither?
Students are expected to actively participate in in-class discussions.
4. Topics to be covered:
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12.
Multilingualism
Diglossia
Birth and death of languages
Language planning
Dialects
Language variation in age and social class
Language change
Gender
Brief introduction to linguistic pragmatics
Politeness
Analyzing discourse
Language and culture
5. Textbook:
Holmes (2013) An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. (4th edition)
6. Reference materials:
Additional materials will be introduced during each class.
7. Evaluation:
Attendance and in-class exercises: 40%
Quizzes: 30%
Final paper: 30%
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 703 New perspectives on modern Japanese literature
—Literary representations of love, longing, and desire in modern Japan—
Instructor: Kristina IWATA (Kristina.iwata*at*lit.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Rm 221)
1. Class Meetings
Monday, 2nd period (beginning 4/13), Rm 129
2. Course Registration
The course is open to all 3rd and 4th year undergraduate, graduate and NUPACE
students. It will mostly be taught in English but all participants should have some
understanding of Japanese and ideally be able to follow discussions in both languages.
Reading responses and seminar papers can be submitted in either language.
Students from other Schools are welcome if they are familiar with the basics of literary
analysis.
The following is a draft syllabus, which will be revised as necessary.
3. Course Description
“Love” at first sight appears as an obvious concept, but in reality it has undergone
radical changes over time and differs depending on the cultural context. This course
explores representations of love, longing, and desire in modern Japanese culture and
literature. Following a brief excursion to pre-modern understandings of love and tracing
its translation into a modern, westernized notion, we ask how love has been
conceptualized in relation to sexuality, gender, marriage, and the modern nation state.
In particular, we will discuss the (literary) representation of themes such as romantic
love, postwar pure love, homosexual love, prostitution, love suicide, parental love, and
more.
4. Course Content
While our focus will be on (translated) works of modern literature, we will make
excursions to the pre-modern era and also read texts that look at “love” from a
historical, sociological and/ or anthropological perspective. All literary texts (but
few/none of the research papers) read are available in Japanese as well.
This course is not a lecture but a seminar the learning outcome of which depends on
your preparation and active participation in class.
5. Textbooks & Reference Materials
No textbook is required for this course. All weekly readings will be made available in
English as PDFs, etc.
Additionally, I recommend sociologist Niklas Luhmann’s seminal book on love as
flexible code: Luhmann, Niklas. Love as passion: the codification of intimacy. Polity
Press, 1986 (available in English/German at NU libraries).
6. Evaluation
Participation 20%; Reading responses 10%; Presentation/Discussion leader 30%;
Seminar Research Paper 40%
An attendance rate of at least 80% is mandatory for all students. No sleeping in class.
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 902 Graduate Seminar: Literary theory and practice II
—Japanese modern literature and the city—
Instructor: Kristina IWATA (kristina.iwata*at*lit.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Rm 221)
1. Class Meetings
Monday, 3rd period (beginning 4/13), Rm 131
2. Course Registration
The course is open to all graduate students enrolled in Japanese language programs as
well as NUPACE students (graduate AND UNDERGRADUATE). It will mostly be taught
in English but all participants should have some understanding of Japanese and ideally
be able to follow discussions in both languages. Reading responses and seminar papers
can be submitted in either language.
The following is a draft syllabus, which will be revised as necessary.
3. Course Description
Already in the 18th century, Japan’s capital grew to be the world’s largest city, and
present-day Tokyo is the most populous metropolitan area on the globe. A major center
of urban culture, Tokyo came to be regarded as embodiment of modern life, and
unceasing source of inspiration for writers and artists alike. In this course, we will read
literary texts written between the late eighteenth and early twenty-first centuries and
consider how writers have expressed their fascination with the city, its rapid growth
and social and technological changes, the physically and socially destructive effects of
earthquakes and war, as well as its reconstruction. We will look at the representation of
youth cultures and ageing populations, consumerism and growing precarity,
marginalized existences, and the loneliness of the city, and discuss the implications of
economic recession and population decline.
