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"J-Pop, J-Rock &Idols: Japanese, Popular Music & Society"

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1 ASAN 464 "J-Pop, J-Rock &Idols: Japanese, Popular Music & Society". Summer 2012, Session I Moore 423 MTWRF 12:00PM – 1:15PM Instructor: Dr. Jayson Makoto Chun and Professor Patrick Patterson Office: Moore 412 (We both have a mailbox there) Email: [email protected], [email protected] Office Hrs: After class or by appointment Course Description This course will investigate the changes in modern Japanese society through a historical investigation of popular music in modern Japan. We will look at the beginnings of modern Japanese music as “ryūkōka” in the Taishō period, and what its use of modern recording technology says about Japan. We will also look at the interplay between jazz and military music in the lead up to Japan’s participation in the Pacific War. Then, we will examine postwar Japanese urban popular musics, from the chart-topping idols, to “traditional” enka music, the GS sounds, to the alternative music. Last of all, we will look at Japanese music and two-way globalization: the Korean boom in Japan along with Japanese music entering other nations. We will examine various genres of popular music and their relationship with Japanese society, and the historical currents of the time. A portion of each class will be devoted to examining the lyrics, visual imagery, and music itself as reflections of the continued modernization process in Japan. This course is thus conceived as highly interdisciplinary, intended for students interested in a wide range of topics including Japanese cultural history and music, East Asian studies, popular music and culture, and music as modern text. Knowledge of Japanese is not necessary, nor is formal training in music. Course objectives You the student (well, at least some of you), most likely know more about Japanese popular music than the instructors. So this course is not a place for J-pop fan discussions – remember, not all of the class will be Japanese pop music, AKB48, or Arashi experts. And there are so many key artists and songs that we are unable to cover all key works in detail. So, you will learn the following: 2 th ● The basics of 20 century Japanese popular music. It’s really fascinating stuff! ● An introduction to cultural studies – how the producer and audiences work together to create meaning in popular culture products. ● How media culture is a source of values for society, and how it functions to legitimate or challenge the social structure. ● The link between media culture and issues of gender, national identity, and race. Unless you get asked during your job interview, “What is the difference between Arashi versus Big Bang?” We are not that concerned about you memorizing all the details of the class. Rather, focus on the overall picture of Japanese popular culture, in other words, the big picture. We’re more interested in how you analyze, not how you summarize. Readings ● Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon: A Geopolitical Prehistory of J-Pop. Michael Bourdaghs ● Online readings and songs, handouts Important note about music: One of the great aspects of the digital revolution is that many of the songs for Japanese music are now available online through Youtube. Therefore, you are to listen to these songs online before class as part of your assignment. Most of the songs will be available through youtube. As detailed in the TEACH Act, we can put some of my personal copies of Japanese music online, so long as it is for the class only and for a reasonable time period. Please do not make copies of this music, and realize that doing so is a violation of American copyright law. 2nd IMPORTANT NOTE: some readings and take home quizzes can be accessed on laulima.hawaii.edu Course Requirements This is an upper-division course that will require heavy reading and class participation. We’ve kept the readings short but it is easy to fall behind in this class if one misses the readings. If you want to just hide in the corner of the room and be quiet the entire class, do not take this course. All papers and presentations must be done in order to pass the class. The course requirements are: 3 Requirement Percentage of overall grade First paper (cover page + 6 full pages + works cited) 20% Second paper (cover page + 6 full pages + works cited) 20% Short paper on fan culture (3 pages) 10% Quizzes (take home, mix of short answer and multiple choice. 