York University
Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
AP/JP 2700 6.00 Contemporary Japanese Culture and Society
2018-2019
Lectures: Mondays 11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M. Class Location: Ross Building South, room 174
Instructor: Cary S. Takagaki
Office: Ross Building South, room 509
Telephone: (416) 736-2100, ext. 30384
e-mail:
takagaki@yorku.ca / cs.takagaki@utoronto.ca
Office hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 2:30-3:30 P.M., or by appointment
Course
Description:
This course is a basic introduction to Japanese culture and society,
from its pre-modern period to the present day, examining the major historical
events, religious traditions, and cultural developments that have influenced
and pervaded Japanese civilization. The objective of this course is to prepare
students in any discipline of Japanese studies, be it language, linguistics,
literature, history, economics, business, etc., with the background to better understand,
appreciate, and understanding Japan and its peoples.
Course
Requirements:
—movie review, 3-4 pages, due Monday November 5,
2018 (10%)
—book review, 3-4 pages, due Monday January 7,
2019 (10%)
—class presentation—all students are required
to give a presentation on a topic of their choice, (10%)
—quizzes: there will be 12 quizzes (Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 22, 29, Nov. 26, Dec. 3, Jan. 14, 28, Feb. 11, March 4, 11, 25), each worth 5% of the final mark. Makeup quizzes for missed quizzes will not be allowed, but since unavoidable circumstances may cause a student to miss class on occasion, the marks of only the best 10 of the quizzes will be tabulated. Prolonged absence due to medical or personal emergencies should be brought to the attention of the professor so that alternate assignments can be arranged (50%)
—research essay: approximately 8-10 pages, due Monday April 1, 2019 (20%)
NOTE: all written assignments must be submitted in printed form to the instructor, and in electronic format to ‘www.turnitin.com’. These are also subject to an oral review before marks are assigned. Students must keep a copy of their assignment and essay, as well as notes and drafts, for their own records, and be prepared to submit them if requested.
Since this is an academic setting, it is expected that all written assignments meet a minimum standard of literacy (i.e., grammar, spelling, writing style). Accordingly, those who are not familiar with writing essays, or those whose native language is other than English, are expected to avail themselves of the various writing skills facilities available on or off campus. For more information about the various resources available to students at the York University campus, visit the following website:
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/writ/
Penalties:
It is customary in a university setting to impose penalties for late submission of written assignments in order to be “fair” to those students who have made the effort to submit material on time. Accordingly, late assignments will be penalized 2% per day unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor or a valid medical excuse is provided.
Required
Text:
—Hendry, Joy. Understanding Japanese
Society, 4th edition
(London & NY: Routledge, 2013)
—Supplementary readings can be found online or can be
accessed through the York library catalogue. Students should familiarize
themselves with these readings as their content will be included in the
quizzes.
Course Website:
This course uses a website to make lecture outlines available to the student. However, this is only a guide to taking notes, and not a substitute. Copyright concerns will restrict the lecture material available on the website. The website is also used to provide information on assignments, essay topics, etc. Students are strongly urged to check it on a regular basis.
The website can be accessed through:
Academic
Honesty
The following is from the York University 2018-2019 calendar:
Senate Policy on Academic Honesty
The Policy on Academic Honesty is an affirmation and
clarification for members of the University of the general obligation to
maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. As a clear sense of academic
honesty and responsibility is fundamental to good scholarship, the policy
recognizes the general responsibility of all faculty members to foster
acceptable standards of academic conduct and of the student to be mindful of
and abide by such standards.
Academic
honesty requires that persons do not falsely claim credit for the ideas,
writing or other intellectual property of others, either by presenting such
works as their own or through impersonation. Similarly, academic honesty
requires that persons do not cheat (attempt to gain an improper advantage in an
academic evaluation), nor attempt or actually alter,
suppress, falsify or fabricate any research data or results, official academic
record, application or document.