4. Course Content
Our main interest is in literary works describing different aspects of life in Japan’s
mega-city, but we will also make reference to other genres such as film, anime, and
manga, and we will become acquainted with a number of sociological and
anthropological perspectives on urban culture. All literary texts but few/none of the
research papers read are available in Japanese.
This course is not a lecture but a reading-intensive seminar the learning outcome of
which depends on your preparation and active participation in class.
5. Textbooks & Reference Materials
No textbook is required for this course. All readings will be made available in English as
PDFs, etc.
6. Evaluation
Participation 20%; Reading responses 10%; Presentation/Discussion leader 30%;
Seminar Research Paper 40%
An attendance rate of at least 80% is mandatory for all students.
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 602 History of Modern Japanese Literature (Spring 2015)
Instructor: Satoko KAKIHARA ([email protected]), Rm 231–1
1. Class Meetings: Wednesday 3rd period (1–2:30 PM), School of Letters 131
2. Purpose
This course examines prominent and not-so-prominent writers and texts in modern
Japanese literature. Specifically, we will read works that were produced since the Meiji
period and follow the continued construction of Japan as a modern nation-state. By
analyzing fiction and non-fiction works, written by well-known writers as well as
lesser-known essayists, we will discuss how a literary “canon” takes form, and who
contributes to that formation. We will discuss such writers as Natsume Sōseki,
Enchi Fumiko, Yuasa Katsuei, Murakami Haruki, and Yoshimoto Banana.
The goals of this course are threefold: one, to become familiar with both major and
minor writers and literary movements in Japan since 1868; two, to understand how
literary and cultural productions both influence and are influenced by political and
economic changes of their environment; and three, to produce a critical analysis of a
text of the student’s choosing.
3. Requirements for Class Registration
The seminar is open to second-year (and above) students interested in learning about
modern and contemporary Japanese literature and the relationship between cultural
movements and political changes in East Asia. The seminar (including discussions,
reading materials, and assignments) will be in English. Students of all levels of English
are encouraged to participate.
4. Content
Readings, discussions, response papers (10 total), writing assignments (2 total), end-ofterm presentation, and end-of-term paper (introduction/outline and final draft).
5. Textbooks
No textbooks are required for this course. Readings will be made available to students
in electronic form.
6. Evaluation
Students will submit their own work in their name and provide citations for their
references.
30% Reading response papers (10 total, 150–250 words each)
20% Writing assignments (2 total, 300–500 words each)
10% End-of-term paper introduction and outline
20% End-of-term paper final draft
10% End-of-term presentation
10% Attendance and participation
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 803. Research Methods for Culture and History III
Instructor: Satoko KAKIHARA ([email protected]), Rm 231–1
1. Class Meetings: Thursdays 4th period (2:45–4:15 PM) School of Letters 131
2. Purpose
This seminar examines various methods of researching topics in culture and history of
East Asia and surrounding regions. We will consider academic scholarship as a
collection of conversations taking place among numerous participants—including you.
Ranging from questions of Orientalism and the nation-state, to problematics of gender,
race, and sexuality, to issues of labor and migration, we will discuss various scholarly
works that approach these topics from different angles, and in different ways.
Furthermore, we will consider the implications of conducting research that focuses on
“Japan” within the larger context of “Asia” in the present academic context. The topics
of some of the works we will discuss include: social significance of bentō boxes;
racialization of the Taiwanese under Japanese imperialism; minoritization of the
Zainichi community; labor migration and marriage among Filipina women in Japan;
representation of queer communities within Asian diasporas; and popularity and
marketing of K-pop music in Asia and the United States.
The goals of this seminar are threefold: one, to familiarize yourself with various theories
of cultural analyses; two, to practice articulating critiques of scholarly works for their
methods, analyses, and arguments; and three, to propose your own research project
that you may one day conduct, providing both justification and literature review.
3. Requirements for Class Registration
The seminar is open to all graduate and advanced undergraduate students interested in
learning research methods for the humanities and social sciences. The seminar
(including discussions, reading materials, and assignments) will be in English. Students
of all levels of English are encouraged to participate.
4. Content
Readings, discussions, response papers (10 total), writing assignments (3 total), end-ofterm presentation, and end-of-term project proposal (rough and final drafts).
