Japanese Studies 1

JAPN 221 - Japan Past and Present (3 Hours) JAPANESE STUDIES A January travel course designed to explore the history and culture of Japan. Destinations in Japan may vary but will include Tokyo and/or Faculty: MacLauchlan, Munson, and Paris. Kyoto. Two weeks of instruction in Ashland and two weeks in Japan. No (Department of Asian Studies) Japanese language skills are required. C21:EL. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor The minor in Japanese Studies presents students with a comprehensive approach to the study of Japan and the Japanese language. It prepares JAPN 232 - Japanese Literature in Translation (3 Hours) students to live, study, and pursue employment in Japan, by providing This course will explore the literature of modern Japan in English them with advanced opportunities to speak, read, and write the language translation. Topics to be discussed include the relationship between in professional and daily settings; by requiring them to engage with a the individual and society; Japan's international relations; WWII and the variety of topics in Japanese Studies, including society, history, culture, occupation of postwar Japan; and the modern Japanese family, among cinema, and literature; and by providing opportunities for a study abroad others. No Japanese language skills are required. experience through January travel courses, or at one of the college’s Cross-list: FLET 232 approved partners, such as Kansai Gaidai University. JAPN 239 - Traditional Japanese Literature (3 Hours) • Japanese Studies Minor (https://rmc.courseleaf.com/programs/ This course explores the literature and cultural production of premodern japanese-studies/japanese-studies-minor/) Japan, covering from approximately the 8th century to mid-19th century. In particular, this course will examine the relationship between literary JAPN 111 - Elementary Japanese I (3 Hours) writings and the religious, spiritual, and political life of premodern Japan. Introduction to modern spoken Japanese with an emphasis on speaking, C21:AE, NW. listening, reading, and writing. Upon successful completion of JAPN 111, Cross-list: FLET 239 students should be able to comprehend and produce Japanese in a range of real-world activities, and to write and recognize both the hiragana and JAPN 260 - Contemporary Japan (3 Hours) katakana syllabaries. C21:FL. This course is an in-depth exploration of modern Japanese culture and society; no previous knowledge or Japan or Japanese is necessary. JAPN 112 - Elementary Japanese II (3 Hours) Topics covered include education, crime, sexuality, international relations, A continuation of JAPN 111, with an increased focus on kanji characters. popular culture, the environment, the 2020 Olympics, and Japan’s imperial C21:FL. family, among others. By the conclusion of the course students should Prerequisite(s): JAPN 111 or permission of instructor have a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Japanese society. JAPN 211 - Intermediate Japanese I (3 Hours) Evaluation will be determined on the basis of discussion, in-class writing This course is an intermediate course of study in Japanese language assignments, and a final project. with an increased emphasis on speaking, listening, reading, and writing JAPN 270 - Weird Japan (3 Hours) in Japanese, and a continued focus on kanji characters. This course Monsters, magic, and horror have long haunted Japanese popular culture will introduce students to the basics of informal and formal speech and and can tell us much about Japanese society. Starting with Shinto how to express more nuanced opinions and thoughts. Students will be creation myths and traditional ghost tales, this course is an overview expected to have mastery over 101 kanji by the end of the course. C21:FL. of Japanese conceptions of the strange and supernatural, particularly Prerequisite(s): JAPN 112 or permission of instructor with reference to key points in Japan’s history. Through fiction, film, and art, this class will explore the ‘weird side’ of the Japanese experience. JAPN 212 - Intermediate Japanese II (3 Hours) C21:HC, NW. This course is a second semester, intermediate course of study in Japanese language with a focus on increasing fluency in speaking, JAPN 281 - T:Special Topics (3 Hours) listening, reading, and writing in Japanese, and a continued focus on These courses focus on areas of japanese studies not specifically kanji characters. By the end of the course, students will have mastery of covered in the general curriculum and are designed to meet the needs of approximately 145 kanji characters, be able express themselves in both advanced students. informal and formal styles of speech and writing, and gain experience JAPN 292 - Japanese Film as History:The Works of Kurosawa Akira (3 writing and presenting formal academic thoughts in Japanese. C21:FL. Hours) Prerequisite(s): JAPN 211 or permission of instructor This course serves as a general introduction to postwar Japanese film through close examination of several films of Kurosawa Akira, one of the JAPN 220 - Culture of Japan (3 Hours) most celebrated directors in the history of the medium. Classic samurai This course is a broad survey introduction to the popular and mass drama such as “Rashomon,” “The Seven Samurai,” and other period films culture of modern Japan through works of literature, film, animation, art, will be the focus of the course. Students will be introduced to basic and media. Students will consider questions of what makes something theories and concepts in film studies, as well as topics in Japanese part of popular or mass culture; how historical, economic, political, and/or history relevant to both the settings and production of the films. Close societal concerns shape popular tastes, what is represented, and what is attention will also be paid to issues of nationalism, gender, war, and considered permissible to represent; and how Japanese culture circulates cross-cultural adaptation. Japanese language skills are not required. beyond Japan and East Asia, and how this relates to questions of political Offered infrequently. power and influence. No Japanese language skills required. Cross-list: FILM 292 2 Japanese Studies

JAPN 294 - Early to Premodern Japan (3 Hours) This course is a survey of Japanese culture and society, from the earliest beginnings to the 19th century. We will focus on topics such as the influence of Chinese civilization, the origins of Shinto and Japanese Buddhism, the development of art and literature, and the rise of the samurai class. No Japanese language skills required. Offered alternate years. C21:GE, NW. JAPN 295 - Modern Japan (3 Hours) This course is a survey of Japanese culture and society from the 19th century to the present. At the completion of the course students should be versant in the basic themes of modern japan, including international relations, societal trends, arts and literature, and the globalization of Japanese popular culture. No Japanese language skills required. Offered alternate years. C21:GE, NW. JAPN 320 - Writing in Japanese (3 Hours) This course is a comprehensive introduction to written Japanese. Beginning with the history and origin of kanji and the hiragana and katakana syllabaries, students will understand the social, historical, and cultural context of written script. Students will also improve their writing skills in two different areas: first, in the artistic production of Japanese calligraphy; and second, in the composition of handwritten prose. Finally, students will learn how to type in Japanese and construct Japanese documents using Microsoft Word. Prerequisite(s): JAPN 212 or permission of instructor

JAPN 330 - Japanese Folk Tales (3 Hours) This course is designed to improve students’ reading comprehension in Japanese, through close reading and translation of folk tales such as ‘Peach Boy’ and ‘The Luminous Princess.’ Prerequisite(s): JAPN 212 or permission of instructor

JAPN 340 - Conversational Japanese (3 Hours) This course is designed to improve student’s oral fluency in the Japanese language. Emphasis will be placed on performing informal daily activities in Japanese, as well as interactions in more formal settings. Prerequisite(s): JAPN 212 or permission of instructor

JAPN 381 - Special Topics in Japanese (3 Hours) These courses focus on topics in Japanese not specifically covered in the general curriculum and are designed to meet the needs of advanced students. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor

JAPN 382 - Special Topics in Japanese (3 Hours) These courses focus on topics in Japanese not specifically covered in the general curriculum and are designed to meet the needs of advanced students. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor