Fall 2019 ANS 372: Japanese Science Fiction 31707
Instructor: Joseph C. Schaub, Ph.D. Email: [email protected] Course Meetings: Office Hours: Office: Phone:
Course Description: This course introduces some of Japan’s important works of sci-fi and speculative fiction in the postwar era (1945-present). We will explore the ways that literature and film’s futuristic narratives and imagery change during periods of economic prosperity or prolonged recession. Central to our discussions will be the slippage between utopian and dystopian worldviews, the fascination and fear of high-tech society, the ongoing threat of global apocalypse, and the gradual dawning of the posthuman era. No prerequisites are required for this course, although familiarity with postwar Japanese history will be helpful.
Required Texts: Japan Sinks, (1973), Sakyo Komatsu All You Need is Kill (2004), Hiroshi Sakurazaka The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories (1989), Edited by John Apolstolou & Martin Greenberg (JSFS) Speculative Japan 4 (2018), Edited by Edward Lipsett (SJ) Additional readings will be made available on Canvas (Can)
Course Objectives: • Students will read, analyze, interpret, and discuss a variety of Japanese science fiction texts • Students will learn techniques for conducting literary and film analysis • Students will demonstrate comprehension of important concepts through discussions, quizzes, and written assignments • Students will gain greater familiarity with Japanese culture through readings, discussions and written assignments
Course Work: Attendance & Participation: In addition to attending class, I am asking each student to do a presentation of one of the short stories. Detailed guidelines for how to approach the presentations are attached. In terms of grading, the Attendance/Participation grade is worth 25% of the total. Attendance will be worth 10%, participation in discussions will be worth 5% and the presentation will be worth 10%.
Unit Quizzes: After completing a unit, we will have a quiz that will cover lecture material, readings and discussions. These quizzes will consist of multiple choice, T/F and possibly some short identification questions. The quizzes will take place at the beginning of the class for which they are scheduled. The total points for all quizzes will amount to 25% of the final grade.
Written Assignments: There will be three written assignments due at various points in the semester. I am asking each student to write a brief (1 – 2 pages, worth 5%) reflection following your presentation (see attached presentation guidelines). Each student will also write a brief (1 – 2 pages, worth 5%) response to questions for the novel Japan Sinks (see attached). Finally, each student will write a longer (5 -6 pages, worth 15%) paper to be handed in at the end of the semester. Information about this paper is attached.
Final Exam: The Final Exam is currently scheduled for Saturday, December 14, 7:00 pm-10:00 pm. I am trying to reschedule it.
Course Schedule:
TH Aug 29: Introduction to course, syllabus
T Sep 3: Origins of Japanese Science Fiction
TH Sep 5: Read, Can – Edogawa Ranpo, “Hell of Mirrors”
Unit 1: Disaster & Apocalypse (Begin reading Japan Sinks)
T Sep 10: Screen Gojira (Honda, 1954); Read Can - TsuTsui, “Birth of Godzilla”
TH Sep 12: Finish Gojira, discuss Kaiju Eiga
T Sep 17: Read JSFS - Kobo Abe, “The Flood,” Shinichi Hoshi, “Hey, Come on Ou-t”
TH Sep 19: SJ – Junko Mase, “The Ebb and Flow of the Aurora Sea”
T Sep 24: SJ - Masahiko Inoue, “Last Words”
TH Sep 26: Quiz # 1: Screen Clone Returns Home (Nakajima, 2008)
Unit 2: Technology & the Posthuman Body
T Oct 1: Finish Clone Returns Home, Read CAN – Schaub, “Threading the Needles,” Discuss “posthumanism”
TH Oct 3: Read JSFS - Ryo Hanmura, “Cardboard Box,” JSFS - Shinichi Hoshi, “Bokko-Chan”
T Oct 8: Read JSFS - Sakyo Komatsu, “The Savage Mouth,” Takyu Mayamura, “Fnifmum”
TH Oct 10: SJ – Yasumi Kobayashi, “Prototype No. 3,” SJ – Sayuri Ueda, “Vermillion”
T Oct 15: SJ – Hiroko Minagawa, “Morceaux,” SJ – Masaki Yamada, “Matsui Seimon on the Case”
TH Oct 17: Quiz # 2, Discuss Japan Sinks, (Essay Questions Due)
2 Unit 3: Time & Space (Begin reading All You Need Is Kill)
T Oct 22: Discuss Time & Space; Watch Hoshi no Koe (Shinkai, 2002)
TH Oct 24: JSFS - Takashi Ishikawa, “The Road to the Sea,” Sakyo Komatsu, “Take Your Choice”
