Course Description: This course serves as an introduction to the modern literature of Japan, 1868 to present. Emphasis is placed on the historical developments and trends in modern Japanese answers to the question, what does literature do? Specific topics include the Meiji Restoration and Japanese literary encounters with the West, naturalism and the I-novel, literary…
Course Description: This course explores popular culture—including literature, film, TV dramas, anime, manga, and pop music—moving between Korea and Japan in the twentieth century. We will start by looking at the flow of culture in the Japanese empire, with attention to how colonized Korean culture was received in Japan and vice versa. Then we will…
Read more Popular Culture in Motion: Japanese Empire to Korean Wave
Course Description: Although often described as one of the most ethnically homogenous countries in the world, Japan has recently seen calls to reinvent itself as a multicultural society. These calls are especially urgent as Japan faces the challenges of an aging population and a globalizing world. At the same time, Japan has never been completely…
Course Description: This course uses authentic Japanese-language materials organized around a theme in order to expand students’ vocabulary, cultural literacy, and competency in written and spoken Japanese. Students will develop knowledge and fluency in the thematic area in addition to building self-study habits for continuing toward broader proficiency in Japanese. Class discussions will be conducted…
Course Description: This course uses authentic Japanese-language materials organized around a theme in order to expand students’ vocabulary, cultural literacy, and competency in written and spoken Japanese. Students will develop knowledge and fluency in the thematic area in addition to building self-study habits for continuing toward broader proficiency in Japanese. Class discussions will be conducted…
Course Description: In a viral TED Talk titled “We Should All Be Feminists,” Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stated, “That word feminist is so heavy with baggage, negative baggage. You hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, that sort of thing.” Indeed, feminism is among the most fraught terms commonly in use both…
Course Description: This course is intended to develop students’ reading skills in Japanese as well as knowledge of contemporary Japanese literature and culture. Readings are in Japanese, drawn mainly from short stories by contemporary writers, but may also include brief essays, articles, poetry, and other media. Class discussions will be conducted in a mix of…
Course Description: In this experiential learning course, students work as a team to translate a modern Japanese short story into English for publication. The course is project based, taking students through the process of completing a polished translation, from initial close reading, drafting, and iterative revision and editing. Develops skills in reading comprehension and speed,…
Wikipedia editing assignments are an excellent way to introduce students to the basics of research. Students in my Japanese and Korean pop culture course contributed high-quality information to articles ranging from The Kojiki to My Brother’s Husband. Sample from student presentation: See our course page for more.
Cindi L. Textor 