Suspected
breaches of academic honesty will be investigated and
charges shall be laid if reasonable and probable grounds exist. A student who
is charged with a breach of academic honesty shall be presumed innocent until,
based upon clear and compelling evidence, a committee determines the student
has violated the academic honesty standards of the university. A finding of
academic misconduct will lead to the range of penalties described in the
guidelines which accompany this policy. In some cases
the University regulations on non-academic discipline may apply. A lack of
familiarity with the Senate Policy and Guidelines on Academic Honesty on the
part of a student does not constitute a defence against their application. Some
academic offences constitute offences under the Criminal Code of Canada; a
student charged under University regulations may also be subject to criminal
charges. Charges may also be laid against York University students for matters
which arise at other educational institutions.
Information
about guidelines and procedures related to this policy can be obtained from the
University Secretariat website (http://secretariat-policies.info.yorku.ca/).
As
a student it is your responsibility to ensure the integrity of your work and to
understand what constitutes an academic offence. If you have any concerns that
you may be crossing the line, always ask your instructor.
Plagiarism will be dealt with strictly in accordance to
university guidelines. It is incumbent on the part of the student to understand
the nature of plagiarism and to understand the consequences of this offence.
Note:
All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the following
information, available in the 2018-2019 Academic Calendar:
·
Ethics Review Process for
research involving human participants
·
Course requirement
accommodation for students with disabilities, including physical, medical,
systemic, learning and psychiatric disabilities
·
Student Conduct Standards
·
Religious Observance Accommodation
Course Schedule
The following is a tentative schedule of lecture
topics. The interests of the class may result in certain topics receiving more,
or less, attention. Therefore, the topics may not necessarily be covered on the
dates assigned to them.
WEEK 1: Monday September 10, 2018
—administrative matters; survey of course
—“The Historical and Mythological Foundations of Japan” [Hendry, chapter 1]
Suggested websites for timelines and summaries of Japanese history:
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/timelines/japan_timeline.htm
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1000ce_samurai.htm
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/black_ships_and_samurai/bss_essay01.html
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/timelines/japan_modern_timeline.htm
WEEK 2: Monday September 17, 2018
—“The Historical and Mythological Foundations of Japan” [Hendry, chapter 1] (cont’d)
WEEK 3: Monday September 24, 2018
QUIZ #1: history [Hendry, chapter 1]
—“Religious Influences” [Hendry, chapter 7]
Suggested websites:
For Shintō:
http://fore.yale.edu/religion/shinto/
For Buddhism:
http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/
For Confucianism:
http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/edbio.htm
SUPPLEMENTARY READING: Nelson, John K., “Freedom of Expression: the Very Modern Practice
of Visiting a Shinto Shrine,” in Japanese
Journal of Religious Studies, vol. 23, no. 1-2 (1996), pp. 118-153 [THIS ARTICLE IS
AVAILABLE THROUGH THE YORK LIBRARY CATALOGUE]
WEEK 4: Monday October 1, 2018
QUIZ #2: religion [Hendry, chapter 7]
—“Socialisation and classification” [Hendry, chapter 3]
FALL READING WEEK:
Saturday October 6- Friday October 12, 2018: NO CLASSES
MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018:
THANKSGIVING UNIVERSITY CLOSED
WEEK 5: Monday October 15, 2018
—“Status, hierarchy and ethnic diversity” [Hendry, chapter 6]
WEEK 6: Monday October 22, 2018
QUIZ #3: socialization and classification, status, hierarchy,
and ethnic diversity [Hendry, chapters 3 & 6]
—“The house and family system” [Hendry, chapter 2]
SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS:
—Rosenthal, Bruce and
Donald L. Zimmerman, “Hikikomori,”
International Journal of Mental
Health, vol.