T Oct 29: SJ - Hiroki Azuma, “The Fish in Chryse”
TH Oct 31: SJ – Ken Asamatsu, “Genesis: Dark Birth - Shining Death”
T Nov 5: SJ – Shinji Kajio, “Pearls for Mia”
TH Nov 7: SJ – Akira Hori, “Encounters on the Solar Wind”
T Nov 12: Quiz # 3, begin Nausicaa (Miyazaki, 1984)
Unit 4: Utopia & Dystopia
TH Nov 14: Finish Nausicaa, Read Can – Napier, “Nausicaa & the Feminine Principle,” discuss utopian/dystopian fiction
T Nov 19: JSFS - Yasutaka Tsutsui, “Standing Woman”
TH Nov 21: JSFS - Tetsu Yano, “The Legend of the Paper Space Ship”
T Nov 26: SJ – Osamu Makino, “Dancing Babylon”
TH Nov 28: Thanksgiving Break
T Dec 3: SJ – Takako Takahashi, “Communion”
TH Dec 5: Last Day of Class, Review for Final Exam, Final Papers due
Grading:
Attendance and Participation 25% Quizzes and Unit Tests 25% Written Assignments 25% Final Exam 25%
Final Grades are assigned as follows:
93-100 = A 80-82.9 = B- 67-69.9 = D+ 90-92.9 = A- 77-79.9 = C+ 63-66.9 = D 87-89.9 = B+ 73-76.9 = C 60-62.9 = D- 83-86.9 = B 70-72.9 = C- below 60 = F
3 Class Policies This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.
Readings are listed in the syllabus on the day they are due. If you see a reading on the syllabus for a certain day, it means we will cover it that day.
Absences Excused Absence: The only absences that will be considered excused are for religious holidays or extenuating circumstances due to an emergency. If you plan to miss class due to observance of a religious holiday, please let us know at least two weeks in advance. You will not be penalized for this absence, although you will still be responsible for any work you will miss on that day if applicable. Check with us for details or arrangements.
If you have to be absent, ask a classmate for notes on any lessons you miss. If you find there are topics that we covered while you were gone that raise questions, you may come by during office hours or schedule a meeting to discuss. Email specific questions you have in advance so that we can make the most of our time. “What did I miss?” is not specific enough.
Student Rights & Responsibilities Students have a right to an inclusive learning environment where they are respected, graded fairly, provided with opportunities to freely express opinions, and guaranteed privacy and confidentiality where appropriate. In return, each of us is responsible for treating others with respect, listening courteously and doing our best to make the learning environment supportive to all. If you are feeling that the class is not meeting this standard, please let the instructor or TA know so that the issue can be addressed as quickly as possible.
Names & Personal Pronouns Class rosters are provided to the instructor with students’ legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.
University Policies Academic Integrity Each student in the course is expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code: “As a student of The University of Texas at Austin, I shall abide by the core values of the University and uphold academic integrity.” Plagiarism is taken very seriously at UT. Therefore, if you use words or ideas that are not your own (or that you have used in previous class), you must cite your sources. Otherwise you will be guilty of plagiarism and subject to academic disciplinary action, including failure of the course. You are responsible for understanding UT’s Academic Honesty and the
4 University Honor Code which can be found at the following web address: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php
Q Drop Policy If you want to drop a class after the 12th class day, you’ll need to execute a Q drop before the Q-drop deadline, which typically occurs near the middle of the semester. Under Texas law, you are only allowed six Q drops while you are in college at any public Texas institution. For more information, see: http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/csacc/academic/adddrop/qdrop
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5 Important Safety Information: If you have concerns about the safety or behavior of fellow students, TAs or Professors, call BCAL (the Behavior Concerns Advice Line): 512-232-5050. Your call can be anonymous. If something doesn’t feel right – it probably isn’t. Trust your instincts and share your concerns.
