University of Nottingham s2
UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
School of History
V13129 Japan in War and Peace
Module Handbook
Autumn Semester 2009-10 20 Credits
Convenor: Dr. Susan C. Townsend
Location: B6 Lenton Grove.
Consultation and Feedback hours: Mondays 4-5 and Thursdays 4-5
Assessed seminar consultation by appointment.
Tel: (0115) (95)15946
Email:
Contents
Module Aims & Outcomes 3
Method of Assessment 3
Note on Attendance 4
Sources 4
Essays and Deadline 4
Structure of the Module/Films and Seminars 5
Seminar Report & Portfolio 5
A Note on Reading Lists/Preparatory Reading 6
Seminar and Lecture Programme at a Glance 7
Group Lists 8
Session One (24/9): Introduction 9
Session Two (01/10): Lecture/Documents 10
Session Three (08/10): Film 12
Session Four (15/10): Lecture/debate 14
Session Five (22/10): Film 16
Session Six (29/10): Lecture 18
Assessed Seminar 18
Session Seven (05/11): Lecture 20
Assessed Seminar 20
Session Eight (12/11): Lecture 23
Assessed Seminar 23
Reading Week 16-20 November
Session Nine (26/11): Lecture 25
Assessed Seminar 25
Session Ten (03/12): Film 28 Essay Questions 29
Module aims
This module consists of a detailed examination of the critical period in Japanese history from the end of the Pacific War through the U.S. Occupation between 1945 and 1952 and recovery in the 1960s and beyond. The lectures and seminars will examine the following topics:
Japan’s Road to War
The Japanese experience of war and defeat
The A-bomb in history and memory
The ‘Allied’ Occupation of Japan
The changing Japanese family
Japan’s economic recovery in the 1950s and 60s
The environmental costs of rapid economic development
The Asia-Pacific War in Japanese memory and popular culture
Module outcomes: The module provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding of: key problems and issues in the study of the Asia-Pacific War and its aftermath; the methodology used by historians in the interrogation of primary sources; the interaction between historiography and empirical evidence; the interaction between history and memory.
Intellectual skills: Students should be able to: identify and evaluate critically key problems in the study of Japan in war and peace and memories of the Asia-Pacific War within an intellectual framework informed by current scholarship; locate, select and interpret critically a variety of primary and secondary sources in this area; use the information gained in the module to reflect critically upon the discipline and develop an awareness of it as a constantly changing and evolving entity.
Professional and practical skills: Students should be able to: articulate both knowledge and critical awareness of issues surrounding Japan in war and peace; develop individual analyses and interpretations of data within the broad framework of current historiography surrounding the topic.
Transferable skills: Students should be able to: demonstrate initiative and show some evidence of original thinking in their essays and presentations; take responsibility for their own learning in the preparation for seminars and coursework; communicate their findings clearly and coherently in both written work and verbally.
Method of Assessment:
One 3,000 word essay: 40%
Seminar work: 20%
One two hour examination: 40%
You may not submit assessed essays on the same topic as your first year Learning History project, second year EH essay or third year dissertation, and you must not substantially repeat material from the coursework essay in the examination (but you may use materials and ideas which have developed from your own assessed student-led seminar).
Attendance: It is the responsibility of all students to attend scheduled teaching, especially where those are marked ‘compulsory’ in this handbook, and to undertake all formative and summative assessments. A register will be taken for compulsory sessions such as seminars and if you fail to attend without a valid reason you will receive letters warning you about the consequences and, in the case of persistent non-attendance, you will be advised to see the course convenor and/or your personal tutor. In the most serious cases, where the majority of compulsory sessions have been missed and no explanation has been forthcoming, you may be prevented from sitting the examination or a mark of 0% may be awarded for assessments. The regulations for attendance and penalties for non-attendance can be found in the university’s Quality Manual at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual.study-regulations/attendance.htm and you are advised to familiarise yourselves with these. See also the School’s Notes for Guidance.
Sources: One feature of this module is the use of film. Films are used in order to investigate how the medium can be used to inform us, as historians, about contemporary social commentary, philosophical and religious views, political and environmental issues and collective memory. Additionally we examine the ways in which film shapes Japanese popular culture and contributes to the formation of collective memory. In this module we examine two film genres:
· Cinema as social commentary, the ‘Noriko trilogy’ directed by Ozu and released during or just after the American Occupation of Japan. These films comment on the changing roles of women and the breakdown of the traditional family after the war.
· Anime and the formation of Japanese popular culture and collective memory. The Anime used here cover a range of issues including the idea of post-nuclear apocalypse, Japanese views of the spiritual and natural world and Japan’s wartime memories.
Please note: if you use the example of film in your essays, seminars or examination I do NOT want a running commentary on the plot, but a critical evaluation of the way in which the film addresses the historical and conceptual issues with which it is concerned and its likely impact on public perception and collective memory.
I am indebted to my former student James Scagell for drawing my attention to suitable anime and other sources.
Essays
Deadline: Wednesday 2nd December 2009
Note: The essay must be word-processed and TWO copies must be posted in the School’s letterbox either inside, or on the outside wall of Lenton Grove. Please note that you can download the coversheet from the School’s website – undergraduate/current students – complete it in accordance with the instructions and then place it in the letter box on the outside wall, in order to save queuing on deadline day. It will be date stamped by the office staff.
Marking of essays, like examinations, is anonymous, so make sure that you fold down and staple the flap of the coversheet to cover your name. You must make sure that you append your student number only to the title sheet and individual pages.
Each copy of the essay should be stapled separately and include your title sheet and coversheet (one staple in top left). Both copies should be secured together by ONE paperclip. Please do NOT use plastic document folders or ring-bound files. Note: your title sheet is NOT the same as a coversheet.
Essays handed in late will incur a penalty of 5% for every working day. Extensions will normally only be granted by the School’s Examinations Officer (Dr. Sharipova) in exceptional circumstances and on receipt of written evidence of a problem before the deadline.
Following marking, one copy of each piece of coursework will be returned with comments and the other kept for the External Examiner. Feedback is provided in written form and verbally upon requesting an appointment or in my designated One-to-one Contact/Feedback Hours. Additional feedback on your overall progress can also be provided by your Personal Tutor.
Structure of the module
Please note that because I will be showing three films during the course of the module we have been allocated a longer slot in B13. This means that you will have two and a half contact hours per week on this module to allow for this.
Our sessions consist of a mixture of lectures, film-showings and seminars (some of them assessed) beginning at 9.30 every Thursday in B13, Lenton Grove.
Films
In addition to the lectures, three films Tokyo Story, Grave of the Fireflies and Princess Mononoke will be shown in place of the usual lecture and seminar. Attendance is compulsory.
Seminars
This year there are c.14 students on the module. The seminars are all ONE and a half hours in duration and take place after the lecture at 10.30. These are compulsory.
In the first two weeks the seminars will be conducted with the whole group and will be used to familiarise you with key primary sources. In the third week the seminar will consist of a debate among the whole group.
From week six we begin the first of FOUR assessed student-led seminars. The seminar will normally be chaired by three members of the class and will include presentations of one paper each of FIVE minutes duration and ONE or TWO exercises to engage the group.
Seminar agenda and process: As chairpersons you will be required to produce a finalised agenda for the seminar by Thursday for the following Wednesday in order to give participants time to prepare. It is essential, therefore, that you begin preparation where possible, at least two weeks in advance. The agenda needs to be planned in consultation with me well before the Thursday deadline and should include preparatory reading/viewing for members of the group.
Allow ONE hour and FIFTEEN minutes for your seminar. You will need to get everyone involved, so think how you might achieve this. Maybe you would like to involve the group in a debate or split them into buzz groups to discuss specific questions which you have set using the reading material available. Quizzes are generally not productive in such a short space of time, so use brainstorming exercises instead. Make sure you leave time to discuss your conclusions by allowing 10 minutes at the end. After the session you will be given peer feedback and a 10 minute debriefing by me.