41, no. 4 (Winter 2012-2013), pp. 82-95 [THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE
YORK LIBRARY CATALOGUE]
—Kosugi Reiko, “Youth employment in Japan’s economic recovery: ‘freeters’ and ‘neets’” Japan Focus (May 11, 2006) [THIS ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT: http://www.japanfocus.org/-Kosugi-Reiko/2022/article.html]
WEEK 7: Monday October 29, 2018
QUIZ #4: the house & family system [Hendry, chapter 2]
—“Community and neighbourhood” [Hendry, chapter 4]
WEEK 8: Monday November 5, 2018
MOVIE REVIEW DUE
—traditional Japanese culture [Hendry, chapter 10]
Suggested websites:
Ukiyoe (woodblock prints):
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/index.html
Kabuki:
Bunraku:
http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/
WEEK 9: Monday November 12, 2019
—traditional Japanese culture, cont’d [Hendry, chapter 10]
WEEK 10: Monday November 19, 2018
—traditional Japanese culture, cont’d [Hendry, chapter 10]
WEEK 11: Monday November 26, 2018
QUIZ #5: Japanese
culture [Hendry, chapter 10]
—food in Japan
SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS:
—Lorie Brau, “Oishinbo’s adventures in eating: food, communication, and culture in Japanese comics,” in Gastronomica—The Journal of Food and Culture, vol. 4, no. 4 (Fall, 2004), pp. 34-45 [THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE YORK LIBRARY CATALOGUE]
—Anne Allison, “Japanese Mothers and ‘obentos’: The Lunch-box as Ideological State Apparatus,” in Anthropological Quarterly, vol. 64, no. 4 (October, 1991), pp. 195-208 [THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE YORK LIBRARY CATALOGUE]
WEEK 12: Monday December 3, 2018
QUIZ #6: food in Japan
—Christmas & New Years in Japan
SUPPLEMENTARY READING: Konagaya Hideo. “The Christmas Cake: A Japanese Tradition of American Prosperity” The Journal of Popular Culture (Spring 2001), vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 121-136 [THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE YORK LIBRARY CATALOGUE]
TERM
2
WEEK 1: Monday January 7, 2019
BOOK REVIEW DUE
—“Ritual and the life cycle” [Hendry, chapter 8]
SUPPLEMENTARY READING: Norbeck, Edward, “Yakudoshi, a
Japanese Complex of Supernaturalistic Beliefs,” Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, vol. 11, no. 2 (Summer,
1955), pp. 105-120 [THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE YORK LIBRARY
CATALOGUE]
WEEK 2: Monday January 14, 2019
QUIZ #7: Ritual and Life cycle [Hendry, chapter 8]
—education in Japan [Hendry, chapter 5]
WEEK 3: Monday January 21, 2019
—education in Japan [Hendry, chapter 5]
WEEK 4: Monday January 28, 2019
QUIZ #8: education [Hendry, chapter 5]
—“Opportunities for working life” [Hendry, chapter 9]
SUPPLEMENTARY
READING: “Japan’s New Recruits:
Victims of the Japanese-Style Family and Japanese-Style Employment,” by
Masakazu Yano, Japan Labor Review, vol. 10, no. 1 (Winter 2013), [THIS
ARTICLE CAN BE ACCESSED ONLINE AT:
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2013/JLR37_yano.pdf]
WEEK 5: Monday February 4, 2019
—health in Japan [Hendry, chap. 3]
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2019:
LAST DAY TO DROP THIS COURSE WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY
WEEK 6: Monday February 11, 2019
QUIZ #9: health in Japan [Hendry, chapter 3]
—gift giving in Japan
SUPPLEMENTARY READING: Millie R. Creighton, “‘Sweet love’ and women’s place: Valentine’s Day, Japan Style” Journal of Popular Culture, (Winter 1993), vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 1-19 [THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE YORK LIBRARY CATALOGUE]
SATURDAY DAY FEBRUARY
16-FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019: READING WEEK: NO CLASSES
WEEK 7: Monday February 25, 2019
—“Government and the craft of politics” [Hendry, chapter 11]
WEEK 8: Monday March 4, 2019
QUIZ #10: government in Japan [Hendry, chapter 11]
—“The legal system and social control” [Hendry, chapter 12]
WEEK
9: Monday March 11, 2019
QUIZ #11: the legal system [Hendry, chapter 12]
—the status of women
WEEK 10: Monday March 18, 2019
—the status of women; popular culture in Japan
WEEK 11: Monday March 25, 2019
QUIZ #12: the status of women
—pop culture in Japan (cont’d)
WEEK 12: Monday April 1, 2019
ESSAY DUE
—pop culture in Japan (cont’d)