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Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office. Link to information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found at: www.utexas.edu/emergency
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Faculty members and certain staff members are considered “Responsible Employees” or “Mandatory Reporters,” which means that they are required to report violations of Title IX to the Title IX Coordinator. I am a Responsible Employee and must report any Title IX related incidents that are disclosed in writing, discussion, or one-on-one. Before talking with me, or with any faculty or staff member about a Title IX related incident, be sure to ask whether they are a responsible employee. If you want to speak with someone for support or remedies without making an official report to the university, email [email protected] For more information about reporting options and resources, visit titleix.utexas.edu or contact the Title IX Office at [email protected].
6 Fall 2019 ANS 372: Japanese Science Fiction Questions for Sakyo Komatsu’s Japan Sinks
Please begin reading Japan Sinks as soon as you can. We will discuss the book following Quiz # 2 in our October 17 class. To assist us in our discussion, I am asking you to write a brief, one paragraph (roughly a half-page, double spaced) response to each of the questions below. For each response, please include a quote from the book, and the page where you found it.
Questions:
1. Japan Sinks has many characters, and frequently changes the characters it focuses on. Do you think there is a conventional hero in this story? If so, who is it, and why do you believe s/he is the novel’s hero(ine)?
2. In “The Imagination of Disaster,” Susan Sontag’s highly influential essay on science fiction films, the author states that the genre is concerned with, “the aesthetics of destruction, with the peculiar beauties to be found in wreaking havoc, making a mess.” (Sontag, 213). Japan Sinks was a very popular disaster novel, made into a popular movie the year of its publication (1973). What do you think of its “aesthetics of destruction”? Is it credible and entertaining? What role do you think the aesthetics of destruction play in the success of this book?
3. Japan Sinks was written in the early 1970s, shortly after the celebration of the first Earth Day in April of 1970. Many nations had begun to notice the effects of environmental pollution on their populations, including Japan, which was scandalized by mercury poisonings in Minamata in 1971. Can Japan Sinks be viewed as a novel about environmental disaster? What, if anything, does it have in common with other potential environmental disasters?
4. How would you characterize the solution the Japanese government eventually adopts for dealing with the disaster? What do you think would happen to Japanese identity if there were no nation of Japan?
I will collect your responses to these questions on Oct. 17. This will count as one of your short paper writing assignments. You do not have to cite the book when you include quotes. Just put the page number in parentheses following the quote. Be sure to proofread!
7 Fall 2019 ANS 372: Japanese Science Fiction Presentation Assignment
Each student will be asked to introduce and explain one of the required short story readings to the class. You will be able to choose which story you want to present, and the presentation will be given on the day that the story is listed in the syllabus. The stories vary quite a bit in terms of length, but you should strive for a presentation of about 20 minutes, and then questions that could lead to a wide-ranging discussion of the story. Feel free to use PowerPoint, but be aware of how to make a good presentation (engage the audience, don’t overload slides with text, etc).
Presentations should Include: • Information about the author: brief bio, other published works, themes explored, interests • Story Synopsis: what actually happens in the story • Stand-out Quotes: lines that caught your attention or seem important or revealing • An Interpretation: Many of these stories are challenging. Try to provide an interpretation beyond what literally happens. You might explore some of the tropes the story includes, or try to interpret the story as an allegory that comments on the role of the individual in society, or the Japanese nation in a global context. Generally, try to offer some new way to look at the story. • Connection to Unit: What does the story contribute to our understanding of Disaster, Time/Space, etc.? • Important Vocabulary: Japanese words, technical terms, made up words, etc. • Discussion Questions: Provide two or three questions that could lead to substantive discussion of the story.
Reflective Statement (1-2 pages): As one of your writing assignments, I would like you to write a brief statement about your presentation. Part of this can include your interpretation of the story (what you think it means). The rest should be devoted to detailing the work that went into the presentation. Outline the steps taken for researching and preparing the presentation as well as what you learned from doing it. I have posted readings on Canvas for each unit that could be helpful in analyzing the stories. If you use those readings, definitely include that in your reflective statement.
I will do the first presentation of Edogawa Ranpo’s “Hell of Mirrors” on Thurs. Sept 5 to provide a model for how to approach this assignment. The first student presentations will begin on Tues. Sept. 17.