5. Textbooks
No textbooks are required for this course. Readings will be made available in electronic
form.
6. Evaluation
Students will submit their own work in their name and provide citations for their
references.
30% Reading response papers (10 total, 200–300 words each)
30% Writing assignments (3 total, 300–500 words each)
20% End-of-term project proposal (rough and final drafts)
10% End-of-term presentation
10% Attendance and participation
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 613 ASIAN FILM HISTORY AFTER 1945
Lecturer: Ma Ran ([email protected])
1. Lecture Period/Location: Tuesday★ 4th period (14:45-16:15), Rm 131
2. Course Description & Objective
This is the second part for our study of film history in Asia, which zooms in onto the
post-World War II decades. This course attempts to position the survey of films within
the socio-historical exigencies and cultural context of Japan, Korea and Greater China
since 1945 and aims to facilitate the understanding of Asian film traditions in relation to
the sociopolitical history and discourses of modernities in this region.
3 Course Approach
Lectures, screenings, discussions/presentations and oral/written analyses. Under the
academic guidance and facilitation of the lecturer, students are expected to critically
evaluate theories and arguments from their readings and learn to apply the concepts
and theories in film analysis. It is also expected that the students could communicate
(not mechanically reciting) their ideas effectively via discussions and presentations as
well as in writing assignments.
4. Course Materials
Would be a compilation of crucial literature (journal articles, book chapters, critical
writings etc.); the lecturer would upload the PDFed materials online for the students to
download.
[for the weekly schedule, please check the detailed syllabus at the beginning of the
semester]
5.Evaluation
10% Participation; Attendance
15% contribution to class discussion/presentation
10% take-home quiz/project
30% Reading Journal Assignment (10%x3)
35% Final Paper
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] SEMINAR: CINEMA AND PRACTICE—GLOBAL FILM CULTURE
Lecturer: Ma Ran ([email protected])
1. Lecture Period/Location: Friday ★ 5th period (16:30-18:00, Rm 131)
2. Course Description & Objectives:
This seminar attempts to survey post-WWII global film culture by engaging with the
“Nouvella Vague” or New Wave film movements around the world, in which
local/regional conventions of filmmaking practices, conceptualizations of film theories
and cinematic aesthetics have been continuously contested, redefined and
revolutionized. The highlight will be specifically directed to new waves emerging from
Asian regions/countries in the recent decades in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland
China and South Korea.
3. Course Prerequisites
Preferably we welcome students whose written and spoken English abilities are
adequate enough for them to participate in presentations and to write short essays and
so forth. Importantly, it is however possible, and encouraged for undergrads (including
NUPACE students) to sit in or even enroll at our seminar, based on mutual
understanding on the level of the seminar and the responsibility shared (namely, the
students understands the academic challenges, and lecturer acknowledges the students’
potential and efforts). Under such circumstances, individual consultations with the
lecturer and trial sessions are possible.
4. Course Approach
Primarily designed as a graduate-level seminar, it to great extent relies on the
discussions/presentations on the part of the students to facilitate the flow of each
session. Under the academic guidance and facilitation of the lecturer, students are
expected to critically evaluate theories and arguments from their readings and learn to
apply the concepts and theories in film analysis. It is also expected that the students
could communicate (not mechanically reciting) their ideas effectively via discussions
and presentations as well as in writing assignments.
5. Course Materials
Will be a compilation of crucial literature (journal articles, book chapters, critical
writings etc.); the lecturer will upload the PDFed materials online for the students to
download. [for the weekly schedule, please check the detailed syllabus at the
beginning of the semester]
6. Evaluation
10% Participation; Attendance
20% contribution to class discussion/presentation
10% take-home quiz/project
30% Reading Journal Assignment (10%x3)
30% Final Paper
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 721 East Asia in World History
Instructor: Nathan Hopson ([email protected])
1. Date and Time
Thursday, 2nd period (10:30~12:00) beginning 4/16.
2. General Description
This course is a seminar in East Asian history, with a focus on (1) understanding the
region’s cultures and histories, and (2) placing the history of East Asia within a world
history context.
3. Course Content
This is a reading-intensive, discussion-based course. You cannot slack off, and you will
not be able to fake it. You must complete the readings to be involved in the discussions,
and must be involved in the discussions to receive a good grade.
Assignments
Additionally, the work in this course is not limited to reading and discussion.
Guidelines provided separately, but you will need to, at the very least:
1. Lead discussion once, with at least one partner
2. Produce a final project
3. Make a presentation of a “draft” version of your final project
4. Write weekly reading responses online
•
There will be no tests or exams, but you will be expected to respond in no
more than two paragraphs to the readings each week.
Schedule
The following is a tentative schedule. It will be revised based on student enrolment.
Wk 1:
Introduction
Wk 2~10:
East Asia in World History
Wk 11~12: Presentations
Wk 13:
Wrap-up
Wk 14:
TBA
4. Textbook
No textbook is required for this class. All readings will be provided electronically as
PDFs, etc.
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 622 Japanese Culture and East Asia
Instructor: Nathan Hopson ([email protected])
1. Date and Time
Thursday, 5th period (16:30~18:00) beginning 4/16.
2. General Description
This is an introduction to the formation of Japanese culture(s) in the context of East
Asian histories and cultures. Rather than assuming a singular, reified Japanese national
culture—either synchronically or diachronically—this class will attempt to draw out the
diversity of cultures in the archipelago as well as their relationships to the larger East
Asian milieu.
3. Course Content
The class will roughly follow a historical chronology, beginning with prehistory and
ending in the present day. That obviously means leaving a lot of things out. For reasons
I hope will become clear, I plan give very little time to about 800-1600. In this sense,
the course is decidedly not a survey. But by highlighting certain critical interactions
over time, we will attempt to sketch out a rough picture of the ebb and flow of
important cultural influences over time.
4. Schedule
The following is a tentative schedule. It will be revised based on student enrolment.
Wk 1:
Introduction
Wk 2~10:
Japanese Culture(s) and East Asia
Wk 11~12: Presentations
Wk 13:
Wrap-up
Wk 14:
TBA
5. Assignments
Additionally, the work in this course is not limited to reading and discussion. Specifics
provided separately, but you will need to, at the very least:
5. Lead discussion at least once, with at least one partner (depends on enrollment)
6. Produce a final project
7. Make a presentation of a “draft” version of your final project
8. Write weekly reading responses online
•
There will be no tests or exams, but you will be expected to respond in no
more than two paragraphs to the readings each week.
5. Textbook
No textbook is required for this class. All readings will be provided electronically as
PDFs, etc.
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT] 711 Classical Film Theory
Instructor: Hideaki Fujiki ([email protected])
1. Date and Time
Wednesday, 17:30-19:00 beginning 4/16
2. Room
Room 131, Graduate School of Letters
3. Course Content
This course examines important conceptions and debates in the history of Western film theories
mainly from the 1910s through the 1950s. In doing so, it aims to provide students with an
opportunity (1) to grasp a basic history of film theory, (2) to nurture their critical view on
cinema and other types of media, and (3) to develop their knowledge and thoughts on a wider
range of socio-cultural theories and their histories. How does one theory attempt to overcome
previous theories? How does each theory account for the aesthetics and social roles of cinema,
as well as its relationship with audiences? And, how does a theory analyze films? These
questions are key frameworks for us to understand and analyze the theories we are dealing with.
The course comprises a combination of screenings, lectures, and discussions. Students must
complete the reading assignments prior to each class.
4. Schedule
Introduction
The Art of Gestalt: Arnheim and Münsterberg
Soviet Montage: Eisenstein (plus Kleshov and Vertov)
Exploring Realism: Bazin
Looking at Visuality: Balázs
The Frankfurt School I: Benjamin
The Frankfurt School II: Adorno
5. Evaluation
10%
20%
20%
50%
Participation
Contribution to class discussion (including presentation)
Short analytical paper
Term paper
6. Texts
All texts will be provided via PDFs.
SCHOOL OF LETTERS SYLLABUS SPRING 2015 [DRAFT]