01:565:361 Japanese Popular Culture

This course considers various facets of Japanese popular culture with two primary objectives in mind. First, it examines Japanese popular culture through manga, anime, and television with a focus on the archetypal frameworks—such as notion of family, school, love, and humor—that inform these mediums. Second, the course, through its investigation of Japanese popular culture, seeks to develop the students’ Japanese-language abilities. In particular, the course will familiarize students with colloquial Japanese, gendered expressions, and Kansai dialect through reading and translating of primary materials. By doing so, the course will not only introduce students to new linguistic materials but also provide a review of previously acquired Japanese grammar. Given its two objectives, the course will involve lessons and discussions in both Japanese and English and share time between language acquisition and cultural criticism.

For Japanese/EALAS majors, this course satisfies either the language or culture component of the major requirements.

Presentation: at the end of semester, you will perform a comedic skit in Japanese based on the linguistic and cultural materials we have learned during the course of the semester. You may perform alone or in a group, although you will be graded individually. You may perform live or present a recording.

Final Paper: for the final paper, you will select a short section of a work of manga, anime, or television show (not one discussed in class) and analyze it utilizing the archetypal frameworks of Japanese popular culture that we will discuss during the course of the semester. You do not have to cover all frameworks but combining multiple frameworks should help you develop your argument. There is no need for secondary sources.