8 Fall 2019 ANS 372: Japanese Science Fiction Long Paper Assignment Options
There are a number of possibilities for the final paper, but in general, the papers should be 5 -6 pages in length, well written, and conforming to standard English grammatical, spelling and punctuation rules. Strictly speaking, it is not a research paper, but if you do use any outside sources, be sure to include a bibliography and use a recognized citation style. You are welcome to use any of the readings available on Canvas to assist in your analysis.
1. Time Loops in Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s All You Need is Kill: The main character in All You Need is Kill experiences a unique form of time travel. How is it explained in the novel? Is it convincing? Have you seen this time loop strategy used in any other works of fiction? What popular narrative forms use the time loop and why? What reasons might the author have for using it in All You Need is Kill?
2. Short Story Explication: Although we are reading most of the stories in the two required collections, there are a few that have been excluded. For this option, you could either choose a story we did not read and make an argument for its inclusion in one of our four thematic categories, or make an argument for a fifth category by grouping together several stories in the collections and pointing out similarities between them. What would you call this fifth category? What would be its crucial components? Explain how the stories you explore contain and utilize these components, how it relates to Japanese society, and why this is an important aspect of the science fiction or speculative fiction genre.
3. Analysis of a Japanese Sci-Fi work not included in this class: If there is an external short story, novel, film or anime that you are familiar with and would like to analyze and write about, this is your opportunity. You could make an argument for including it in one of our four units. How does it conform to the parameters we have discussed? Why is it an important, ground-breaking work that should be included in this sort of class? For this option, you may want to use some of the readings on Canvas.
4. Creative Option: Many Sci-Fi readers are also writers. This is an opportunity to write a 5 - 6 page piece of speculative fiction exploring your own ideas. Try to make your story conform to one of the four themes we have discussed this semester (Disaster & Apocalypse, Utopia/Dystopia, etc.).
By midterm, I will be asking you to commit to one of the above options. If you have any questions about your topic, feel free to consult me. The final paper will be due in our last class, Thursday, December 5, 2019.
9 Fall 2019 ANS 372: Japanese Science Fiction Reading List
Disaster & Apocalypse T Sept. 17: JSFS -Abe Kobo, “The Flood” ______T Sept. 17: JSFS - Shinichi Hoshi, “Hey, Come on Ou-t” ______TH Sept. 19: SJ –Junko Mase, “The Ebb and Flow of the Aurora Sea” ______T Sept. 24: SJ - Inoue Masahiko, “Last Words” ______
Technology & The Posthuman Body TH Oct 3: JSFS - Ryo Hanmura, “Cardboard Box” ______TH Oct 3: JSFS - Shinichi Hoshi, “Bokko-Chan” ______T Oct 8: JSFS - Sakyo Komatsu, “The Savage Mouth” ______T Oct 8: JSFS - Takyu Mayamura, “Fnifmum” ______TH Oct 10: SJ – Yasumi Kobayashi, “Prototype No. 3” ______TH Oct 10: SJ – Sayuri Ueda, “Vermillion” ______T Oct 15: SJ – Hiroko Minagawa, “Morceaux” ______T Oct 15: SJ – Masaki Yamada, “Matsui Seimon on the Case” ______
Time & Space TH Oct 24: JSFS - Takashi Ishikawa, “The Road to the Sea” ______TH Oct 24: JSFS - Sakyo Komatsu, “Take Your Choice” ______T Oct 29: SJ – Hiroki Azuma, “The Fish in Chryse” ______T Oct 31: SJ – Ken Asamatsu, “Genesis: Dark Birth - Shining Death” ______T Nov 5: SJ – Shinji Kajio, “Pearls for Mia” ______TH Nov 7: SJ – Akira Hori, “Encounters on the Solar Wind” ______
Dyssing Utopia T Nov 19: JSFS - Yasutaka Tsutsui, “Standing Woman” ______TH Nov 21: JSFS - Tetsu Yano, “The Legend of the Paper Space Ship” ______T Nov 26: SJ – Osamu Makino, “Dancing Babylon” ______T Dec 3: SJ – Takako Takahashi, “Communion” ______
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