Documentary material for each seminar will also be provided for you to work with. All materials which you need photocopying should be given to me well before the seminar. It may be a good idea to distribute materials the week before the meeting.
Students other than the seminar leaders will also be expected to prepare thoroughly for each seminar and base their reading (or viewing a film) on the pre-circulated agendas.
Seminar report portfolio: A 1,000 word seminar report must be submitted within ONE week of the assessed seminar. This should include an outline of how the seminar was planned and implemented, the main themes and issues discussed, a brief summary of your own presentation and participation and the conclusions reached. Sources used must be footnoted and you should include a reading list (not included in the word count). The portfolio should also include the seminar agenda, materials used such as handouts (either written or powerpoint) or OHPs and any posters etc.
Reading lists for seminars and essays.
Your reading lists/bibliographies should include the following elements:
· Sources providing the historical context of the topics. These include journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopaedia entries (NOT from Wikipedia). These may be delivered electronically or via the internet (but make sure you check its provenance, authenticity and accuracy, hence the prohibition on Wikipedia).
· If you are using film you must provide a brief background of the director and the film’s context. You may use sleeve notes for this or additional material provided on the DVD. However, if using the latter make sure you use this material critically since the quality of this information is very variable. Critical reviews of films or books, online (again, check the provenance) or in journals and book chapters.
· Journal articles/book chapters on the main historical and conceptual themes discussed in the essay or the seminar.
The reading lists included below are not definitive and you are expected to track down additional material on your own.
Preparatory Reading
It is recommended that you undertake some general reading in preparation for the lectures. You will find the following useful, but there are a number of general histories of postwar Japan in the library:
W. G. Beasley The Rise of Modern Japan Weidenfield & Nicolson, 1990
John Dower Japan in War and Peace: Essays on History, Race and Culture. Harper Collins, 1995 and Embracing Defeat
Janet Hunter The Emergence of Modern Japan: An Introductory History Since 1853: Longman, 1989.
Ann Waswo Modern Japanese Society 1868-1994 (1996)
Many of the articles cited in the reading list for the seminars will be found in Stephen S Large (ed.) Showa Japan: Political, Economic and Social History 1926-1989. 4 vols., London: Routledge, 1998.
Japanese Journals: The main journals are Japan Forum (Holdings in Hallward and available electronically from http://wwwtandf.co.uk/journals/) You have to fiddle about with their website but you can get articles in PDF
Journal of Asian Studies, Monumenta Japonica and the Journal of Japanese Studies are available from JSTOR up to 2003 and online. For JJS select Project Muse to download articles.
Seminar and Lecture Programme at a Glance
*Indicates compulsory attendance
One 24/9 / *Introduction / *Video: The Decision to Drop the BombTwo 01/10 / Lecture: Japan’s Road to War / *Seminar: Japan’s Decision for War – Reading the Documents
Three 08/10 / *Film: Grave of the Fireflies
Four 15/10 / Lecture: Aftermath and Occupation i: Reform / *Seminar: The Debate about the A-bomb
Five 22/10 / *Film: Tokyo Story
Six 29/10 / Lecture: Aftermath and Occupation ii: Punishment / * Assessed Seminar: Why did Japan go to war with the United States in 1941?
Seven 05/11 / Lecture: From Apocalypse to Economic Miracle / *Assessed Seminar:
Either: How successfully did the U.S. democratise and demilitarise Japan after the war?
OR: Hirohito’s war responsibility: A moderate dupe of the military or war criminal?
Eight 12/11 / Lecture: War, Memory and Popular Culture / *Assessed Seminar: A Free Ride? The American Occupation and the Economic Miracle.
OR What were the environmental costs of the ‘Miracle’?
Nine
26/11 / Essays Q&A and Revision / *Assessed Seminar: The A-bomb in Memory and Popular Culture.
OR The War and Japanese Memory
Ten 3/12 / *Film: Princess Mononoke
Seminar Leaders for Assessed Seminars