25% Short answers are half the quiz grade) Final assessment 10% Participation and attendance 15% Total = 100% Assignment Descriptions First Paper – Narrative of Music History – This paper will be a discussion of the relationship of a period in modern Japanese history to the popular music of that period. ● It must be a minimum of six full pages in length (2 line spacing, in 12 pt. Times New Roman Font) not including the title and works cited pages. So it will be cover page + six full pages + works cited. Anything less will be penalized or even forced to redo. ● You must bring up how the genre reflects the society of the time. ● What images or symbols are typical for this genre? Use a semiotic analysis. ● Give some representative groups of this genre, and how they typify or deviate from the genre standards. ● Explain the ideological aims of the genre, and speculate on ways of “listening otherwise.” In other words, how do consumers use (and often repurpose music, giving it a different meaning)? ● If you use a genre found in Bourdagh’s book (such as GS sounds), do more research and add more from what you find. ● Learn to use bulletin boards to find people who can translate portions of your song lyrics. The instructors will review your choice of paper topic and the writing rubric. The process of writing this paper will also involve an in­class writing workshop. Instructors will be available to give assistance during office hours. We will also provide extensive written feedback on drafts and the final paper. Here is a table of possible genres you could explore: Shoka (School prewar jazz Kayokyoku gunka Continental Asian songs like “Light music 4 of the Fireflies”) Rockabilly GS sounds Folk Wasei Pop (The Idol music Peanuts) New Music J­rock Visual Kei Hip Hop Dance Music (1990s and onward) Hawaiian Music Okinawan pop K­pop in Japan Idol megagroups Genre of your (Hello Project, choice Johnny’s, AKB franchise) You will be allowed to redo your first paper (turn in redo by the last day of class) for up to +7 points, for a maximum of a “90”. 5 Second Paper – Analysis of an artist (or simimar grouping of artists) in postwar Japanese popular music. This paper requires that you choose an artist or grouping of artists (“Hawaii singers”) in the poswar period and research the development or career (for a paper on an artist) in the context of the relevant developments in Japanese society. ● It must be a minimum of six full pages in length (2 line spacing, in 12 pt. Times New Roman Font) not including the title and works cited pages. So it will be cover page + six full pages + works cited. Anything less will be penalized or even forced to redo. ● You must bring up how the artist reflects the society of the time. ● What images or symbols are typical for this artist? Use a semiotic analysis. ● Give some representative songs for this artist, and how these songs reflect the vision of the artist. ● Explain the ideological aims of the genre, and speculate on ways of “listening otherwise.” In other words, how do consumers use (and often repurpose music, giving it a different meaning)? ● If you use a genre found in Bourdagh’s book (such as GS sounds), do more research and add more from what you find. ● Learn to use bulletin boards to find people who can translate portions of your song lyrics. It must be a minimum of six pages in length (2 line spacing, in 12 pt. Times New Roman Font) not including the title and works cited pages. The instructors will review your choice of paper topic and the writing rubric. The process of writing this paper will also involve an in­class writing workshop. Instructors will be available to give assistance during office hours. We will also provide extensive written feedback on drafts and the final paper. Here are some good artists for those of you who know nothing about J­pop AKB48 or SMAP or Arashi Exile, Greeen Kobukuro, Sheena Ringo Morning Yuzu, or other Musume neo­folk artists Hamasaki Utada Hikaru Matsuda Seiko Southern All Ozaki Yutaka Ayumi Stars Zeebra, Rip Amuro Namie Hawaii singers Hatsune Miku Kyami Slyme, Angela Aki, Ito Panyupanyu Ketsumeishi, Yuna, Orange Range, or other hip hop artists JERO Enka singers KARA or SNSD Rockers like Eighties singers like Kitajima (Shojo Jidai) or B’z, X Japan, like Princess Saburo, DBSK L’arc en Ciel Princess, Ishikawa Sayuri (Tohoshinki) Nakamori Akina 6 Fan Culture Paper – This paper will be assigned after our class on interpreting fan culture, including fan documents and activities through using BBS. Post a question on a BBS or Twitter asking fans a question about the artist (i.e: What does SNSD mean to you? Why do you like them?) Analyze their responses. It must be a minimum of three pages in length (2 line spacing, in 12 pt. Times New Roman Font) not including the title and works cited pages. Students will present their papers to the class for critique before turning in the final draft. Instructors will be available to give assistance during office hours.
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